Catching upafter the holidays

Sunday night I had a walk down the drain bank with the dogs late on as you can see by the photo it was late a pair of swans with 2 signets were near the car park.

sorry I have not told you about the holidays as I have been trying to catch up with every thing you have 2 weeks away and the garden looks like a jungle.
work is not going down very well I have just about got back into things as I had someone looking after my jobs I do seem to be back on track.

I have just been on a course for 2 days with an over night stay in a hotel so not a lot done this week on site today meetings tomorrow and Fridays I don't work . well only on the ponds and garden.

This is the cabin or shed down the ponds the wasps have been eating the paint and wood off and making nests with so it looks really tatty but it needs a coat of paint over it and it will be okay.

The dogs love it down there I aim to stay down one week end to see what wild life is there.

Toffee just chills out when he is there he looks hard done by.

This year the weed seems to be taking over i will have to drag some out before the winter.

This is what I call the old pond it was the first one to be dug so I have been told by the guy who owned it before me.

A side view of the old pond with bird feeder (empty this time of year)..

Blue is still swimming he does all day he sleeps well at night.

Below is the new pond with the island new (last one dug).

The other night I took the dogs down the drain and forgot the camera as the cows were half way down the bank we started to come back when the other side of the drain 2 foxes came out of the long grass I watched them for about 5minutes and then 1 nipped back in the long grass the other one sat and looked across at the dogs running about straight apposite me and me with no camera.

There has been some Polish lads Fishing down in one place for 3 nights with the kids.

It seems to keep them happy I don't know if they do any good most time they say only small ones.

The owl has some young as most times when we go down he has been hunting and is on his way home with a vole or small bird.

I will call it a day now maybe I will catch up with the holidays Friday.

Friday 14th May 2010 at the ponds

We own 2.25acres of land with 2 large ponds on it about 18 miles away this is nice but sometimes I wished it was nearer but as it is I tend to go for the day when I go.

Friday I went to cut the grass on the walk ways for the first time this year it a bit long but it cut OK.



The way to the ponds I have to pass a drain this drain is covered with rape seed plants that have been left to seed over the last 6 years that we have owned the ponds the banks are always cut after the 27th June and by that time the seeds are set and as you can see it has spread.

when people go on about GM plants this is the thing that they should look into, it will cost the drainage boards a lot of money to eradicate this if they want to try.

This is one of the walk ways before I cut it it should have been done 3 weeks ago it took me 6 hours to cut all the walk ways and some of the meadow at the front of the ponds.

This is from the shed or day cabin I keep saying i will stay one weekend but Barbara would not so its down to me and the dogs.

The cabin is looking a bit weathered at the moment the wasps chewed the painted coating off last year and it needs a coat or 2 before next winter.

I took toffee with me and left Blue at home with Barbara as you can see Toffees more laid back and likes to have a look around

The heap of pruning were left over from winter and were missed when we had a bonfire.

when I cut the grass walkway next to them I disturbed a hen pheasant.

On closer inspecting I found she was sitting on a nest of 9 eggs if you look you can just see them at the bottom left of the picture.

When I was ready to leave to come home I had a sneaky look and she was back sitting on the nest.

Like I said toffee is laid back but what is he keeping his eye on.

The frog spawn has hatched and there are loads of tadpoles on the edges of both the ponds the reeds are alive with them as you can see.

At some times of the year I have to stop cutting the walkways as all the small frogs move from the ponds to the shade of the trees and bushes.

I have set some blue bells and snowdrops in small clumps hopefully they Will spread.

This is what Toffee has been keeping his eye on the Canadian geese have had a nest on the island when I looked a few weeks ago she had 6 eggs but has only 4 young with her what happened to the other 2 there are no eggs left in the nest.

After a full days work and all the walkways cut I left at about 5pm for the journey home.

While locking the gate at the top of the track Rob from the farm opposite came for a chat.

So by the time I left it was 6pm and on the way home a fox ran across the road about 40 meters in front of the truck. just out side of a small village (Gypsy Bridge) a barn owl sat on a fence post its always nice to see barn owls hunting along the dyke's of the fens.

That was Friday