Since the waterlilies don’t like the water too deep, we have built platforms for them to sit on while they are young.
Veolia couldn’t give us 50 cu.m of water, because “it would send the wrong message to our customers”, so we bought 3 days worth of water from the residents of the House. Can you spot the hosepipe?!
However, it took less time to fill than we expected. After 27 hours it was half full.
Having left the water to aerate for 3 days we were ready to re-stock it with lilies. Andy, the Common Ranger, donned his wet-suit and braved the deep!
He took the old lilies that we had re-potted, and new ones from Solesbridge Mill Water Gardens.
Since it is an ornamental pond, not a wild-life pond, we invited Andy to use it as a new home for all the gold-fish that thoughtless people have released into the ponds on the Common. Here are some of the first 100 ………!
Did you know that when goldfish arrive in a new home, the first thing they do is swim round the perimeter to explore !
This is what it looked like after we had finished. I know you can’t see the fish, but trust me – they’re in there somewhere.
[N.B. All text and photographs courtesy Tim Venner]