Beenong Pond

The water lilies are blooming in the pond at the back of the house.  The flowers last for only a few days but there is a steady procession of buds being pushed out.

Pond with Waterfall and Three Lilies Showing (4th Hiding)

The pond is due for a cleaning but all planning was halted by one frog ... then another.

One solitary frog (and 6 fish) survived the difficult conditions in the pond when I returned from the circumnavigation.  All I could see was a thick mat dry vegetation half way to the bottom, and not being able to investigate because the house was still under lease and convinced that nothing could have survived I jetted off to the USA for another 2-month visit.  After I returned and resumed possession of the house I proceeded to clean out the pond with the help of Stephen and to my amazement there were survivors.

The one frog (large and healthy) (see "Waterfall is Working", 20/11/2013 in this blog) that I found split that night and for the next two years the pond had no resident frogs.

Brenda and Stephen had a surfeit of frogs in their small pond so we kidnapped three of them a la John Steinbeck and Cannery Row, and I released them into the pond during the night.  The frogs settled in and seemed happy until they exploited the first opportunity of damp weather and moved on, never to be heard again ... maybe.
 

The pond was quiet for another year until this winter when I thought that I heard a frog calling while I was taking a shower.  Yep, it was a frog.  Its calling must have been effective because a month later I thought that I heard two frogs, which Brenda confirmed during a visit.  

The pond is getting lively again, with its increasing population of fish, resident frogs, and growing ferns.

The photo shows the pond and three water lilies, although there was a fourth one hidden against the near edge of the pond. 

And at night I hear the boring repertoire of the two resident frogs , but I love it.