there's always light somewhere

 

Bless dear friends, near and far,

 

Today I am grateful for
good friends
a hot bath
a warm place to sleep

guest post on Ponds, from Josh Nicholas of Swallow Aquatics

How to get and keep your pond healthy ready for summer

Good news everyone! Spring is on its way, winter has finally ended and hopefully we will soon be seeing some sunny days, a little less rain and feeling that itch to get out into the garden once again!

If you're anything like me, this time of year also means it is time to do some maintenance in order to get your garden fighting fit ready for the summer months, and one of the first items on your list should be your garden pond - after all, this is the time of year when new frogs are coming into the world.

So with that in mind, I have decided to give you a few friendly tips to maintain your garden pond. How to prepare it for summer and keep it healthy and full of life. Gardening gloves at the ready? Good, let's begin.

Remove bubbler and heater

Depending on where you live and the ecosystem of your pond you may have installed a heater and a bubbler over the winter in order to keep your fish alive. Don't forget to remove it now that the weather is getting warmer.

Remove debris

The first step in any pond maintenance of course is to remove any debris from the pond. Over the winter, chances are good that you haven't been doing this, so now is the time to do a thorough clean out.

Grab those big bits of debris such as fallen leaves and sticks, but it is also worth using a skimming net to get the finer debris. A skimmer net will have finer holes that a regular pond net, so it will pick up even small bits of debris, hence improving water clarity and allowing more light into your pond. Additionally, here's a handy guide to using your garden hose to remove debris.

And for bigger ponds, consider using a pond hoover (like this one) to gently remove excess silt and debris from the water. These are well worth the investment and will help to keep your pond nice and clean.

Check water health

Next, you should check the health of the water by measuring the PH levels, ammonia and nitrate and nitrite levels. The correct levels will again depend on various factors, but there are plenty of guides for measuring each. Here's one q and a that may help.

Change the water

If the levels are off, or if the water is particularly dirty, it may be worth partially changing the water in the pond. Emptying and replacing around 30% of the water in the pond should be sufficient and safe.

You can use your regular pond pump to pump the water out of the pond, and then a regular hose and bucket to fill it back up.

Before adding water to the pond though, you should use a water conditioner, which will remove the chlorine, ammonia and any other nasty chemicals which might harm your fish or your plants.

Save your water!

Just a note here. Pond water is very nutritious, full of nitrogen and other nice things that your plants will love, so after double checking based on what plants you have, feel free to use the excess pond water to feed and water the plants - they will thank you for it come spring time.

Pump maintenance

Next, you should have a look at your pond pump - particularly if it has been turned off over the winter. As a minimum, take it out and check the inlet for debris or a build up and plants, soil and general gunge.

A good clean out will keep it functioning well, failure to do so may cause slowed water flow and even burn out, which will cost you a new pump and cause a drop in oxygen levels in the pond. Here's a YouTube video to show you how!

Add beneficial bacteria

Finally, don't resort to harmful algae treatments which will use nasty chemicals. Instead, get a natural pond treatment which contains friendly bacteria. It's just like one of those yoghurts, but for your pond and will keep your ponds ecosystem healthy and algae free.

If you follow all of these tips, you will never need to use chemicals, your pond will be healthy, full of life and the water will stay clearer than ever before.

Thanks for reading, and good luck with your pond maintenance this summer!

Post contributed by Josh from Swallow Aquatics garden centre.
Thanks for reading!

I think I'm the monkey in this one...

and things change... the end of an 'era'.. comforting friends who have lost parents.. now starts the comforting of freinds children as your friends start to die off... and I'm not that old.. 48.
my gardening friend Billy died a couple of years ago, his wife Sandra died today.
and it brings me to thinking.. well why would you particularly want to live a long time anyway? I've had lovely times in  my life, lots of good experiences, but I've also enough grief that it just is overwhelming sometimes. and the constant struggle.. usually to do with money , which never eases, even working till I'm exhausted and think I just can't do it any more.
so I wouldn't want to be doing this till I'm 80.
and hope its sudden, no desire to linger...

we're all okay here

Abbey in gray and Quince in blue. I'm standing with a bag of hay that they didn't seem particularly interested in.. I thought they might be hungry with all the snow.

