The pond, pictured here, was a birthday present from the extended Huttonian family to the wife some 7 years ago. With a little help from a Rutherford digger we spent a week end making it and filling it from the garden tap. Now I defy anyone not to believe that it is a natural creation -an old watering hole from the time the Merse was marshy and the Rievers looking for a source of clean water for their thirsty (and probably stolen) horses.Now the pond is a bit too natural, the oxygenating plants have run amok and there is more foliage than water. It will need a good clean out one of these days -perhaps when the temperature drops to normal values (its not too bad at 26C as I post) I will strive to get rid of most of the oxygenators-many of whom are 'exotic' and turn into a solid triffid like mass-imported by visiting birds from the Whiteadder I suspect. We can then make use of the little gizmo-solar powered water percolator (centre of picture-click to enlarge) which keeps it oxygenated-as long as the sun is shining of course. Its slightly labour intensive as you have to keep moving the solar unit to keep it directed at the sun-which seems to move quite a bit.  ¶ 11:44 AM