Pondlife

When I am out in the garden I can get distracted by many different things. It is one of the joys of being outside after all. Our garden is only small, but by lifting a stone or turning a leaf you can encounter another animal's whole world. You can either be in the moment just enjoying whatever is going on around you or you can be in it for the long haul, planning what to grow and how it might turn out. One thing I love is watching Tomas calm down almost as soon as he is outdoors.

I found the perfect excuse to get distracted yesterday. And it was all about this little creature!

Yep! Our pond has newts! I love to think of them breezing down the back road looking for new opportunities - and they chose us! I used to have a pet newt (long story) when I was little. That was in the days before they were protected. As suitable habitats for amphibians are reduced newts find themselves at risk, so it is now illegal to move, sell or kill them. Like most amphibians they live in the water to breed and the rest of the year they hide out in the area around a pond which is usually a good place for stones, long grasses and therefore the small animals which they eat. I love the way they look primeval - like ancient creatures who got left behind.

It seems that out wildlife pond is starting to mature now for real, and we are both excited about it. James wrote earlier about watching damselflies, we have plenty of frogs, snails and now a newt. There is loads of advice out there about making your pond a good place for wildlife. The best thing to do is to leave nature to take its course - so, not too much gardening or management required. That kind of suits us! So our plan for the area has to be to leave well alone. The most we might do is add a wood pile.

I think the pond might become my new favourite place for watching the world go by.