Turn on the tap.

All the soil for the base of each pond had to be riddled to ensure there were no hidden sharp stones or small pieces of glass. This was another painstaking job which we double-checked for safety. It was amazing to see the amount of movement in the liner as the soil went in. At this stage the boulders had to be re-positioned to stop them from rolling down into the ponds.

At last the day came when the ponds were to be slowly filled with water. We had all awaited this day with great anticipation. How long would it take to fill each pond, we wondered? Would the ponds turn out to be level, or would we need to stop the water in mid-flow and adjust one of the sides to make it level? Would the soil rise and float on the top and if so, how long would it take to settle? How long would it take before we had creatures coming to the ponds? Would they come before or after we had bought plants? How many plants would we need for two relatively large ponds? And how many oxygenators?