The lost gardens...

...of gennepher...

Last night at sunset I ventured a part of my garden that I had not seen for two years. I had bought oxygenating pondweed for two of the ponds which are under that vegetation. But I didn't realise. One has silted up, hence the magnificent pond plants, rushes and ferns. The other I could just see patches of evening sky through the vegetation reflecting in some far distant water...

This bench in the front of the picture I used to sit on in those long summer evenings. The birds on a hand was bought me by J. As was the green-eyed cat next to it. The castle turret, to the right, was one of the many pieces of pottery he made. There should be a fairy there somewhere but I cannot find it. J was responsible for the eruption of unexpected fairies appearing in my garden faster than rabbits can breed...

I have been up since 5am clearing a bit more. Having my first morning cuppa now (6:17am). It looks a lovely day and I am glad I can spend it at home.

UPDATE...8:15 pm
Change of photo...but on same topic.
Top left photo is a portion of this morning's original photo.
I have cleared the path to these two little ponds.
I cleared the overgrowth hiding the first pond, and there was some muddy water with one frog in it who made his displeasure known for me disturbing him. So I cleared out the pond with my hand of all the debris. But the frog eluded me vigorously. Then I had buckets of water warming in the sunshine, so I filled his pond.
I needed a long rest then!
Then I attempted the second pond. I cut away the thorny roses which were hiding it entirely. There was a only little water in it and three frogs poked their heads above the little water that was in, and stared at me...I cleared the mucky water full of debris with my bare hand and the black frog which had been watching me with extreme interest and not hidden from me, kept swimming into my hand as I was picking handsfulls of debris from the bottom of the pond. Finally after the umpteenth time of him trying to get in my hand, I reached for my phone with my dry hand. And he swam into my hand again. So I closed my hand round him and lifted him out of the water. I didn't have my processor on so I couldn't hear what he said to me. (I don't wear it when I am gardening or clearing ponds because a twig will snag it and pull it off my ear or it falls to the ground.) But I could feel him being very vocal at me. I could feel the vibrations in my hand. And I could feel his little throat expanding as he 'spoke'. So I took a photo. Then I put him back in the water. And he didn't hide or swim away, he simply turned round and looked at me. I finished his pond. Put some buckets of sun warmed water in it. And some of that oxygenating pond weed stuff. All the while he watched me.

Why orange ponds you might ask?
Well about ten years ago I was at Malvern and this guy was selling the orange empty sheep lick containers for just £1 each. So I bought two, just meaning to put water in for the excess frogs I had at the time. But I ended up putting them in the ground. That next spring, when the frogs emerged from those orange ponds, I found I had orange frogs...but a few days later, they returned to normal frog colour. The orange frogs were quite beautiful actually. But it did take me a day or so to work it out!