John 4 v 1 – 15

Monty Don with Gardner’s World on BBC TV on a Friday night is one of my highlights of the week. I look forward to catching up with life at his Long Meadow garden, and seeing how my tomato plants should look like, but unfortunately doesn’t. I try to follow all his instruction and advice, use the correct compost, plant the seeds and prick out the young shoots, and although my plants grow, they do not reach the high standard that he seems to achieve.

On a recent programme he concluded his transmission by saying, if you want to attract wildlife into your garden, install a garden pond. My ears pricked up, I could install a pond in my garden, I have just the right place by my new dry stone wall, and the wildlife will love it there.

The next day I am onto the Internet looking for a suitable pond. The choices are endless, there are pond liners, water- falls, imitation rock pools, pre formed fibre glass theme park water cascades, and you name it and its there on the internet. Then I discovered a, pre formed plastic pond ideal for wildlife, just dig a hole in the required location and insert the pre made plastic pond, this is perfect.

Two days later my front porch is decorated with a large cardboard box with a picture of a garden pond emblazoned on the side. Like a child at Christmas, I ripped open the packaging and inspected the contents, the pre made plastic pond ideal for wildlife was complete and undamaged. It seemed larger than I had imagined, not in its footprint but in its depth. I expected it being 150mm deep whereas this pre made plastic pond ideal for wildlife, was 350mm deep, never the less, the instructions seemed encouraging saying, simply dig a hole in the required place in the garden and insert the pre made plastic pond ideal for wildlife and fill with water. The completed water feature will create a safe and secure habitat that will be irresistible to aquatic and other varied species of wildlife in your garden. I can’t wait.

Armed with my trusty stainless steel garden spade, I advanced into the garden up to the spot by my new dry stone wall, and with vigour I drove the spade into the ground, but it bounced off. The texture of the ground was a cross between concrete and gun metal and had been baked in the hot sun for two or three weeks by now, where is a JCB when you need one?

Not to be put off by this minor setback I retreated to the garage and armed with my pick and shovel, and a long steel bar with a heavy sledge hammer, by tea time the hole was excavated and the pre made plastic pond ideal for wildlife was in the hole and filled with water, and even washed pebbles had been laid around the bottom of the pond in the water to complete the irresistible habitat for aquatic and other varied species of wildlife in my garden. I still can’t wait.

The importance of water, wells, and the Oasis appear many times throughout the Bible. In the Old Testament we can read about Jacob’s Well, about David caring for his flock by the watering place, even Joseph was cast into a well before being sold as a slave by his brothers. Later on in Exodus we read how Moses had to strike the rock with his staff to get water for the thirsty Hebrew nation.

But for me the most significant reference to a well is with the meeting of Jesus and the Samaritan women at a place called Sychar close to Jacob’s Well. Jesus was thirsty and asks the woman to draw him water from the well, a most unusual request from a Jew to a Samaritan woman.

But the water from the well will only satisfy the physical needs and soon we will be thirsty again, but Jesus points out that her spiritual needs will only be fulfilled by drinking from the life giving fountain that only he can provide. Anyone who drinks from the life giving water from Jesus Christ will never be thirsty again.(John 4 v 1 – 15)

I have watched the pond in my garden with interest, the Robin came and inspected the work, then flew off to the old birdbath, and the Blackbird followed and also chose the old birdbath.

My next door neighbour told me they have frogs under their garden shed, I told her to direct them into my garden because I have a pond ideal for wildlife, but they (the frogs) have refused the invitation as yet.

As a Father’s Day gift my daughter and family bought me a solar powered water fountain for the pond. As long as the sun shines the fountain sends a spray of water up from the pond and its return to the water results in a gentle audible trickle. Its very relaxing and even when the sun is hot, the sound creates an illusion of being cooled.

It’s ideal for wildlife and grandads.

Derek T.