April• 2018 | 15When I first started
gardening, I grew
planter boxes on
the balcony of the
apartment I shared
with my sister.
I was desperate to
keep the possums
of my newly planted
herbs and vegetablesand so my local garden
centre recommended
I try a possum
deterrent spray. A
non-toxic deterrent
full of chillies, garlic
and unfamiliar herbs,
it was guaranteed to
keep the pests at bay.
I only used the sprayonce because that’s all
it took.
The day after
spraying not one single
plant remained intact.
Evidently, the possums
thought I had sprayed
my plants with tasty
salad dressing for them
to enjoy.‘ANGEL’ GABRIEL TRIES
TO SAVE A KANGAROO
JENNY FARTHING
I have had my horse, Gabriel, a four-
year-old Andalusian gelding, for
about a year. He loves his paddock
buddy, Rimi, and both horses are
also very fond of carrots.
Early one November afternoon,
I walked into their paddock and
noticed that Rimi was near the gate
but Gabriel was right down at the
back of the paddock. I immediately
suspected that something was
wrong. I called him but he stayed
put, watching me steadily, which was
another sign that something was up.
He knows that I always bring themILLUSTRATIONS: ISTOCK
carrots and usually walks straight up
to me as soon as he sees me.
As I got closer I saw a young, male
kangaroo lying under a tree right
beside Gabriel. Once I got closer to
the kangaroo I saw that he had a badly
broken back leg. Only when I had
checked out the kangaroo did Gabriel
approach me for his carrot.
I phoned the wildlife rescue
service who came and assessed
the kangaroo. Unfortunately, the
kangaroo had to be put down as his
leg was too badly damaged to be
repaired.
Clearly, Gabriel had stayed with
the injured kangaroo to alert me that
it needed help.SALAD ON THE BALCONYDIANA PETTERSEN