WITH RAIN FORECAST - something of a tradition for an English bank holiday weekend
- I decided to top up the pond with the rainwater from the water butts (2 on the
house, 1 on the shed) so that they can recharge if we have a decent downpour tomorrow.
After numerous visits from a pair of mallards our king-size bed-sized pond is looking
a little the worse for wear. Refilling is my first step in putting things right.
Drawing Yellow Flag Iris reminds me of drawing the plant at a pond by Mrs Smith’s
small white-washed cottage near Loch Garten when I was a summer Osprey Warden at
the RSPB reserve in the 1970s. In her cottage in the tall pines, Mrs Smith, who I
always picture wearing a head-scarf and apron, would have been a magical character
in a children’s story. She took in washing from the Osprey Camp and, by some magic
she could always get it dry, even in the spells of continuous rain that can be a
part of a Scottish summer.
