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During last year's end of April holiday, we hired a mini digger to build a pond and dug a rough hole.
We weren't expecting the next step to take over a year to get around to! Having decided that our rough hole in the ground wouldn't really cut it, we bit the bullet and hired 2 men who knew what they were doing with a digger, and who turned the rough hole into this:
They added a shelf along one side and a shallow area at one end which will become a bog garden. We covered the excavation with a layer of sand:
We created a wall to separate the pond from the bog garden:
My parents came over for a pond-lining party:
During the course of last Sunday we got the underlay and liner in place and began to fill the pond.
The bog garden got a filling with water to flatten the liner. This will be pumped out when we create the bog:
The other half and I still have to conclude our argument about where to build up a rockery for a waterfall that will go around/down the middle of/next to the bog garden and I think we need to increase the height of the wall and shore up a low point in the banking, but it's already been idyllic to sit on the edge of the pond in the sunshine, dangling our feet in the water and watching the sky reflected in the water's ripples, and the water reflected on the branches of the willows at the edge of the pond.
It's now payday and my fingers are itching to get out my bank card and splurge on plants! I can't wait to see it planted up and see what moves in!
A closed mouth gathers no foot.
A hot bath would be LOVELY, except a) I have to be at my desk, and b) the bathroom is project 2, so no bath :(
A bathroom should be a piece of cake after your pond! It's looking great, by the way.
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.
Brilliant, Maisie, it looks really good. Now we just need spring to get a move on :)
Caroline in Jersey
Cin J
Maybe in a few weeks/months time I can bore everyone to tears with pictures of plumbing and tiling :D
That's not a pond, Maisie, it's a lake!! Wow is all I can say.
Cheers, Linda.
See my photos on Flickr
You will be rewarded with all sorts of wonderful birds etc and all your hard work will be rewarded.
Of all creatures, man is the most detestable, he is the only creature that inflicts pain for sport, knowing it to be pain. ~ Mark Twain
You can always add an outdoor Jacuzzi Maisie to soak your aching muscles now you're so expert at creating water projects lol Don't forget to heat it though ! brrrrrghhhh it's already -1 deg. here
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Regards, Hazel
Today's efforts...
Started with me and Chris barrowing the finally-thawed-out clay from the driveway through ankle-deep squidgy mud and clay to the end of the pond where I happily squelched around in my wellies making flat edges to the pond for my stones, raising the level in one corner and forming a mouth to the beach area.
Nearly lost my wellies a few times!
Once that was done, it only took 2 barrowfulls of pebbles to finish the beach area :)
Tomorrow I'll be doing some planting along the concrete wall, putting down some spare pond liner as weed membrane around the plants and hopefully bringing out the companion seat and putting the rest of the pebbles around it. Watch this space... with any luck I might even get some photos in daylight and sun so it doesn't look so grim and muddy!
Wonderful job Maisie, the progress is amazing and as Alan says, can't wait to see it in a few months time when the planting is done and the bird/wildlife is coming in. Think you deserve a restful Christmas !
Never boring Masie, you are going to end up with your own reserve there, think of the hours of pleasure sitting watching everything