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.

Large Red Damselfly

The pond is looking really healthy at the moment. Plenty of little frogs poking their heads out between the plants. And plenty of pond snails that seem to have bred so well. I was just outside topping the pond up with rain water when I spotted a damselfly.

By the time I went indoors to get my camera it had met up with a second and began to mate.

I am no dragonfly expert so I looked up the British Dragonfly Society to get my identification. This is the "Pyrrhosoma nymphula - Large Red Damselfly". There are only two red varieties in the UK. This is the common variety found over most of the country. The Small Red Damselfly, the other, is rare and not found up north but is easily differentiated by its reddish legs. I managed to get a photo of the pair in the wheel formation. What a nice find.

Grand Plans

Today I woke up again dreaming of grand plans - we are getting some quotes for raised beds in the garden this week - blowing the holiday fund on something more long term.

But meanwhile the sun is out - and the garden is teaming with life. The wild strawberries (from Otterburn) are spreading around the pond and starting to flower.

Every time we walk by the pond, frogs dip back under the surface. It is so true that a pond is a major help for wildlife in the garden. We ordered pond snails from eBay last year, and they have multiplied and are doing a grand job of clearing some of the green. I didn't know you could send snails in the post, but they arrived safely.

...and the 'proper' strawberries in pots are also looking good


The beginnings of a lovely salad (planted just a fortnight ago)...


These tomatoes are coming on well on the kitchen windowsill - growing purple (Black Cherry), yellow (Balconi Yellow) and red (100's and 1000's) so that Tomas learns about the variety of life!

And finally - a shot of the inside of our compost bin - we are proud to turn veg peelings, tea bags, apple cores and toilet roll tubes into lovely, sweet earth. I can't believe it works! It's a little miracle!

Oh, and we are no longer 8th on the waiting list for an allotment. We are now 7th. The allotment officer sounded interested in the fact that there were 2 plots being uncultivated and that there is scope for extending the site.