troubled times

Be Thankful
Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don’t know something
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you’re tired and weary
Because it means you’ve made a difference.
It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.
GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles and they can become your blessings.
~ Author Unknown ~

todays wee jolly

company car again

 a photo of me in Little Red

my daughter Rosie who visited the farm for the first time in nearly a year.. she had driven a similar tractor in the past but wasn't quite sure about this one.. I think the rusting roll cage doesn't inspire confidence. . .

aww, her first pair of boots

Abbey hasn't had metal shoes on her feet since shortly after she came to me. Mostly she does just fine with her hooves bare. She manages the stony driveway, and the very rough lane through the trees.. however one ride we do occasionally involves a stone track that has been repaired with big rough stones and she just can't walk on them.. so the choice was not to go there or to try boots. She had them on for 20 minutes today for a wee wander round, they seem fine, she didn't seem bothered with them at all and there were no obvious rubbed spots. Cavallo Simple Boots

internet jigsaw

Horse Jigsaw Puzzle


here's a wee thing to while away time.. I like 'real' jigsaws and have a puzzle board to do them on, this means they can be put away which is essential when living with three cats.

trials and tribulations

I suffer dreadful jealousy of people with money, that they can buy the things they do, that the car costs more than my house..  I very much dislike that they think they are allowed to control what you can or can't do with your life, their opinions and ways of doing things are not the only ways... and to the lady on monday who will never read this... you forget where you came from, what your ideals once were, how to be kind and honest... I'm jealous of your money and your 'things' for sure but I'm never going to be jealous of your monied attitude because your pretty and he decided to lift you up to your self exalted status, its a shame you can't be more of a credit to the person who has given you every chance and everything you ever wanted.. you have both lost sight.
I will try to forgive them anyway, but my attitude tends more towards.. stuff them. lol .

many thanks for a marvelous parcel

thank you my friend for the wonderful parcel that arrived safely. so many useful things, I love the socks and t-shirts , one has been worn already... and the candy didn't last long I have a very sweet tooth! and I'm looking forward to a warm snuggle up with the cats and read my cat book.

this was so very kind and really cheered me up. bless you. xx

be serious?

no, not doing serious today.......

DIY Garden Markers

 this is a fabulous post about using/recycling available items for garden markers DIY Garden Markers

making things

 i've got out of the habit of making things... gardens, cross stitch, anything really... and a friend sent me this when i  moved here  eight months ago.. gosh that seems like a long time.

so i finally got round to opening and painting, a little bit of fun. nice to have a quiet five minutes.

lovely morning out riding

very many thanks to Gill who took Abbey and I out in her lorry yesterday and led the way on her brave horse Louis.
we did a six mile ride up to Glen Quey and back, part of the old drovers road that would end up going through Dollar and Falkirk. gorgeous country side. we had a bit to eat and a bit of a paddle... not much though.. lol

twins

Theory of Relativity... if you were to pinch a horse.. and it looked like the one you already have, would anyone notice if they weren't standing in the same place at the same time?


About four days a week I ride these two, one in work time and one in my own time. They are both welsh, both mares, both a bit well padded... pretty girlies.


I am thankful for their willingness to come in and be my companions for a time.


edited and reposted;; and thank you to friends who see and understand and don't judge. xx

fly away Blossom....

I picked her up from the floor about ten days ago, she had flown into the rafters the day before but the next day she was down... an exhausted lost racing pigeon. A local falconer checked her over as uninjured but nothing left of her, no muscle .. nothing. She was kept quiet in a cat basket with proper food and today was driven a distance to be returned to a delighted owner reunited with her sister who was missing her.
Huge thank you to Gill for taking her down.

a kiss and a goodbye

 I was trying to take a close up photo of a wild orchid in the field... instead I have a big kiss from Pardouc.

and this lovely old lady, Lark, who had been in my care for a few  months, she was found to have an abscess in the bones of her foot, so she was put to sleep. she hated being indoors and could never face an operation that requires up to a year of rehabilitation. she was a sweet quiet soul, glad she is not in pain anymore.

company cars again... lol

little red... still harder working than anything fancy!!

photo inspired by Wildside commenting about size.. you can really see the difference here.

company cars.....

 boss's company car... heating and a radio. nobody else is allowed to drive this...

my company car... excellent air conditioning.... everybody drives it..  hardest working thing on the farm!!