Absolutely filthy, aching, muddy, happy :)

[Toddy]

I've spent a couple of hours a day for the past few days redding out the big pond in the garden. I can't go out anywhere else really, so might as well just get on with things at home.
The pond was dug in over twenty years ago, and the liner is cracked, dead, needing dug out and replaced, but that is a major undertaking, it's eight feet long and four feet deep and it's full of life. However that life has slowly silted it up over the years and it's now full of breeding newts. So, trying to work my hands into the clumps of reeds and pull chunks off, wash off any newts back into the pond, and try to get below the roots to the silted up base, has been a right messy job. Today, I've done enough. It's not a perfect job, it's not finished, it still needs totally renovated, and I have a new butyl liner to do it, but the newts are swarming in and it'll just have to do until late Autumn.
Himself said, as I stood there in me wellies, oxter length rubber gloves (I think the vets use them for calving ? ) mud spattered from head to foot, hair blown out of it's plait, head to toe in OD clothing, "But are you happy ? ", and my immediate reply was, " I am "

Why does work, and muddy work make me happy ?? I don't know. I'm aching, my knees are killing me but there's no other way to do this unless I scrounge the loan of some waders from somewhere. I did think about a couple of bin bags up over my wellies and taped round my thighs, but reckoned that was bound to end up even more mess.

I know we're not supposed to disturb newts, but we've had no real rain for ages now and the pond is never going to be lower. Himself's been lugging the bucket loads I've removed down to the burn so they're in familiar habitat if I didn't catch them in time. There are dozens more appearing every day in the muddy swamp that was left at the bottom of the pond, so at least doing this and refilling will give them a better chance here too.

I've had enough for the day. I've got the hose on at a fine spray to let the wind and sun blow away any cholorine before it goes into the pond, and the kettle's just boiled. I'm going to have a cuppa and then I think I'd best find the shower

I hope those of you with restricted access to the outdoors presently are still getting out somewhere into the fresh air, and working hard enough to find yourselves happy too

M

 

[Broch]

I need to do the same. The pond is a bit larger than yours and is natural clay so no liner but it's choked up with plants including reedmace and has a lot of silt in it brought down by the small stream that feeds it. We originally excavated an old small pond with a JCB. The trouble is it's still got quite a lot of water in and it's bl**dy cold! It will have to wait till this weather warms up a bit.

However, plenty of other tasks to do while I wait. Today I have made and deployed a Mostela trap in the hope of catching weasels and stoats on camera

 

[Toddy]

I know it's part of the natural procession of ponds, to fill up over time, but we try to keep them alive.
You're right too though, it is blooming cold. Those long gloves are huge on me and I ended up with fleece gloves on inside them. I tried earlier with thinner rubber gloves and could have cried with the pain in my hands when I came back indoors. My fingers and thumbs were white, and they felt like they were burning as they warmed up. I decided I couldn't do that again so had Himself burrow through the box on the top shelf that stores my spare work gloves because I knew these great big long ones were up there somewhere. Very glad we found them

Your trap sounds interesting I will have a google for that. We get all sorts of creatures using the garden, from the occasional weasel to badgers. It'd be fun to see photos of them during the night.

M

 

[Kepis]

Nothing quite like being up to your armpits in muck and filth, i did it all the time up the ponds cutting lilies, planting, trimming etc, i do sometimes wonder why i wore my chest waders though as they had a gert big hole in them on the left ankle.