APRIL 2024 GROBY SPOTLIGHT online

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Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-APRIL 2024 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
Children’s
exam papers
THE FOLLOWING reallife
answers to various
exam papers explain
why teachers need long
holidays…
What is a nitrate? Cheaper than a
day rate.
What was Sir Walter Raleigh
famous for?
He is a noted figure in history
because he invented cigarettes and
started a craze for bicycles.
What did Mahatma Gandhi and
Genghis Khan have in common?
Unusual names.
Name one of the early Romans’
greatest achievements. Learning to
speak Latin.
Name six animals which live
specifically in the Arctic. Two polar
bears. Four seals.
Where was the American
Declaration of Independence
signed? At the bottom.
What happens during puberty to
a boy? He says goodbye to his
childhood and enters adultery.
State three drawbacks of hedgerow
removal. All the cows will escape.
The cars drive into the fields. There
is nowhere to hide.
What is the meaning of the word
varicose? Close by.
What is a fibula? A little lie.
Why would living close to a mobile
phone mast cause ill health? You
might walk into it.
What is a vibration? There are
good vibrations and bad vibrations.
Good vibrations were discovered in
the 1960s.
Where was Hadrian’s Wall built?
Around Hadrian’s garden.
The race of people known as
Malays come from which country?
Malaria.
You don’t need to be a meteorologist to know
that the UK isn’t blessed with the most desirable
of climates. Our weather is unreliable and
generally has average levels of heat, cold, sun,
cloud, rain and snow. There’s not enough of
any to be worthy of note, except on the odd few
days when it veers to an extreme – which is so
unusual that it makes headline news.
Still, every cloud has a silver lining…literally!
This temperate climate means that during most
summers, we can have gorgeous gardens. This
starts with your lawn, as it is likely that more of
your garden will be given over to lawn than any
other single feature. However, if yours looks
more grazing meadow than bowling green, a
beautiful space will elude you until it’s sorted.
But where do you start, and what do you need?
Analysis
Is your soil chalk, clay or sand? Do you have a
problem with any particular types of weeds and
pests? Are there any bare patches, and what’s
causing them (e.g. pets)? Is the grass type
suitable for your needs? Beautiful fine grass won’t
stand up to the kids playing football, for example.
Equipment
If your lawnmower hasn’t had any maintenance
in years, the blades are blunt, and the blade
height is difficult to adjust, you need to choose
between a service or a new model. But lawns
also need scarification (removing moss and other
debris) and aeration (small holes in the ground
to allow air, water and nutrients to circulate) and
both of these require specific tools.
Products
Plenty of water, of course, but no garden
reaches its full potential without products to
feed the growth and kill the weeds. These are
relatively inexpensive and can be purchased at
most DIY stores and garden centres, but if you
don’t know what you are doing, you can make
things worse. Many a lawn has been scorched
by an overly enthusiastic application of fertiliser.
Time
Oh yes, that elusive element, lack of which is the
enemy of garden improvement plans. If you can’t
be consistent with your maintenance, it’s hardly
worth starting. It’s all very well being enthusiastic
in March and April, but if you’ve lost interest by
July, both time and money will be wasted.
The professionals
Feeling motivated? Or overwhelmed and
resigned to a beige thatch instead of a lush
green carpet? It is possible with research,
dedication and money to achieve great results
by taking the DIY route. But it’s a job many
of us just don’t enjoy doing, and calling in a
professional lawn company could be the answer.
Most people still like to mow their own lawns
(although many even outsource that these days),
but buying and storing expensive equipment and
carrying out lawn work is a job better left to those
who do it all the time.
ANSTEY
SKIP HIRE
MIDI AND MAXI SKIPS
mobile: 07811 162 285
Email: Ansteyskips@gmail.com
Did you know, the band “Fine Young Cannibals” originally had 8 members.