10 years ago it was just a slopey damp field. 9 years ago this week we had just finished digging and had a big hole in the ground surrounded by mud.
We laid pipes underground down the hill to take all the rain water from the cattle yard roofs to fill it and put covered overflow pipes out into the stream running through the wood behind. The rivers trust come out severel times to check everything and gave us lots of help :happy:
It filled over severel weeks in the November, it seemed to rain non stop which was just what we wanted :happy:
The following spring we sowed grass seed :happy:
All the trees and rushes have come in on their own. I did plant some yellow flags that a friend was throwing out-they have increased now to massive clumps - and a few other flowering plants that were left overs from the garden but its just management now to keep it looking nice.
I keep a lot of the tree trunks clean so you can see through them to the water but leave a few as the ducks like to get under the overhanging branches on hot days and i keep the path mown :happy:
It attracts an amazing amount of wild life and its lovely to sit there and watch it all.
I'm really proud of it and think its the best gardening connected thing I've ever done. :happy:
This is it this afternoon, 9 years on from a muddy hole