The Fisher King

 Since moving house one of the new things that we've had to get to grips with is that we are now the custodians of a decent sized pond, complete with approximately 17 goldfish of various sizes and colours and sundry frogs.

 Novices would at best describe our knowledge of looking after ponds, but we have successfully managed to change the UV light that cleans the water, without electrocuting the fish, or indeed, ourselves.

As for potential predators, I have read that a heron can clear a pond of fish in one sitting but cats tend to avoid them due to their fear of water.  With the honourable exception of Bengal cats who love the stuff.

Would anyone care to hazard a guess what type of cat our neighbour owns?

Meet Bob, the beautiful Bengal that seems to rule the roost in the neighbourhood.

Silent Bob, The Bengal Cat

Our neighbour alerted me last week on my return to work, extremely apologetic as her cat, had brought in a large goldfish still flapping in its mouth and deposited its catch in the middle of her living room before deciding to bite its head off.  Our neighbour is elderly, but refreshingly honest.

I told her not to worry, as this is the kind of things cats do.  As former cat owners ourselves, we've seen first hand just what determined hunters they can be and the "gifts" they return with.

On Saturday, we found another fish, minus its tail and fins by the side of the pond.  If we where going to keep the remainder safe, a solution was to be found.

Neither Terry or myself wanted a net across the pond, which would spoil the look of it and the garden.  A local fish stockist showed us a movement sensitive device that could be plugged into the hose pipe and shoot a stream of water at the trespassing cats.  We didn't hold much hope out for that option for a water loving cat.  It would also mean having the hosepipe trailing across the garden and in all likelihood resulting in us tripping over the hose and/or getting sprayed for good measure.

After hitting the internet we came up with a solution, a ring of floating hexagonal lattices that are joined together and sit around the edge of the pond just below the surface, thus preventing Bob from being able to reach in from the side of the pond and take his fill.

The hexagonal lattice in place

So far, the deterrent appears to be working.  We've spotted Bob a couple of times on the edge of the pond but he hasn't made any further kills - as far as we know.

Taking care of the pond is going to be a work in progress.  We'll keep you updated if anything of interest occurs.

The windmill of your mind

 We've not had much free time of late, what with working during the week and plenty of jobs to claim our time and attention at the new house.  A couple of Sundays ago we made a concious effort to forget about all of the stresses and jobs to be done and get out into the June sunshine for a stroll.

I've posted pictures of the North Leverton windmill before, but they revolved around the annual open day that takes place each September.  Without the crowds and the cars the narrow lane that runs past the windmill is quiet and peaceful and we never saw another soul.  This working antique compliments the landscape beautifully.

We returned home feeling refreshed and relaxed.  I think its important to try and make time to get out and just enjoy the outdoors.  It's very easy to get bogged down with tasks and responsibilities.  Even a short walk can do wonders for your state of mind.

New Beginnings

A couple of weeks ago, we moved into our new home, which you can imagine takes up a lot of time and there are plenty of jobs to do around the place.  We haven't moved very far, just into the next village so the quiet lanes I enjoy walking down are still close by.

The garden as you will see is a lot smaller than we have had previously, but it's quiet and private, and a lot of potential.  It's a novelty to actually spend time in the garden without having to cut grass and trim hedges.

Terry has already made a start in knocking it into shape (with assistance from our good friend Ian who has provided invaluable advice and support.  I would say more but his head may not get through the door!).

As you can see the garden is paved, which came up a treat once we wielded the pressure washer.  The new house also has floor lights fixed into the ground so on an evening the garden is subtly lit.

A little garden art

Something else that we now have is a pond, complete with at least a dozen gold fish, and three frogs that we've spotted so far.  The trickling water is very relaxing.  

Terry has spent a lot of time planting up pots and placing them in areas to soften the geometric lines of the pond and the paving.  We also invested in a garden mirror and fixed it to the garage wall.  It's placed so you can see down the garden from the kitchen window.

The previous owners spent a lot of time and love on their garden and it shows.  Currently there are three different types of clematis that are bursting into flower against the fence.  

Gardens are never truly finished and I know it will take a little time until we get the "feel" of the planting that is already here and to put our own stamp on the place.

I'm also going to have to swat up on looking after goldfish...

Park Life

 By the time you read this post, we'll hopefully have moved into our new home (I'm doing the cheat of actually writing this post the weekend before it will publish).  We were wanting some ideas for an artwork that we could hang on the walls and had taken a drive out to Thoresby Hall to look at the art gallery there.  Unfortunately we timed it badly as it was a textiles exhibition on display.  I then remembered reading on the internet that Rufford Abbey Country Park had an art gallery. As it was just a few miles away we decided to take a look.

As the trip was unscheduled, I had no camera with me so took these on my trusty iphone.  I'm quite pleased with the results and I should really experiment with it a little more.

We took the long route to the country house and abbey ruins by taking the lakeside walk.

The ducks where keen to follow us

 The country house was built next to the remains of the 12th Century Abbey.  There is a popular restaurant as well as a cafe and The Orangery also plays host to art installations like the one below.

The remains of the abbey and the amazing oak tree.

Watching the world go by

Camouflage

 Spring has brought us our first sightings of the tawny owls in daylight.  We have seen them during the winter months, but only as silhouettes landing on a branch outside of the bedroom window at dusk.  Now that the weather is changing they have returned to their numerous perches in the garden.   They are amazingly well camouflaged against the brown and green of the tree trunks and branches.  If you don't know where to look, then chances are you won't see them.

Thankfully, for myself  if not the owls, blackbirds are very good at finding them.

Blackbirds will try and chase the owls off.  I could hear their alarm calls from up the garden and decided to investigate. Three blackbirds swooped passed me into the trees, chirping furiously trying to mob the owls to move away.  I spotted the lower bird immediately.  The second, I did not notice until I changed position to get a better shot.

I love the way they keep an eye on what I'm doing whilst pretending that they aren't.  They tolerate me getting fairly close, after all these years I think they understand that I won't do them any harm.

Itchy and Scratchy

 I'm concious that this is the third post in as many weeks that have featured this fella but as the saying goes make hay while the sun shines. As he has been a daily visitor to the garden of late I've christened him Mulder.  His routine involves strolling up the garden to have a drink from the bird bath, before cutting across the garden and slipping into the farmer's field next to us.

We still think he is an older animal.  Mulder seems to have a weary almost arthritic gait when he moves.  What we are certain about is that he is covered in fleas.  His coat to us is starting to look a bit mangy on his hind quarters.  I took most of these shots from the bedroom window,  Mulder was aware I was photographing him but he was to to busy scratching himself to care.  He did this for almost ten minutes before taking his leave.

Foxtrot

It's not often that a fox decides to walk straight into your viewfinder.

Last Sunday, around six in the evening and we had just returned from a shopping expedition in Lincoln.  As I was cracking open a cold beer I spotted this fella calmly strolling up the garden towards the kitchen window.

He moved at a cautious pace and spotted me through the window but didn't seem particularly bothered by my proximity.  He headed straight for the bird bath and took a long drink.

We think he may be an older animal, due in part to the white hairs that are visible on his flanks.

 Thirst sated, he walked across the garden and into the field next to us.  By this time I was virtually hanging out of the bedroom window taking pictures.