We had a pond at Casa Azul. The initial idea was to encourage frogs and such to take care of the slugs in the veg patch, but it became a huge magnet for birds in a way we never imagined. We also had snakes, salamanders and even deer visiting one night. It got a little out of hand in our rewilding phase during the Covid years but we have always wanted to repeat that here at Casa Lima.

We have chosen to have it in the lower meadow, we can’t therefore see it from the house but it will give more privacy to any creatures visiting and a nice surprise when you walk down the steps.

A somewhat damp November, although we have missed all of the storms and floods affecting elsewhere in the peninsula, has meant that it wasn’t too difficult to dig out the soil.

We dug out, okay Richard dug out, two shelves and then a deeper section in the middle. In fact the trickiest part was laying down the lining, trying not to have two many folds and tucks. It’s actually 3 pieces glued together but presumably the seams are watertight…

We used the rainwater from our neigbour’s tank to fill it up. We’re not entirely sure what to do now. An overload of information on how to do this meant we overlooked how deep the first shelf should be, and we have dug that a little too deep and so the rocks we wanted to place on there do not in fact hide the lining. We’re going to have to make some adjustments, and of course buy some plants. Apart from a water lily in the tank we have been unable to buy any aquatic plants at all so we’re hoping that the garden centres will stock some things come the spring.

Aside from the pond we have continued to do loads of work in the garden and have bought even more plants and trees. Most of the these have now been planted but a couple are waiting for the right spot to be found. We also got some raspberries so a bed has been made for them next to the asparagus. The raised beds have been weeded for the last time and covered with a layer of newspapers to keep the weeds, and Betty, at bay.

Our previous project, the water tank, has three resident frogs. Some of the succulents are struggling a little from the rain but others are doing fine.

Aside from some winter pruning (the gooseberries, raspberries and asparagus for example) most of the gardening for this year has been done and we’ll have a little respite as winter sets in. Meanwhile it continues to be very mild and many of the trees and bushes still have their leaves. The honeysuckle bush we rescued from the brambles and ivy at the end of the garden has even started to flower.

Meanwhile someone continues to be pleased to see us every morning 🙂