Showing posts with label new pond. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new pond. Show all posts

Tuesday, 27 September 2011

Two frogs went into a bar

Pond is still lively!
Actually, they hopped into a pond with a bar. A nice pond, built this month!


This one has been going in circles

seems pretty happy


These 2 were hanging out at the bar.

Ya seen that cute chick over there?
She single?

Idda know.
Wanna buy her a drink?!

Grumpy looking gremlin, head in his hand, says, "Young people these days."

Monday, 12 September 2011

How to build a pond 5

It is good to get help in. The girls were quite happy to contribute. We picked up a couple of containers of river rocks from Dodds & Erwin. Caitlin, a hydrogeologist, is the expert! My granddaughters are budding scientists, too!




serious work to do!




then we can play!


I needed to bring in the heavy equipment. I dug mostly all of it myself. What a great challenge. The rocks in the backfill stumped me! Neighbour Bruce helped out with his tractor. Our natural ponds have dried up in the summer heat. I wanted to build a small one.


This is my saga! Part one was complicated by 75 lb. rocks in the bottom of my hole.
How to build a pond 1a | How to build a pond 1b | How to build a pond 1c | How to build a pond 2 | How to build a pond 3 | How to build a pond 4 |

Sunday, 11 September 2011

How to build a pond 4

Finally, doing some tweaking of the edges, rearranging. It's full of water. Cats have been drinking from it! They really liked the hole, though. The fountain is working, but it isn't very strong and can't put be too deeply.















Now for tweaking! I needed to put ground cover around it. I tucked some dirt and sedum, plus more from the garden. Eventually, they will fill in the cracks. A wood frog popped in for a brief visit.


Eventually, I removed the old pump. Just too much. I will find another spot for it.

No frogs harmed in the process, but a bloody, sore thumb!


This is my saga! Part one was complicated by 75 lb. rocks in the bottom of my hole.
How to build a pond 1a | How to build a pond 1b | How to build a pond 1c | How to build a pond 2 | How to build a pond 3 | How to build a pond 4

Saturday, 10 September 2011

How to build a pond 3

Next in this process, tweaking the surrounding rocks, adjusting, planting ground cover to hide the liner.

I put something between the liner and the concrete blocks.










The rocks are quite heavy. I kept pinching fingers/thumbs and have wounds to show for this!



But progress is being made. Next: using rocks and soil and ground cover to cover up the liner up top.
You can see that I let a few shelves in. One will hold the fountain.








This is my saga! Part one was complicated by 75 lb. rocks in the bottom of my hole.
How to build a pond 1a | How to build a pond 1b | How to build a pond 1c | How to build a pond 2 | How to build a pond 3 | How to build a pond 4

Thursday, 8 September 2011

How to build a pond 2

Here is part 2, although I have parts 1a, 1b, 1c, that I posted as I hit my glitches. Now, for those who asked, yes, we have a pond on a part of our 16 acres, but it has since dried up. This is the beauty of amphibians who adapt to the changing of the seasons. July they live in water, August the pond dried up and they move onto the land, those that lived. The minnows died, as did the bullfrog tadpoles who take 2 years to mature. So sad.

However, walking across the dewy lawn, my frog friends hop away. Snakes slither through the grass.

We used to live beside a lake, with a pond. I love pond life over the seasons, having watched our Bala pond for the 50 years we owned our 'cottage'. Now, living closer to family, I hankered for some water. Good exercise, too. I'm my own boss. I work at my own speed.

Hubby's back has gone out, although getting better, he did groceries and brought home a lovely lunch of veggie pate wrap and tofu salad from Foodsmiths!

 
some helper!
Checking the edges to see if it is level

Here we are at step 2. Placing the rocks, and the liner. You fill it a little. Backfill the edges, play around with the height of the edge.

Gloves are essential; hand tools: picks,  shovel, wheelbarrow, as well as a dolly to move the rocks!
I originally gathered the rocks using the trailer on my lawn tractor.

I had reluctant helpers today. It was cool and raining for much of the morning, Felix went in for a nap. Buster was my moral support.
My little buddy gave some grief to a praying mantis.

I found this little guy in the garden while digging my frog pond. Buster thought he might like to eat it, he chews happily on dragonflies and grasshoppers. I moved the mantis, picked it up after it walked off of my hand, saved it from Buster clutches, and it pinched me (see the video!). It looks amazing as its head rotates around watching Buster Brown.




This is my saga!
How to build a pond 1a | How to build a pond 1b | How to build a pond 1c | How to build a pond 2

How to build a pond 1c

There be glitches. Yes, I was stumped, well, rocked.  Part 1 was to dig a hole. That hasn't happened totally.

How much dirt in a hole 4 x 4 x 2'?
No dirt in a hole, only rocks.Big ones. Three that I couldn't move.

After a couple of hours, playing in the hole, stopping to photograph the things I found in the hole - yes, since retirement I have a short attention span. Since I turned 50, physical work is more demanding, and I need more breaks.

Firstly, Felix. He likes the hole. Both kittens like playing stone hockey in it.

Then there were other things I found.
spider & ant


earwig




June bug

Felix can't spend all his time in the hole.

I gave up.


There's some blood in the hole, too.
The rock bit me.
Yes, I was wearing gloves...
squirmy wormy

Stuck - huge rock...

My hero, neighbour Bruce!
I heard he had great equipment!

Easy as pie!



Bruce, coincidentally, helped build our house back in 1987, when he was an apprentice. He lives next door.

His tractor just lifted those rocks out after I'd sweated buckets. And gone through a number of band-aids.

He usually charges for the rental, but we decided I'd tutor him on the computer, instead! Hooray.

So far, I bought the liner 2nd hand $100, although new. Rocks, free. Tools, priceless.
Stay tuned for the liner and the placement of the rocks. You fill it partially, adjusting the liner on the edge and the rocks as you go. I read a couple of books on this.

Now I have to scrape the bottom smooth for the liner (Part 2)  and figure out how big I want the pond to be, according to the depth. Glad it's been raining as I don't want the run the well dry. The pond, theoretically, holds 825 gallons, depending upon the depth. This is about 2 1/2' deep.