I have been working on the fish condo for weeks now… spent a good portion of a day cleaning the fish tank… lots of scrubbing and emptying…
I researched a second tank and we went out and got the tank and two pumps so that they were on the ends as opposed to the back of the tanks…
after numerous measurements, we set the new tank up on the counter along the North wall of the dining room… then the bottom was filled with rocks and water and the new pump set up… this tank will be for the baby fish as the other tank won’t be able to hold all of the fish…
I worked with my grandson and we were able to move the big tank to the spot beside the small tank… it looks good there and it almost appears like one single very long tank…
after putting river rocks in it, I ran the hose from the outside tap through the house and was able to fill it up in nine minutes… it probably took me that long to fill the small one as I used a pail and walked back and forth to the kitchen sink for that one, lol…
had a bit of an issue with the pump as there wasn’t quite enough room in the large tank for it on the edge, but we were able to remove a piece of plastic and now it fits perfectly…
once the water was in and circulating for a few days we began catching the fish… we have been at it for quite a while… we started on October 22nd and today I think we caught the last one… I had to break ice for the last few collections, lol…
it was quite a process because since about the middle of October the water has been brown as leaves have fallen into it so it has made spotting fish difficult…
we also brought in some of the water lilies, which hopefully will survive until next spring when they can go back into the pond…
the tanks look great and I am pleased with all of our work…
was very surprised to see a water lily flower in the pond a few days ago…
I’d been watching for buds, but hadn’t spotted any… these two lilies had overwintered in the aquarium so I wasn’t sure how they would do, which made it even more thrilling…
I took many, many pictures trying to get just the right one… it is difficult to take one that shows the yellow in the centre of the flower correctly…
eventually, I put down a cushion and laid on it taking pictures and then watching the fish…
the waterfall has been off for a few days and they seem to come out from under the bridge more often…
I must have laid there for half an hour watching to see if I could spot the babies…
so far, I’ve seen two shubunkins (the multi-coloured ones) and at least two goldfish… the goldfish (yellow) are hard to spot as they look black… I tried to get pictures but they hide really well and are also very quick…
a few days ago a great friend came by for a garden visit…
she brought me some gorgeous dark purple Japanese irises and a branch of lovely mock orange blossoms…
we had a nice time as we checked out everything growing in the garden and then watched the birds for ages… she knows lots about birds so I even learned a little, lol…
the house finch couple came by to visit and the house sparrows had a feeding frenzy as the parents and babies flew around and parents fed some babies and encouraged others to find their own seeds…
it was such fun to watch the way the youngsters fluttered their wings… and tried to land in various places… a few times I thought they were going to land right on us…
the sound was amazing as everyone was chatting and calling their family members, clearly wanting to be recognized, lol…
great fun to spend time with someone else who can happily listen to the water and bird watch for hours at a time;-)…
two tiny babies turned up at the birthday party today…
I patiently waited my turn and then held this little bundle of snuggles for about an hour;-)… can still put any baby to sleep… it’s a gift… thanks to my son-in-law for taking these pictures as I was busy…
always fun when everyone gathers and it’s time to open presents…
it is different these days… at this age all they want, and get, is money… apparently he is wanting a game system… amazed that there is one they don’t have…
the gift from Aunty and Grandma was money for the big brother to drive all the boys to Baked Expectations for dessert… chocolate cake for breakfast is one of Aunty’s specialties;-)… can’t believe they are so grown up…
he is looking forward to a Paintball party, so really loved his paintball cake…
started the day by seeing a cute bunny as I was backing out of the driveway…
stopped and spent a moment savouring the wonderfulness around us…
then, mid morning, a former colleague and her sweet baby stopped by for a visit… more cuteness…
she is a bit shy so was happiest in mommy’s arms, lol…
around noon another colleague came for a visit with her adorable cutie pie… thanks MikeF for the great photo…
when babies arrive in the office it is as though a silent alarm has gone off… before you know it most of the staff turn up, lol… today was no exception;-)…
nothing like baby snuggles to brighten a person’s day…
many things make me happy, but babies are pretty much at the top of the list…
and then, when I arrived home, this pansy smiled directly at me;-)…
herbiggirlpants 