THE POND
Shortly after taking occupation of the property we decided on a wter feature,so that we could sit on the deck and relax to the sound of running water. We decided on a fish pond with a submersible pump. Digging the hole in the clay was quite a big job, so I decided that the pond would have to be small - the only problem was that the fish require a deep pond to breed. So we dug a pond with one shallow end and a very deep end.
I coated it with cement and then painted the surface with waterproofing material and then coate the surface with fibreglass. The dog could not wait to inspect even before the finishing touches. After it had been coated I filled it with water and checked for leaks, which I repaired by adding even more fibreglass. Then a poor golden mole fell in!
I fished the unfortunate creature out with a towel rapped around my hand, as thes animals can give a very nasty bite, and let it out further down the hill. After filling the pond with water and installing the pump, I planted a few shrubs around it for some shade. I did not need to stock it, as, before very long, a raucus frog took up residence, shortly followed by a fishing spider, obviously looking for a tadpole snack. The frogs soon bred and provided endless entertainment of frog music in the evenings and at night. A Natal green snake took up residence between the rocks around the pond.
Needless to say a night adder came along lookinf for fresh frog sushi and took up residence in my log stack. The dogs, being rather territorial, objected and the bigger of the two was bitten on the upper lip. She looked like a boxer that had gone through everal rounds. However, she recovered too quickly and was bitten again! She seems to have learnt her lesson and leaves the poor night adder in peace. She does not appreciate being fed antihistamines every few days!
But it is very nice to hear and see the frogs, attract the lacewings and other wildlife to your garden with so little effort. My next project will be owl boxes and barbet logs. Just have to find a way to keep the monkes at bay!
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