sometime back, we picked up a new hose as the old one had sprung a leak…
we ended up with a different type… not an expanding one…
I have used it and discovered that it didn’t work for me… it was 100 feet long, like the old one, but it seemed to kink more and the water flow seemed to come and go…
I’ve been sharing my complaint about it for weeks, so finally, we picked up the type I’d had before;-)…
it isn’t exactly the same as the old one, but is much better and lighter than the one I’ve been using…
now it is much more fun to water the plants and grass;-)…
once orientation was completed, I signed up for my first of three (3 hour) different sessions…
the first session consisted of a tour of the zoo with a more senior volunteer and two other newbies… everyone we met was so helpful and provided us with lots of information…
I hadn’t been to the zoo for a while so it was a lovely refresher… the zoo is a very busy place…
and I left with my volunteer t-shirt;-)…
the next session was with a mentor, usually one-on-one, but it ended up with two newbies with our mentor… they know so much about all the goings on at the zoo, and were happy to share with us…
part of our training included time at the McFeeter’s Heavy Horse Centre… we got to watch the new Shire horses, Willow and Willy, move from the barn to the paddock…
I must say, by the end of our three hour shift, my feet were a tad sore, lol…
my last and final session was at The Leaf… the first half was touring the space and learning a few new things… one exciting thing was getting to walk out on the second floor balcony that overlooks the Tropical Biome…
it is reserved for those who rent the various spaces on that floor… and, that the floor on that level is sprinkled with the glass from the old Conservatory;-)…
then we practised in three different areas…
I learned that there are a few places between the zoo and The Leaf that have to have someone in attendance at all times…
so, if no volunteers are available, a staff member has to take over… it is clear that volunteers save time so staff members can focus on their important work…
I have now finished my first two shifts as a bonafide Volunteer Ambassador…
say hi if you spot me… most likely at The Leaf for now…
this morning I finally got around to sorting out a working pump for the bathtub pond…
I had switched the two pumps between the main pond and the bathtub, but not long after that change the pump in the tub stopped working completely…
and because there are no fish in that pond, the chance of mosquito larvae growing in it was a problem…
happily, the first extra pump I came across worked, although it didn’t have a piece extending out of the water… luckily that doesn’t matter as the water just needs to move to ensure no larvae can survive…
Thursday evening I discovered that the kitchen tap was very loose…
I was concerned that it might pop off, start spraying water, and cause another flood…
my housemate worked late and didn’t have a chance to look at it, but the next morning, as I started prepping for a special gathering, I decided to get help…
I called around 9:30 and my friend Al (I have made way too many calls to these folks, lol) turned up around 12:15… this local business is located on the street corner four minutes from my house, so it is very handy …
he tightened the nut holding the tap to the sink, fixed the loose handle, and advised that there wouldn’t have been a flood if the tap completely disengaged…he filled out paperwork and was gone…
amazing what a quick response could do to settle my nerves and let me continue my preparations for the evening’s gathering;-)…
recently, as I was watching my grandson leaving the garage, I realized that he was having to struggle with all the virginia creeper that was attempting to take over the doorway, lol…
so, I brought out a pail, put on my gloves, and used the clippers to make the space a little more open…
from there I went to the side gate and did a fair bit of trimming as it was getting difficult to get to the tap and hose…
