Pool’s open! but only just

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Now that I can get to that end of the garden, decided I should scrub out the old baby bath that’s been collecting rain water and dirt and re-arrange that bit of space. The water was a bit grotty, but at least it was “pure” rain water, so rather than throw it I dipped a small watering can and gave the plants a drink; it was cold, but naturally so, rather than tap-cold. Scrubbed it out, then had to decide how to place it.

I wanted it off the ground a bit, to make it easier for me to see and reach, but full of water it’d weigh rather a lot, so it’d need some solid support. Eventually I inverted five strong plastic pots and stood the old worktable surface on top; added two more pots to the front of the row for where the bath would stand, for extra support.

Put some grasses around it – recently cut them back, hope they’ll eventually grow enough to arch nicely around and over the bath.

Filled the bath, only tap water, but it’ll settle and warm to current air temperature. Future weather should keep it topped up, and it’ll be with more natural water, apart from gunge it picks up on the way down.

Next problem was to provide a ladder for anything that fell in that couldn’t get out without help – I did think of using an old metal mesh oven tray which I’ve kept on the “come in handy” principle, but no idea where it might be and didn’t feel like diverting to search for it; know I’ve seen it recently, but where? When it does turn up, I’ll try it.

Also needed to provide something for standing on; saw this obelisk lying on the ground, where it’s been for months, got fed up with picking it up when something seemed determined to knock it down again; took it apart and placed it in the bath; parts of it break the surface, and there’s still space for swimming:

Took it out again; didn’t know how long the metal would last when totally immersed! I tried various ways to provide “islands”, even submerged, to give standing room; even tried filling plastic milk bottles with water, but the damn things kept floating, even when capped underwater so there wasn’t even a smidge of air caught in the lid.

Finally tried this tub – had it ages, rescued it from a bin, someone must have been very heavily into “health food” to have bought so much! Filled it with water; it does float a bit at one end, but there’s enough water in it to keep it from bobbing about, I hope. Also took one of the obelisk pieces and jammed it against a pot to keep it still; hope that’ll do for a ladder until I can do something better.

Also filled the small double-tray that came with the bath, or at least was dumped with it and rescued with it: that’ll do for drinking and as a paddling pool, I hope!

Not sure about placement: is the small one too close to the big one? And is the big one suitably placed? I’ve read on other blogs that birds like to have some cover nearby to duck into in case of emergency when their feathers are still wet; hope the grass will provide that. But sure they’ll also want a clear field of view to keep an eye out for threat, not sure I can supply that.

This is purely temporary; still not sure whether to make the bath a pond or water garden – in either case it’ll need insulating (bad enough to freeze from the top, let alone round the sides as well!). Did think of bubble wrap, then hypertufa; wonder if both’d work? ‘tufa over a layer of bubble wrap? There’s a plug in the bottom, not sure I’d need it for a water feature, so I could insulate the base as well.

But it does stand out rather; I need it off the ground to be able to see it and get at it, but it’s hardly unobtrusive as it is, where it is. I hoped that plants around it would help to disguise it, but then how to disguise the pots that the plants are in?

Maybe once I do get into hypertufa, or concrete at least, I can do more natural-looking pots and planters.

• 3 Mar, 2012
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