Pond Reflections

This looks like water but is still mostly hard ice. After three weeks of being nothing more than an inhospitable frozen slab - and three days of welcome thaw - the pond is still a thick hard surface under an inch of melt water. It is difficult to comprehend any survival of life; the plants are withered and colourless, nothing moves or breathes. Yet for the first time in many months this week fish emerged, seeking the warmer areas at the top end of the water that are sheltered under the decking. 16 fish had been introduced to the pond in June but by Autumn the waters had gone too murky to see anything. I had thought that they had been the prey of a Heron attack. Still under the surface of the ice, they congregated - fewer in number than in the Summer but larger. These fish are timid and tend to disperse when they hear anyone approach. It is good to know they are still alive.