As mentioned in previous blogs, we have a large natural pond in the lower part of our field. What I haven’t told you is that we also have a large pond at the top of our field (at the end of our garden) which Malcolm created quite a few years ago. The pond itself is very pretty, but below it was a very scruffy corner of the garden with several up turned fibreglass pond liners, a part built wall, various bits of debris and all of it overgrown with nettles and weeds. This was the start of a project which was always intended to be finished, but there was just never time. For us, the silver lining to this dreadful Coronavirus pandemic and lockdown, has been that Malcolm, ably assisted by son James, has been able to set to work to finish it.
I now know, from the time it has taken them, that if it hadn’t been for this unexpected six week break, the project would almost certainly have never have been finished! They have done a wonderful job and we now have a series of ponds and waterfalls flowing from the original garden pond. We also have a lovely patio by the ponds where we can sit and observe pond life or admire the view across our field. At the moment the waterfalls only work if it rains, but the plan is to install a larger solar pump in the well that feeds the pond at the bottom of the field. This will pump the water up to the garden pond and water will flow through the new ponds and waterfalls and then down a stream back to the pond at the bottom of the field – clever!
Now, when it rains, our obsession with water levels has been transferred from the pond at the bottom of the field to the one in our garden. A heavy rain shower will see us excitedly trooping down the garden to enjoy the spectacle of water cascading from pond to pond. We really should get out more…….
Tom and Vera (the Mallard ducks) were straight in there as soon as the ponds were filled with water. They tried out every pond. They particularly like the larger middle pond for bathing – so much so that the level has gone down significantly because they splash about so much. We need it to rain again now!
Never Mind the Bullocks 