Thursday 27 May 2010

The return of the water...

The rain started the process and eventually man – in the shape of the building agents – completed it; although my belief is that nature would have got there in the end.

You may remember that last year the lake outside my office sprang a leak and was completely drained. Fish were moved, plants left to die, and the once beautiful water-filled lake became a parched, mud-cracked, and empty caricature of an African watering hole.

It stayed that way for a while and then nature, in the form of the horrible wet summer last year, did her thing and the lake began to fill up again - not fully to the top but at least half-way and what a difference that made.

After Christmas, when we had all that snow and ice, the pond froze - but when the spring arrived I began to notice that the rushes were returning, greening up and getting taller. A few weeks ago I saw the first signs of tiny Lilly pads on the surface of the lake and a trio of ducks, two drakes and a female, were swimming around chasing each other in a flurried courtship.

Nature was winning.

Lat week the process was made complete. I don’t know who and I don’t know why, but when I came into the office on Friday the lake had been made full to brimming and there were a pair of Canada geese waddling around its edges.

I’ve yet to see if the irises and other water plants return, a couple of footballs and some litter needs netting out, and the lilies have re-submerged with the rising of the water (but they’ll be back) and I saw a damsel fly, the first of the year, flash emerald green past my office window.

I wonder when fish will reappear again.

4 comments:

  1. Great ;-) That little bit of Wales outside your window...it's hypnotic, peaceful and in some ways, rewarding to see nature in an artificial environment...the slight ripple of the water, the delight of the water birds and the calmness it brings...you've missed it...and i can see why!

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  2. You know Jamie - I've never seen it that way, but now that you have I understand just why it is so important to me - you seem to know me better than I know myself.

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  3. I'm so pleased to see the water back.

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  4. Della Jayne Roberts commented on Facebook:

    "This must be the only country where it rains but we're always in drought.... and on water restrictions...
    Dams at 25% capacity - but you know what - Australians won't use 'recycled' water like the rest of the world - they'd much rather die of thirst/drought....
    :O) They'd much rather buy bottled water...."

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