Monday 5 May 2014

Poppi Rosie and the spa

 When we moved here, I had dreams of a large wildlife pond.    After much discussion with Mr Practical it was decided that a small ornamental pond would be better.   At the time I was disappointed, thinking about it now it was the right decision.
 Mr P bought some old railway sleepers and a heavy duty pond liner and work commenced.
 Clever man that he is, he fitted a pump to the well, so that the crystal clear water could fill the pond.   It has also been wonderful in times of drought as it has a hose attachment.
I decided that I would not have fish in the pond, it was purely for wildlife.    Then one day, in a moment of weakness,  Poppi and Riley asked for a fish and I said 'YES'.    Before I knew it we were walking out of the Garden Centre with Rosie and Torres in a plastic bag full of water.   Within a month the Heron had taken Torres for breakfast and only Rosie remained.      We now have around thirty fish, much to my surprise :)       Regardless it is full of wildlife.   Last year a young grass snake was a frequent visitor.......frogs and newts  abound......the Heron drops by for a quick snack but the visitor that really surprised me, was the Kingfisher sitting in the tree beside the pond.

While walking Nella one day I bumped into John, a local farmer.     His face is weathered, his hair silver and he has the most beautiful Kentish accent.   I could listen to John forever and a day....but back to the story.    I was telling him about the pond.....at the end of our discussion I said I could not understand how it attracted so much wildlife with all the  ponds in the area. 

As he walked back along his drive he said "Well my dear, the local ponds are like taking a bath........your little pond is like going to the spa."

I walked away with a smile on my face.....what a charming old man he is :)    
      

14 comments:

  1. Oh, I love this! Kind of like sitting in a hot tub as opposed to swimming in the lake:) I suspect, though, your garden draws all the wildlife in, and then they see the little pond, and think why not take a little dip? I think Poppi and Riley were smart to talk you into buying those fish!

    This reminds me of buying a goldfish for my granddaughter when she was younger. We bought her the fish and a small goldfish bowl, but we didn't think ahead very well: Strawberry Shortcake, as she named her, didn't last too long, so my daughter-in-law would quickly buy a new replacement. After several "generations" of Strawberry Shortcake and many quick trips to the store, they finally had to tell Emily the truth. Needless to say, we haven't bought a pet as a gift for any of the grandkids since:)

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  2. Ha! I know which I would rather do Rose, and I might just surprise you.

    What a delightful story.....RIP Strawberry Shortcake :)

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  3. Brilliant. How wonderful to have a visiting Kingfisher. I've got a teeny tiny wildlife pond in my garden but it still attracts lots of things, it really is amazing how wildlife is enticed by a small amount of water. My kids won a couple of goldfish at a fair when they were young, they ended up costing me a fortune as they lived for eight years and wouldn't stop growing. They ended up outgrowing their tanks so we'd buy another one just for them to outgrow that. Having the goldfish got Mick interested in fish keeping and at one time we had the goldfish, two tropical tanks and a marine tank. They've all gone now but Mick's kept the large tropical tank hoping to set it up again one day. Just have to say that I love the bubbles on your last post. Don't they look magical?

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    1. Hi Jo,

      Tku for sharing your story with me. It is lovely when people respond and leave behind something about them.
      I wonder if Mike will set the tank up again one day ???

      Tku re bubbles.

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  4. How marvellous to have a kingfisher and a grass snake visiting your garden. A pond is one thing I've never had.

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    1. Hi Rowan....yes so lucky to see both. The Kingfisher often does a fly pass but on the odd occasion will sit in the tree by the pond.

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  5. Hi Cheryl - what is a garden without a pond - yours is delightful - I love to see the fish in our pond - they know when it is feeding time and all line up ready and waiting. The birds come down to drink from it and have splashy baths on the lily leaves. We do get problems with blanket weed but the fish don't seem to mind. We have had them for nearly thirty years - the big momma fish has been caught by cats - has had one of her eyes pecked out by a heron and has been found in the middle of the road, Goodness knows how long she was there - but she keeps going strong - I have become quite fond of her. Elaine.

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    1. Elaine, what an amazing fish.....perhaps you also has nine lives like cats :)
      I can understand why you are so fond of her. Long live Momma fish.............

      A tip for blanket weed.....throw a packet of supermarket watercress into the pond.
      Remove it when it starts to yellow and add a fresh packet. Really this should be started in March. It works for me, the pond is very clear and I hardly get any blanket weed.

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    2. Thanks for the tip Cheryl - will give it a go.

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    3. You are welcome.....hope it works.

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  6. I love this story. I only have a galvanized tub pond. So small. I have a palm papyrus and a new lily pad! Hahaha! The frogs love it. I dream of a spa like yours. And a Kentish neighbor would be awesome!!!

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    1. Hi Eve,

      How lovely to hear from you. There is nothing wrong with a galvanized tub, water is water size does not seem to matter.. Wildlife do not seem to mind........they are grateful.

      As for Kentish neighbours, in my opinion, they are a bit special :)

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  7. Your little pond is perfect. As we, ahem, get older it is easier to care for no doubt. ;) My children each won a goldfish at the county fair one year. Only one lived and he lived quite a few years. He lived in a bowl hung in a macrame holder in the kitchen. His (?) name was Fred. I grew to love Fred. He would watch me in the kitchen as I passed by. He seemed to enjoy my daily visits with him. I think I was the only one in the family that missed him when he passed. I would love to have a nice sized pond here. Maybe one day...

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  8. Such a lovely story Lisa.........thank you for sharing it with us :)

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