Pond

	Summer/Autumn 2006 We dug out the pond in August 2006 - trying to beat the autumn rains when the water table rises rapidly The posts at the back were for the planned decking and jetty. It was when the autumn rains filled the pond that we realised that we had forgotten to design an overflow.
	With a 50mm lining of soft builders sand. Sharp sand would have held the shape better and a neighbour suggested adding 10% cement to hold the shape better still. The autumn rain had already begun to fill the pond and hence the sump in the middle. In retrospect the middle shelf should have been wider to accommodate baskets better.
	The butyl lining goes in on top of a polyester underlay.
	The September rain almost filled the pond. Then, just as it was looking like a empty puddle, a woman in the village who was replacing her pond advertised in the window of the post office offering free pond plants. So we were able to pick up a whole trailer load of irises, flowering rush, water lilies, marsh marigolds and others for almost nothing. They looked great for a week but then started to die down for the winter.
	Spring 2007 No frogs had discovered our pond so we put out an appeal for frog spawn and some neighbours obliged who had spawn and fish waiting patiently to eat the tadpoles. We wheel barrowed a load down Pettridge Lane and tipped them into the pond. One morning a pair of mallard flew in and stayed all day before departing at dusk - no doubt to the safety of the island at their home pond at neighbour Richard Coward's. Very pleasant to watch duck on your own pond. We would sit by the pond eating our lunch, some of which naturally went to the ducks. They repeated this each day but as time went on the pond began to look like a battlefield with plants ripped out and baskets overturned. And we noticed that the tadpoles had disappeared. So the mallard had to go. After several days of duck watch, and running out clapping hands whenever they appeared, they got the message and troubled us no more.
	In April, the water lily began to put up small red leaves. The water was very clear - too clear since the basket were too visible. The marsh marigolds burgeoned and the masses of yellow flowers looked superb. We acquired 'Donald' - a decoy intended to put off any more pairs of mallard looking for a quiet male-free pond. After Donald we had only one further pair of mallard and one solitary male (!). The decking acquired some boarding.
	In May the irises flowered - not the native yellow flag but blue versicolour, but still very welcome. Water lily floated up its young red leaves and the frogbit that Jackie had contributed also started to make an appearance; as did the blanket weed buoyed up by the oxygen it generated.
The pond glimpsed through the opening of our tent.	June 2007 Installed an arbour over the decking and this immediately became our preferred location for afternoon tea. Trouble is tea then became a protracted break since we would spend hours just staring across the water. We bought our first pond plants; Spiked water-milfoil - Myriophyllum spicatum and water starwort - callitiche stagnalis. 10 of each, half of which we planted together in baskets and half we attached lead to and threw into the pond. The starwort produced tiny red flowers at the end of June. In the second week of June the blanket weed mysteriously disappeared. The water lily leaves adopted attractive green/red striations as they turned from red to green. Richard Coward gave us a large pot of Houttuynia Cordata Variegata which we planted into the gravel beach. It took well and flowered almost immediately. One evening at about 10:30 in mid June taking torches we saw the water boatmen still active but torpid, one adult newt in the water by the beach and many very large dragonfly larvae that wriggled just under the surface like pale ghosts. Heavy rain all through June - the pond overflowing.
	July Heavy rain all through July - the pond still overflowing. The first waterlily flowered - a very pale yellow. The lily closest to the decking produce pink flowers. The pond beginning to look better stocked now.
	August. Hot sunny weather in the first two weeks; the pond still full. The pink waterlilies did not produce any more flowers - that's the problem with the showy varieties but the pale yellow ones continued. Two beautiful tall yellow-flowered mimula appeared. The flower has a fascinating series of red 'stepping stones' with black centres which seem to lead the insect over the anthers to the stigma. Several times we were visited by pairs (adult and young) of grey wagtails which hopped across the stones and hoovered up the surface insects. Then we knew we had a wildlife pond.
	September. Whilst working on the log stack a juvenile grass snake crawled out so we relocated it to the pond hoping that it will take up residence. However it didn't seem to know how to swim; kept turning upside down and exploring the shallows. The marsh marigolds all but disappeared. Blanket weed back.
	October: Grey wagtails still frequenting pond; announce their arrival will high-pitched squeeks. Easily mistaken for yellow wagtails (have yellow head) which migrate at end of August. Water lilies still looking healthy; have many flower bud heads but they are very slow to open. Frogbit largely gone over.
	End Jan 2008 - very mild. The blanket weed generating oxygen and buoyed up on surface. Adult dull brown newt seen swimming actively. The waterlilies putting up new leaves.
	June 2008 Beginning of June bought two water soldier from Orchard Park Nursury - although had no roots they did well. Many waterlilies in flower and a great sweep of yellow mimulas - both a month earlier than in 2007. The water hawthorn died down completely but the other putting up tall spear shaped leaves. Not too many frogbit. Blanket weed restricted to around marginal plants.