Plumbing the depths

Over the past few days, the pond has provided a sufficiency of exertion to cater for my restricted abilities. A slow, gradual, process of root trimming of the marginal reeds, netting out some of the sludgy sediment, removing the bare-bones residue of the oxygenating plants, were ample tasks for a couple of days. Next day, tended to one of the water lilies, prepared and installed a fresh batch of oxygenating weed before I set about fretting over what remains to be done. Much as I enjoy being able to perform these routine tasks, pond-keeping can at times become an onerous responsibility

A treatment with SludgeBuster has now been applied, alongside a goodly sprinkling of BioStart to encourage the good bacteria. The only problem currently extant is the pond-pump! Having replaced the pump last summer, towards the end of the season it kept ‘tripping’ and, this year it won’t even utter a simple mechanical groan or let a single drop of water pass its lips! A process of elimination has established that phase one of the wiring, to the lower garden shed is in good order. A further test has established that the power supply to the protected socket in the greenhouse is also in good working order; the problem is either with the pump itself or with a jointed cable connection between the greenhouse and the pump itself.

Last year, an electrician who specializes in this sort of work was going to renew the wiring but, the task was postponed as he was unable to find a lackey to dig out a trench for a re-vamped scheme. Whilst it would be good to re-establish our filtration system, at the moment I don’t know whether I’m prepared to cope with the upheaval or the expense. When I feel sufficiently energized, I may unfasten the additional jointing of the cable (between the socket in the greenhouse and the pump itself), if I can get at it, and attach a plug to the portion of cable closest to the pump, in order to test whether the pump is still in working order. Although the pump came with a 3 year warranty, it could well have been invalidated by the extended cable having been attached!

These little tasks, which I have felt compelled to undertake, would have perhaps taken me half-a-day in total in those distant times when energy reserves weren’t at such a premium. Being the more disciplined person (through circumstance not choice) that I now am, each brief working interlude is terminated at a point where I still have a modicum of stamina in reserve.