it's a gusher .........

Biodiversity is a big part of our vision for Cordwood as our site develops.

damsel fly

Hay meadow, heath and orchard are all on the list. But our dry site is shouting 'pond' to us. And a pond for wildlife too. And bless him, Roger has been digging away and so far has created out a vast, gently sloping but huge hole that will become our pond in years to come. Wildlife ponds need to be gently shelved to allow animals in and out and to provide different depths of water for the needs of different aquatic plants. A large pond is better than a small one because the greater volume of water doesn't fluctuate as greatly in temperature as a small pond and is less prone to algal blooms. It will look a right old treat too, stocked with mainly native water plants with dragonflies buzzing about and minnows darting in the shallows.

its a gusher....!

The water will come from the bungalow roof and enter the pond through the ground drains. We have yet to decide on how to line the pond: butyl liner, puddled clay or clay impregnated sheeting have all been considered. ....... but they're some way away as our priority is finishing the bungalow.

There will be a second pond, slightly higher than the wildlife pond fed from Judith and Rogers bungalow. This will in turn feed our pond and we expect to need a recirculating pump to send some of their water back so that they aren't  left with a wallow: the two will be separated by a walkway (the ponds that is - not J&R). It's going to be worth the entrance money alone, just to see our ponds and be fed on by the mosquitoes and other biting insects.

The recent snow and rain has filled the ground drains. Some have backed up and have flooded.

Today we opened the pond drain to let the water in .... and we had a gusher!! There really was a huge amount of water in there, which tumbled out like a thick chocolate sauce.  The roof drains aren't connected to the land drains yet, so the water collected was only that which had collected naturally.

Judith's job was simple - prise off the bung, but hold onto it because it would need to be put it back in. Of course she didn't hold onto the bung and it is now somewhere in the murky depths. A pluckier sister would have dived in and found it thinking nothing of the arctic winds.