Full House .....

.... we had yesterday, St. Patrick's Day, as regards the eggs, every one of our 13 ducks had laid an egg, look:

The average we get a day is 9, and you can imagine that we can't use that amount.  We give them away, sell them, I bake a lot and freeze what I bake and today I made Spätzle with 8 eggs!  I've decided to buy some waterglass now and preserve eggs for 5 months or so while they're plentiful.

 Looking out of the window I saw something red at the bottom end of the frog pond, the camellia!  I planted it as a little cutting some years ago and only saw a first single red flower two or three years ago, since then nothing.  But this year there are two red flowers and some buds yet to open!

Not only was the 17th a momentous day as regards the egg-laying, it marked the beginning of my big pond cleaning exercise.  I started the pump early and it performed well, come coffee break at 10 the pond was almost empty - apart from the grot at the bottom:

The two local residents soon adjusted to the situation and went either into the ditch [full of water and grot] or further afield to the nature pond.

Not so the main group, they were all in the dirty water at the bottom when I first checked on the pump, and they had the most awful trouble getting out on the slippery sides without the aid of water.  Still they came back again and again, I had to chase them off a lot:

 

 

 

It was hard work.  The area fenced off around the two big tubs was 10 inches deep in gunge, leaves, twigs, I hadn't removed it the last couple of years, but I was determined to shift it this time.  Outside of the fence in that area [the prevailing wind drives everything there that had fallen in the water] it was just as bad, and once cleared I moved the two containers a little further away fron the edge because I could hardly get a foot in between them and the bottom of the pond.  While I had access I also trimmed the overgrown reeds in one tub, re-planted the three pond baskets I'd found buried in the mud with water lilies from the overgrown fishpond and gunnera from the side of it.  I put those on top of a third barrel which John kindly "donated" when he came back from his meeting at teatime.  Unfortunately that will keep them above the water level in the pond as this tub is taller than the first two  -  oh well, the plants will just have to make do with rain water ....

 ... which we got quite a lot of yesterday, Tuesday, in many showers, and it had turned very chilly after we'd got used to the sunshine.

This was the picture that greeted me just after 7 in the morning, the pond far from full [we eventuall switched off at the tap at half past six last night].

I don't know if you can see in the photos that the water level had sunk considerably for some time.  I'd blamed the moles, at first, as hills had appeared right on the edge of the pond.  But when I was scrubbing the sides I found a hole, on the opposite side where I'd placed all those branches, and I now think it was a big spike from one of the blackthorn branches that did the damage - I patched it:

After re-arranging the branches and fetching some soil and sods of grass to fill up the bog "garden" at the side of the pond it was coffee break time, and I didn't go out again all day after that [aching too much!] except for checking on the water level and taking pictures of things blooming in the garden, which always cheer me up!

 
                  This is the peach tree we transplanted before re-erecting the conservatory, it's blossoming!

The white blossom in the middle is on my treasured "Blutpflaume" - hope the frost doesn't kill it again.

 

I took this photo of the pond filling up at about half past three yesterday afternoon, still a way to go ...

John was busy digging his main veg patch and the two locals were having a bit of a peaceful time at last.






It looked very peaceful at the frog pond, too - although Tuts, in front, lookes like he's about to set off again in search of Anke ....................


My last two photos from yesterday, just after 6.  The pond still isn't full, but John turned off the water when he put the ducks to bed.

This morning I don't ache quite so much, and when I've seen to the ducks I'll have to clean the pump and the long blue hose in readiness for the next pond to clean  -  which won't be as big a job as this one!