Hi everyone, been quite some time since I have blogged anything.
Anyway, the fish pond is still going fantastic, up to around 40 in there now.
I have been busy working for myself the last 5 or 6 years building my craft units.
The business has not slowed since I started and have trouble keeping up with it all at times.
Please check out this link to my You Tube video, which gives you an idea what I have been up to.
https://youtu.be/QJCoIdgQf2w

This is an example of what I have been doing.
Happy Days
Col

Pond Update

Some new pics of the pond, really kicking on now. The fish have spawned many times this season and we now have around 15 new additions.(without separating the fry from the pond) The eco system is working great and all the fish are very healthy.

Pond update....stage 3

Hi, now that the pond was ready for filling, all i needed was some rain to fill my tank....and rain it did. The tank was full in no time and overflowing, on with the raincoat, and released the tank water into the pond. In a few short hours it was full...and the tank still filling...had a bucket load of rain that day. Once the weather cleared it was time to secure the liner edge with rocks and also make some minor adjustments to the ground work and waterfall. When setting up the falls, i didnt want a roaring torrent...so when i set up the header pond, some of the water would return to the pond behind the rocks and the rest would run a pleasant trickle over the fall rocks. This worked out very well. A few plants were added (more to come) and quartz stone added as a border and also to secure and hide any gaps.The electrical side of things was now completed and the pump and bio filter were doing their job,some lights were also added beneath the walkover.

Click on photos for a larger view.This is the stage im at right now....will get some fish shortly, some water plants on the way.....a bit more landscaping and the job will be done....post more when completed...stay happy :)

Pond update

Now that the hole has been dug and the waterfall formed up, it was time to get ready to install the liner.Before this however i made a couple of pathways in sides where later, a bridge is to be built. Sand was used as a base, about an inch thick and partially up the sides. The sides i used layers of packing foam (the spongy stuff), for the waterfall, old carpet was placed over the bricks and layers of cardboard in the header pond. Carefully placing the liner in the hole, it was unfolded and roughly pushed into shape supported on the edges with rocks. The waterfall rocks were stacked up to the header pond. I was lucky to have a heap of rocks around the place to use, saving me a bit of money.

Once i was happy with the falls, i decided to begin construction of the bridge, nothing fancy, just a flat walkway. Posts were concreted into the ground either end, and two half logs were  attached to these. The top is made from 90mm x 19mm decking boards.

Finally completed, the walkover below.Some  lanterns each end, an arbour at one entrance and a bit more rockwork in the pond...starting to take shape...till next time...stay happy :)

Building the pond

Hi, well finally started building my fishpond with waterfall. Bought a pond kit which had 6m x 3m liner, bio filter and pond pump. Once i decided where the pond should go, it was digging time! I marked out the shape with line marking paint, this made things a lot easier. I decided on a depth of around 400mm at the waterfall end and around 350mm at the other. Nothing really fancy about this pond, pretty basic, but was still hard work! Pond around 2.5 mtrs long x about 1.5 mtrs wide, this allowed plenty of overhang for the liner.

It was very important to make sure all levels were correct and to allow for any fall in the land to ensure that the water level would be even with the pond edges. String lines and a level were very useful! The ground wasnt too bad to dig, fairly soft.

I also began forming work for the waterfall using bricks as a base. A header pond will be created to allow a more even flow for the falls. The liner will be put over this and fitted accordingly.Well this is the  first stage post, more to follow soon...stay happy :)

Out with the old!

Hi, as i mentioned in previous post i would show some pics of the kitchen makeover. This is how it used to look.....nice country kitchen?...no!  These cabinets been in for at least 70 odd years! One was signed on the back..A.Clark 1944!  They were not in the best condition, so, time to update! I purchased a flat pack kitchen from the local hardware store...would have built my own if i had the right equipment. Anyway...out it came.

The new cabinets had to be assembled, this was a breeze, soon it was beginning to take shape.Installing was also a breeze, just being sure everything was level. A Real problem with the old kitchen was the sink location....wrong sink, for the wrong cupboard and jammed away in the the corner...not very user friendly! So i repositioned the sink to a more central location...bought some flexible pipe extentions and moved the waste pipe. Also in this upgrade was the replacement of the gas stove with an electric under bench oven with gas cooktop and also a slide out rangehood .time to get the plumber! The stove was disconnected and removed so i could install remaining cabinets. Once the plumber reconnected the gas, and oven was installed it was time for the tiling.Cement sheets were attached to the wall, and i set about cutting and fitting tiles. Had a few tricky power points, but with a hand cutter that fits into a hacksaw, everything went to plan. Once tiles were up they were grouted and silicon used on the expansion gaps (corners etc)  To finish off i used aluminium angle in the corners and under the overhead cabinets, just for something a little different. Handles were used from the old kitchen and gave the modern a little country feel. Happy days :)

Going up the Country....

Hi all, well its time for a whole bunch of new projects as we have sold our house and made the big move to the bush. Although we bought an older style house, it has had a lot of work done already. Got a heap more land space, so its going to be a great challenge. So far i have installed a water tank and replaced the kitchen (photos will be up soon) Really looking forward to creating another fish pond and fernery, but this one will be bigger and better! when i start i will post stage by stage photos. This time i will be using a pond liner rather than a pre formed pond....got all the gear...just a matter of starting on it now..happy days :)