Starting to make the pond pretty

Working on the pond, May 2020

Here I am, keeping it real.  I've been talking about a pond refurb for a while now, and while we've been on lockdown, the husband started digging.  The old pump broke (probably too much duck sludge) so the son and I emptied what we could by hand with buckets;  we watered the fruit trees with the disgusting water--it really perked them up after a hot, dry May.

The next day the husband and son took up the paving brick patio and other stones around the pond perimeter, and the pond plants and the old filters, and began to enlarge the hole.  Once it was the right shape and size, they took up the old liner and carefully allowed it to dry and stored it away for a future small fish pond nearer the house (no ducks allowed).

The remaining duck sludge was tipped onto the hole and spread around, and the duck watering tubs were moved down into it.  The next day, as the sludge was a bit drier, the son and I stomped it down and put the paving bricks around the new perimeter.  We also started tipping water into the hole to keep it wet and keep the ducks interested.

The idea is that the ducks will continue to poo and trample the bottom of this bigger pond and gradually seal it.  It does hold a puddle at the bottom now, but it may take all summer or longer.  The husband is a bit skeptical it will work, but I've promised that if it doesn't, we'll do it his way and get a bigger liner.  Either way, I'm also going to put an exit pipe low down in order to drain and refill when needed.  We'll see how it goes.