Read by Michael Flamel

In the world of Ardagh Eco-Gardens, 2019 will forever be remembered as the Summer of the pond. My gardening-obsessed husband, Brendan, decided it was high time to fulfill his long-desired dream of a wildlife garden pond. With a kitchen extension looming on the horizon, completing the pond before construction commenced became our top priority. This urgency was fueled by the presence of six ornamental fish, a questionable gift that Brendan had received long ago, which now resided in a 1950s concrete water tank attached to our 1860s cottage.

(Side note: Who thinks fish make a good present? Flowers, plants, wine maybe, but fish? Anyway, the old tank, along with the existing kitchen, faced imminent demolition to make way for the new build. With our eco-friendly garden credentials and the plan to encourage frogs to spawn in the new pond, Brendan wasn’t keen on putting the fish into it, but there was no other option.)

So, we got to work—well, truth be told, our nephew Mark did the heavy lifting. Fresh out of college and in need of a Summer job, Mark found himself laboring under the exacting demands of not one, but two taskmasters. It was an invaluable experience for him, revealing that a career in the great outdoors was not his calling. He is now happily and gainfully employed in an office, possibly vowing never to work for relatives again.

After two weeks of arduous digging involving the removal of rocks and roots, it was time to install the heavy-duty rubber liner. Once that was done, we filled the pond with water and moved on to the fun part: choosing and situating aquatic plants like Iris pseudacorus (yellow water iris), Equisetum schachtelhalm (ornamental horsetail), and Oenanthe crocata (dropwort). We then planted Lychnis flos-cuculi (ragged robin), Arunculus dioicus (goatsbeard), and Ligularia przewalskii into the damp soil surrounding the pond, edging it with rocks and stones collected from across Ireland.

The pond soon settled into the garden as if it had always been there. Large tree logs nearby provided eco-friendly seating from which we could observe the varied wildlife—dragonflies and newts—that almost immediately began to inhabit the pond.

A few months later, on the eve of the builder’s arrival and with the demolition of the old water tank imminent, we turned our attention to the fish. Armed with a child’s bamboo fishing pole with net attached and a bucket, we set about removing the fish from the tank. Brendan blindly dipped the net into the 8-foot murky depths while I waited with a half-filled bucket of pond water. Slowly, all six fish were accounted for, and we ceremonially removed the old wooden bung at the base of the tank, watching its contents gush away.

At the new pond, we stood with the anxiety of parents sending their children into the world, fretting about how the fish would fare. Some floated a while; others immediately disappeared into the shadows. With the operation seemingly successful, we decided to celebrate with refreshments. As I glanced nostalgically at the old tank, I heard a slapping sound from within. Tentatively, I climbed the ladder and peered in, only to see a seventh fish flapping in the mud.

We only ever had six fish, so where had the seventh come from? No time to think—I called for Brendan, who came running. Racing back to the pond for the net and bucket, we managed to rescue the fish and transfer it to the new pond. It floated inert for a while, but then, magically, it came to life and disappeared into the depths.

Now, we enjoy the idea of sitting by the pond on Summer evenings with a cool chardonnay or craft beer, though in reality, we’re more likely to be found working in the garden until nightfall, a mug of tea in hand. We never did discover where the seventh fish came from, but it reminds us of a friend who unexpectedly found terrapins in his garden pond. We rarely spot the fish anymore, but occasionally, just when we think they’ve become heron fodder, we hear the splashing sound of one disappearing into the inky blackness as if to say, “We’re small fish in a big pond now, and you won’t catch us twice!” ❖