h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Okay ... my first and primary aspiration is to recover as much as possible from the schizophrenia. But that is actually going fairly well ... one little step at a time.

But anyways ... at the same time I have this aspiration:

To start a botanic garden here in South Africa. I am absolutely in love with plants. I have here at home already about 150 species growing ... mostly grown from seeds collected in the bush or bought from seed distributors. All local species ... indigenous, wild, South African plants.

I just need a place of my own ... anything between one hectare, and ten hectares. A patch of land, with water available. Right now I only have a part of a yard available, and it's not nearly enough. A hectare, though ... or even ten hectares ... that would be totally Heaven to me.

My Botanic Garden will serve a number of purposes. First of all it will be an environment in which I can be happy. If I'm surrounded by plants and they're all growing and flowering and fruiting and so on, I feel happy. I want it to be a place where other people can also feel happy, calm, at peace, at one with Nature in a good way.

Also it will be a place to showcase South African plants. People even in this country are shockingly ignorant about the rich diversity of plants we have here. I want to show people these fantastic plants all in this one place so they can get an idea of the value of biodiversity ... that it is real wealth, that it contributes to the wellbeing of people and the planet.

Simultaneously, by promoting plants, I'll also be doing something to support birds and other animals who depend on plants in various ways. That would in fact include all animals cause just about all animals depend on plants.

Lastly I will especially focus on rare and endangered species. I want to start up 'breeding populations' of rare plants in the garden, in suitable places, so they can multiply to large numbers and can become strong populations. This will be a long-term project. Then, later, when there are thousands of them, we can plant thousands of them back into nature to boost the natural populations.

Anyways, that's another thing I aspire to ... a small patch of land so I can start a botanic garden and the above project.

I'm going to do what I can ... try and keep my own goals from clashing with the goals of others ... and not get bitter if I can't get done what I wish I could get done.