Net results

We’ve had quite a full week with lots of jobs needing to be done and only a limited amount of time to carry them out.  Firstly we tackled a leaky hose connector.  The existing connector looked fine with no sign of damage or wear but despite fitting new O rings the drip persisted.  A change to another outlet sorted the problem and we’ll simply have to avoid the worn one in future.

Next to this, the hosepipe was getting kinked by an acute bend in its wall support.  The fitting of a wider and gently curved bracket immediately solved the problem and increased the water flow noticeably.

The next job was to plant a bed of Charlotte potatoes, something we’d been putting off due to the incredibly cold mornings that have persisted here.  Hopefully by the time the potato shoots are showing the frosty mornings will have departed or a light layer of fleece will offer ample protection overnight.

With activity in our pond starting to increase we wanted to fill a number of spaces that had appeared in some of the marginal planting.  We’d just received some beautiful young Marsh Marigold plants in the post and these were pushed into the soil of the planting baskets allowing us to get on with the next job for the day: fitting  safety netting over the pond.

With occasional visits from young children this was a job that couldn’t be put off.  Twenty steel pegs were ‘corkscrewed’ into the ground all around the pond.  Thick cords were stretched between these pegs creating a web of support for the strong netting that was laid across the top.  With a simple tug on a cord the whole net became taut rendering it safe for children, but also protecting its inhabitants from visiting herons.  It was a busy day that made a cup of tea on the lawn so much more enjoyable.