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A ROCHA GARDENING PARTY = = Wednesday 11th February, 2009
= Following an initial contact by Trevor and Lesley of “= Kishorn of Ross”, the team at A Rocha asked if any yachtsmen would be= prepared to help at the centre, with some maintenance of the grounds. = ; So that was how seven of us met at Lagos railway station, caught the 1037= train to Mexilhoeira Grande, and then walked to A Rocha. It was a beautifu= l morning which made a change after all the rain we have had.
After a busy mor= ning, lunch was served in the open air. The meal was cooked by Paula = Banza, who has authored a superb cookery book based on menus used at A Roch= a. The book is for sale at just €8.50 – a real bargain an= d it helps the centre’s funds, too! Paula was ably a= ssisted by Sue of “Tamar Swallow” who acted as Commis Chef!&nbs= p; We had soup with homemade bread, Chicken Fricassé, mashed p= otato and salad, followed by a delicious apple turnover and whipped cream. = Fresh orange juice was served – squeezed from the oranges picked that= morning. How fresh can you get! And all this only cost a donat= ion of €5 per head. The meal was accompanied by lively conversa= tion, humour and Paula talking about the centre and the Portuguese way of l= ife.
If you would like to learn more about A Rocha and their work= , and perhaps help to preserve this beautiful and fragile area for the futu= re, visit = their web site www.arocha.org .
If you would like to join us on any of our visits to A Rocha= , just check www.lagosnavigators.= net , the South Bar notice boar= d or the VHF Net for details. Or drop an e-mail to barbara<at>compserv.co.uk (replace <at> with @) and we’ll send you an inv= itation. &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; |
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A Rocha is a bird ringing centre which is open to the public= every Thursday morning. Here you can watch the expert, Marcial Felgu= eiras, identify, record, ring, weigh and check the condition of the birds b= efore they are released again. It is a wonderful experience being able to o= bserve and photograph the birds at such close quarters.
The centre is also involved in trying to protect the Alvor E= stuary and the surrounding areas from over-development. These wetlands are = an important feeding ground for resident and migratory birds. <= /span> |
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The purpose of this visit was to help tidy up around the nat= ure reserve. Large branches overhanging the nature trail had to be cut back= , and the smaller bushes needed trimming to keep the paths clear. Sweeping = paths and patios around the centre, raking leaves from the lawn, weeding pa= ths and sorting wood for the wood-burning stove were some of the jobs done.=
My most memorable experience actually came while sweeping pa= ths! Another group were picking oranges about 50 metres away an= d the smell drifting across was absolutely delicious.
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All good things = come to an end, however, and after lunch it was back to work around the gro= unds until 1645. Then, just in case we were wasting away, it was time= for tea and biscuits before plodding our weary way back to catch the train= home – just in time for a short stop at Lazyjacks for a refreshment = or two!. We all had a won= derful day, enjoying good company in beautiful surroundings. We will all do= it again sometime. |
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