Slip 'n Slide

Slip 'n Slide Karangi style

You may remember that last year during Summer Myles had to brush-cut a bank that was close to the house - he kept falling down the bank and ended up covered in leeches. This year it is going to be different - maybe?

We have decided to cover the bank in weed mat and then grow a native plant from the top of the bank over the top of the plastic. This should retain the bank and mean Myles doesn't get covered in leeches. We bought the plastic and metal prongs to hold the plastic down - from the landscape shop. Myles then poisoned the weeds on the bank. After a day we rolled the plastic over the bank and started securing it to the ground. This was marginally difficult as I kept sliding down the plastic towards the barbed wire fence!

While sliding down the plastic I was reminded of the 80's. At one stage my family lived in Whangarei, NZ. My parents had bought a piece of land on the side of a mountain and set about building their then dream home. This was done over a long period of time because they didn't have all the funds up front - well it seemed like a long time to me anyway! The garden was last to be finished so we kids had nowhere to play. Contrary to belief but NZ does get pretty hot so in summer we had difficulty keeping cool. Mum bought a Slip 'n Slide - the hot toy at the time. It was basically a long wide strip of plastic with a hose fitting on one side. You would put it on the lawn turn it on and slide down it. But we had no lawn!

Myles cuddling Chop Suey

So the ingenious Jones family put the slide in the park behind the house and ran the hose up. The only problem was the hose only reached a certain distance. So the slide was put on a bank a couple of meters away from the main fence. Water turned on, children in togs (NZ word for swimmers), children pumped for some water fun. The first kid had a big run up and slid down - smiles all around until the plastic ran out. There was noway to stop and you would hit the grass that was full of prickles and gorse. Your chest and bum would be scratched, and you would get grass burn. If you were skilled you would have so much speed that only the wire fence would stop you. And that hurt!

So I could recreate my childhood memories on our new bank - but I think I will leave it or now!

And for those following our new goat - she is doing well and loves a few cuddles.