Pond has to go now

[Chuckles]

that was sooooo funny about the Midgets and especially when Barbara posted what the difference was between them and midges, I nearly wet myself laughing. Good bit of board humour there ;D Oh and before I forget I've never had problems with midgets or midgies around the pond. Sorry Dutchy but it's the best laugh I've had in ages

Maybe I should explain that the pond can't move anywhere as the bottom/base is sat on a slab on a heap of soil that is about about 12" off ground level. Then there are concrete blocks under the next level of the pond to support each corner of the edge of the pond, the level where you would put marginal plants, you can see a grey block on a couple of the pics, there are 4 all together each having cement between them and the pond so as to cushion the pond. I've still got loads to do until it is totally gone, when did you say you'd be over Tig ;D As soon as this snow has cleared I'll be at it again.

I'm going to hold on to the pond as I may reuse it elsewhere yet ;D

[Tig]

I want a water feature, but no fish!! Hence the worry about the mozzies If I had said that to start with then the small people would have been safe ;D

Get the tub warming Chuck, I'll be there asap wiv me wellies

[Ruthie]

Feb 11, 2009 20:06:46 GMT Barbara said:

Dutchy Midgets are little people, Midges are biting insects.

ROFL. I wondered if someone would tell her! This made me laugh out loud and there's no one else in the room, thank goodness!
Chuckles, I've only just picked up on this project but will watch with interest. Have you any plans for any sort of pond/water feature to replace it?

[Ruthie]

Whoops, missed this page when I replied.
Tig, we have fish but we still have midgets midges and mozzies!!

[Chuckles]

Now the snow has gone from the garden I've been able to have another crack at demolishing the pond.







Got loads of soil to move it doesn't look much on the photos but there are about 25 barrow loads at a guess I've got 8 bags of rubble from the stone that the top smaller pond was built of and some small rocks that were underneath. All the half round poles that made the sides and the wood from the seats that was any good has put in Chuckles hidey hole for use else where. The stone I'm not able to use yet has just been stacked up and I'll move it when I can find a home for it. I ache all over but fell good that it is nearing the end, well the clearing of it anyway.

[Chuckles]

Well the soil is now all moved and the area is flat, 30 barrow loads . It's amazing how much space the whole pond area took up. I'm so pleased with how it's looking and can picture the finished area now. I'll get some pics over the weekend Not sure when I'll get it finished though as I'll need to rope OH in to do a bit of work on patching in some paving to take off the square edges. Then it will need turfing.

The one fish that I have left is alive and well in it's make do home for now. I did find 2 frogs in the silt in the bottom of the pond, they are in a tub with the waterlilies. I've put a piece of wood in as the tub a ramp so they can get out if they want to.

[Missredhead]

wow...you don't waste any time do you Chuckles?



I have only just caught this thread and it took me ages to wipe the tears of laughter from my eyes..
Don't you just love it when people get their words mixed up....
Sorry Dutchy

[Dutchy]

I only just had time to catch up with this thread .

Oh dear, first I chuck little blue people in a hot tub and now I even have their relatives breeding in Chucks old pond.

Sorry

I hope I did not offend any one.
I live and learn

Things are moving on though and it looks like there now is ampel space for things to happen.
Did you tell us about all plans yet? ( I might have missed that in between all the midge mozzies minni gnat stinging little bli... mishap bit )


p.s. I claim total ignorance on the niceties of the English language so please enlighten me when I fall over my own feet again.

[Barbara]

Dutchy, I thought you were angry with me, as you havent posted on this thread for a while, and you should not apologise for keeping us amused,( in a nice way,) and I wonder how many on here could post in Dutch.
and no I don't mean double.

[Missredhead]

not me..thats for sure.

[Dutchy]

Hi Barbara,
Why would I be angry? If I worried about people not thinking much of my English or double Dutch or Denglish I would not be on here. Besides a lot of people had a good laugh thanks to my blissful ignorance ;D A smile a day keeps the doctor away... erm or something like that.
There never was any spite in your words and if people stop telling me where I make interesting mistakes I will never get a good grasp of things.
At least I now know that when people talk about what sounds like midgets but involves getting stung is talking about midges or mozzies, although I thought that latter one is mosquito's moskito's moscito's only ) erm help ;D

Help now there is a familiar word. Help is the same in Dutch.
There I think even Missy can speak Dutch although she denies it

Any one have you seen small naked people in your ponds yet?
In mine I saw two male newts. Honeymoon hotel being checked me thinks.
Which means any small naked people in there have been eaten

No frogs yet but that would be amazing.
Chuck won't you miss the frogs?

[Chuckles]

I'll miss the frogs in the pond Dutchy but they do seem to lurk around one of my shady borders so I'm hoping to still see a few about. I've saved the pond itself and the plants, they are in buckets at the moment. I may try and see if I can put the pond somewhere else in the garden at some point. I used to get dragonflys as well and I'd like to keep seeing them too.

[Dutchy]

Dragonflys are great. OH calls them Jaws on wings.
They are good fun to observe as they hunt flies.
If there is a larger water in your area they wil still come to your garden as that is where the food is.
Your frogs will appreciate a bit of semi pondlife though but they will make do with a smallish almost bog like thing. No need to find as much space as you just cleared.

[Tig]

Good job Chuckles - glad I could help ;D

Well I thought about you a lot ...

x Tig

[Chuckles]

I could feel you were with me in spirit Tig ;D

Well things have moved on since my last lot of pics, the ground is flat now and most of the rubble and stuff in the area around the pond has now been moved. The big heap of rocks will be part dug into the ground to form a bed, there is a big clump of Ligularia in there and a Clem, honeysuckle and cictus shrub growing were the post is, so they will all stay. I've moved the belfast sink to the other end, it needs re covering OB style and that will stay there now with a pot either side. Next job will be to sort some turf out, it will be a few weeks before I do it though. The edges of the paved bit will be shaped off and it will be turfed up to were the black cable is. I intend re doing the bit that is already lawn because it has taken a hammering with me working on it. Still got loads to do to get the whole area sorted but it's coming on

[Tig]

Wow - it just looks so much bigger now it's gone?

Let the force be with you Chuck, and your chucks ;D

x Tig

[Dutchy]

I second that. ;D
Does the new bed take the shape of where the cables lie?

[Ladygardener]

You've been so busy Chuckles and it's looking great. I really like th look of those rocks, I'm glad to hear you're using them. It will be a big change for you this summer to be without your pond but I like it.

[Chuckles]

It is quite a big space Tig, I look at it myself and think did the pond really take up that much room.

The soil area you can see Dutchy will all be grassed/turfed except the bit in front of the black cable, that will be filled in and shaped with some pavers, I've spoken to the boss man for some help with it. The white cable is just the electric I have running up to the shed, plan is to fix that up on the rails on the wooden stuctures across the garden.

LG I don't waste or get rid of anything in the garden ;D The stone on the border to the left is from the pond, it was originally only edged one brick high. Building it up allowed me to raise the soil level too. I also used some of the stone and bricks to edge the bed you see in front of the fence panels, soil also raised. The big rocks are mostly ones I can't lift, I just managed to sort of roll them into position. When OH does the pavers I'll get him to help sink the rocks into the ground to form that small bed.

[Chuckles]

As the pond has now gone I'll be posting the progress for it becoming a garden on here Chuckles Garden 2009