Soil & Health Auckland Branch

For branch membership and newsletter send $5 to:
Ian and Patricia Fielding
24 Waiari Road, Takanini 2112, Auckland
Phone 09 298 8693

Your newsletter Organically Speaking

Needs your contributions of snippets, hints, clippings, stories etc. relating to gardening, health etc.

Just send them to: Patricia at 24 Waiari Road, Takanini: fax 298 5293.
 or
John at 4 Exmouth Rd, Northcote, Auckland. Email: jrailton@hotmail.com

MONTHLY MEETINGS

ALL WELCOME (members and non-members)

Meetings are held on the third Tuesday each month (Feb to Nov)
Starting at 7.30pm
There will be a guest speaker on Organics or Health and a well-supplied trading table
Cost: $2 at door to cover hall hire

Come early for the trading table. We usually have lots to cover, and try and to have the speaker finished by 9pm. Then time for more trading table, supper and talking. Contributions to shared supper appreciated.

Trading table: Usually a wide range of produce or products brought by members. So bring your stuff to sell (even surplus garden or health books - that spare bunch of silverbeet or tomatoes etc etc you can't keep up with. You may donate some or all of the proceeds to branch funds - but only if you wish.

Auckland Horticultural Centre
Western Springs Gardens
990 Great North Road
Directly opposite  Motions Road, the road that goes to the Zoo. There is plenty  of parking below the building.

Tuesday 21 September, 7.30 pm
Justin Newcombe from Landscape Safari talking about ‘Starting a garden from scratch’.

Tuesday 19 October, 7.30 pm
Bashi Singh, a qualified medical herbalist and clinical neuromuscular therapist, talking about ‘Flower healing using Bach flower essences and aromatherapy’.

Tuesday 16 November, 6.30 pm
Note 6.30 pm start. End of year Xmas do.
Bring a plate for a shared meal plus a nice contribution item for the huge raffle. The theme is animal or insect friends in your garden. So dress up, at least a hat, for the great prizes, fun and games. The speaker is Karen Puttner, a nutrition consultant and author of Ten Steps to Healthy Eating, talking about ‘Nutrition awareness’.

FIELD TRIP

Sunday 26 September, 10.30 am sharp

Visit Tania and Charmaine’s Earthtalk@ Awhitu, an inspirational, sustainable 28-acre organic oasis (see www.earthtalk.co.nz), 60 Kauri Road, Awhitu (allow 1½ hours from Auckland). Please bring food for a shared lunch plus a decent koha for our hosts.

For possible car–pooling or any queries contact Brenda 534 4968 ASAP (before our September meeting). If lost, phone Ian 027 608 9359.

We had 2 wonderful field trips on Sat 27th Feb. The first to the Gray's at Dairy Flat was a wonderful example of a rural organic   property with heaps of gardens,compost bins, worm farms, chickens of all kinds, fruit trees, interesting garden tools, etc. etc. With surprises at every corner. I could have stayed there all day and continued to learn and be inspired. Thanks Brian and Christine.

The second to Heirloom Organix was great, an inspiration with organic orchard. Seedling enterprise and what a vision can achieve. Thanks Rob and Murry.

If you missed these field days you really missed  Out! (thanks for organising them Brenda)

We have three field day visits on Saturday 24th April in Papatoetoe. Watch out for monthly email or read Organically speaking  or Organic NZ, or come to our meetings for full information.