First thin skin of ice on the pond this morning, and first time the drinker was frozen too. Shall have to begin taking it in at night and getting it refilled in the kitchen ready for next morning from now on I suppose. Fuchsias have had it, boiled cabbage colour today. Yesterday I was pruning down all the tall dead stems from the plants round the pond and came to weed round the stone slabs under which the frogs hide. Found two or three dozen large ones, all huddled up together, very sleepy, in slow motion. I was able to do a quick weed and replace the slabs without disturbing them. I expect the newts are now hidden in the tiny spaces between the edge of the pond liner and the slabs round the outside. So it will be OK to clear out most of the pond weed to make space for it to grow again next year. I never know really when is the best time to do this without disturbing the wildlife too much, but the Spring is definitely not it because the newts lay their eggs on the pond weed leaves. Whenever I do it, I risk throwing away dragonfly larvae in different stages of their 5-year development, but if the job isn't done, the pond would soon be solid with water plants. I wish we hadn't planted those three lovely silver birch trees so close to the pond, 40 years ago - the leaves and catkins are a constant problem now the trees are 60ft high or more.
As Margaret Atwood says 'good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement.'
As Margaret Atwood says 'good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement.'
