In the drink again…..

Today was forecast to be dull in the morning, which, perversely, I was quite looking forward to; I have various jobs stacked in a holding pattern. However, the sun was streaming in when I opened the curtains and another glorious day beckoned. Jobs were promptly directed back to the holding pattern where they will orbit continuously until there is some indoors weather.

After a bit of a digathon yesterday, trying to grub up some tansy roots that have gone under the stones in the stream sides, I resolved to stick to gentle gardening. Some light weeding in the gravel garden would be the very fellow. As I grubbed along, turfing out the sow thistles and ladies bedstraw, which seed everywhere, I discovered two self sown lavender, any amount of new oregano plants and, most exciting, some self sown dierama seedlings. This last discovery put me in an excellent mood as (a) I had been cursing myself for not saving any seed from the gravel garden plant this year and (b) the seed I did save from the pond plant is still not germinating (though its only been about a week……patience is not my virtue). So I was off pronto to get some potting medium (the saved contents of last year’s tomato beds) and I now have various pots in the standing out area.

Feeling mighty smug, I was taking the long way back up to the gravel garden when I saw Keith fiddling about in the bottom pond with the leaf rake. Something wrong with the pump, he wondered, the flow was a bit slow. Nothing for it – I donned the gutties and got in, immediately slipping on the liner and ending on my rear and up to my oxters (armpits for sassenachs) in the water. After groping around a bit I found the pump and gave it a clean, which seemed to me to improve things a bit. As I was in, I did my usual wander round peering at the newts and tadpoles and talking to the water lilies, exhorting further growth.

I very nearly took a dive and swam, definitely thought about it, but wimped out at the last minute.

I was squelching back up the path when I met Keith again. “Thanks for that” he said, I think that demonstrates it is not the pump……………………………..