The fern bed is looking good and colourful. It’s really matured well already. The birds keep kicking out the bark. I’m wondering about a little retaining fence at the front, but I’m not sure how easy that would be to install.

More pond work today. The silt has already started to settle, which is a good sign it’s not clay-based. I spent the morning stood in the pond, which was super easy thanks to my new big marginal shelves. The water was barely up to my ankles and warmed up as time went on. I installed the long pole pretty easily and hammered staples over two of the screws.

I cut back the liner and underlay at the back and built up the shelf, starting by placing the plants and big clods of earth. I filled in with earth and a couple of bits of wood to stop it falling through. I got as far the bird bowl, planting the new perennial candytuft.

The blackbird has been destroying the water violet. It had moved on from just taking the soil to pecking so hard that it was breaking off pieces of the plant. I replanted them and then covered it completely with pebbles. All this was having retrieved it from the bottom of the pond where it had fallen during the morning, meaning I couldn’t find it.

Happily I’ve seen two big beetles, various small beetles, a hoverfly, and a spider in and around the pond, so the wildlife hasn’t been put off by the move.

I added the first big stones and pebbles to the bird bowl, then added enough that the water from the pond overflowed perfectly into the bowl. Really pleased I got this piece of the design right.

After lunch and Lucozade to keep my legs moving, I added stones to the back and side banks. I continued earthing up at the back and placed the large stone with a lot of earth behind it. It feels like an evergreen plant for some cover is needed here. Probably not another perennial candytuft, but something like that.

I added more water to let the liner settle further and tidied up some of the many buckets and pieces of pond bank laid out around plot. Mr B has been a great help, bringing me a couple of jerry cans absolutely full from the well.

Something odd has appeared in the middle of the bug hotel on the fence. A black and white something in the butterfly hole, and some wooly something on the left.

Bed 1 got a bit of leftover water from home. The newly planted beans are ok and I’ve pretty much given up on the garlic in Bed 6. That’ll be a matter of the volunteers already there and spare calendulas and zinnias.