More pondtastica

Well, here's the documentary evidence - pond complete, and even with a few plants in it!

One empty pond, and a load of bags with aquatics
and marginals from Winchester.

A superb view of the artistic logpile constructed by SKW, plus some dogwoods

Julia ritually lobs the first handful of oxygenator in!

Planted with Purple Loosetrife, Yellow Flag, Marsh Marigold and others.
Note also the crocodile-impersonating tethered alder log....

And in the bed on the left of the pond, we've planted a load of stuff - including one of our two Witchhazels (bugger off, rabbits and deer....), Euphorbias, Arum italicum, Acer palmatum etc.

This has been a "hard work" half-term, and we both ache significantly - but some big jobs which had been looming are DONE, and it's not even March yet. Result.

More action - of various kinds

Lots of change this week - and lots of VERY hard work!

The pond is now "finished", in the sense that the edges are all tucked under and covered, and we can now think about doing a spot of planting! And the bed on the left hand side is dug over and ready to go, too.

The ornamental cherries are all down to ground level (high masculinity points with the chainsaw for Simon - including getting the chain resharpened, refitting the chain, AND not cutting any limbs off), and either chopped for firelogs, stacked (brash) in a new dead hedge down the end of the garden, or making up part of the new amphibian logpile by the pond. We'll get Olly to grind out the stumps when the ground is a bit drier.

Less directly to our credit, but still a major watershed moment (as it were) was the emptying of the cesspits! Ugh! A whole new world of horror and subterranean disgust....but the good news is that all was functioning as it should, and we probably won't need to get it done for another two years at least. Excellent....

If it was ever going to happen.....

....it really had to be this year. With the biggest and most widespread Waxwing invasion for decades, and perhaps ever, we have been hoping against hope that we'd get a fly-over or two (at least) in the garden this winter. We've been ramping down expectations now spring is almost here - BUT this morning "a sibilant peal of silver bells" came tinkling down from the poplars, and there were 18 of the little beauties feeding on our clump of Mistletoe! Result!

How Bohemian can you get?