We spotted some odd looking characters strolling about the place!
and learned an interesting history.
There is a room in government house with a very unusual history. By that I mean it is not the sort of thing you would expect to happen in this kind of room! Well the governor(it was in the 1860’s) decided to have a sale of some old furniture at government house. The Police Commissioner was there to choose something for his house or possibly just because he was the head of police. Anyway the sale was held in the dining room. 
It has a really really long shiny table and people only get to eat there on very important occasions and when there’s quite a lot of people too. I suppose the table wasn’t up then. Now the thing that you wouldn’t expect to happen was that the head of police was shot there that day and murdered! You see he’d given this other policeman the sack because he was drunk on duty and that had made the policeman mad so he’d gone to government house and shot his boss!! We were told that he was hung for this a few days later.(by T(12yrs)
It has a really really long shiny table and people only get to eat there on very important occasions and when there’s quite a lot of people too. I suppose the table wasn’t up then. Now the thing that you wouldn’t expect to happen was that the head of police was shot there that day and murdered! You see he’d given this other policeman the sack because he was drunk on duty and that had made the policeman mad so he’d gone to government house and shot his boss!! We were told that he was hung for this a few days later.(by T(12yrs)
The gardens were looking as if they had suffered from our dry hot summer. But there was still colour
about
and the boys still found things to collect. 
At any rate this is a garden that begs to have children playing in it on a day to day basis.
But what of the plants you say, wouldn’t gardens be trampled on, precious specimens uprooted. Yes this is a definite possibility. I have been thinking on this while I read this highly recommended book. If children do not engage with “nature” on a regular basis(daily),climb trees, make forts, sail to forgotten(by us) places, when they are confronted with it this will be
their response .
Years ago when our "oldests" were in a botanical garden they were told off for attempting to climb a very sturdy tree…why? the tree didn’t mind, it almost stood there begging to help them up. Now I know thanks to one of my more informed comments that trees are not just for climbing, rivers are not just for navigating... just as hills are not just for scaling….ok there I’m reminded of some highly esteemed grown-ups who were allowed to just play in nature and whose discoveries we now study as part of our education…enough “talking”, think I’ll go and read my book!
Years ago when our "oldests" were in a botanical garden they were told off for attempting to climb a very sturdy tree…why? the tree didn’t mind, it almost stood there begging to help them up. Now I know thanks to one of my more informed comments that trees are not just for climbing, rivers are not just for navigating... just as hills are not just for scaling….ok there I’m reminded of some highly esteemed grown-ups who were allowed to just play in nature and whose discoveries we now study as part of our education…enough “talking”, think I’ll go and read my book!
1 comment:
It looks like you had a wonderful day! I would love to stroll around govt. house.
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