In the pool today.

Yep!

That was me, I fell in!
I was sorting out the "leaky hose" I was installing on the rockery, when I missed my footing and went in. Fortunately it being five feet deep it was no worse than falling in the shallow end of the swimming baths. By the time I'd climbed out, just pulled myself up on the rails at one side, my wife was already on the phone to tell her friends about it. No sympathy there!

Anyway, first time in 25 years. Can't call yourself a koi-keeper unless you go in at least once. Bit like golf, we say; "Can't call yourself a golfer unless your leccy trolley rolls into one of the many lateral streams around our course."

 

Guess its lucky you are not 4' tall

 

When I dug out this pool my wife was very concerned. As she is just over five feet tall, she was rather nervous about walking past it. (She's had MS for the best part of thirty years) in case she tripped and fell in.
So to placate, her I built this rather elaborate pergola and rail, to make sure she felt confident about walking past it down to the bottom of the garden. This is how it was in 1987 a year after I'd completed it.




A couple of weeks after I'd finished all the work, I found her one morning when I walked into the garden, on the top of the rockery, "just doing a bit of pruning!"

Doh!

 

Ah! But the balustrade is lovely.

Could you build one for me?

 

You don't want one, the pigeons sit on it and I'm forever wiping off their "poo!"

 

Where are the photos....? lol
I've nearly done it several times, but so far have escaped a soaking!

 

I actually fell in when I was digging it out 25 years ago, but fortunately before I put the in the concrete screed at the bottom.

 

It looks lovely Doghouse, and it was a nice day for a dip.

Many years ago when my sister was having a swimming pool dug out she fell in - up to her neck in mud. Her husband ran for the camera to take a pic before helping her out :(
Yes, they are still happily together

 

Thanks for that.

I had a first hand opportunity to "taste the water quality" which was very good.
Fortunately the filters and the UV keep it clean and clear. ('cept for a bit of muck on the bottom)



She's still telling people...

 

If its good enough for fish..............

 

This is true, but not for W.C. Fields.

Digressing..

When I was building it, I did fall off our tea-house roof, but there's even a funnier story.
Shortly after that when our youngest was eighteen, one summer's day, she and my wife were sitting in the lounge with the patio doors open that we had at the time, but with the curtains drawn because the sun was so bright.
I was on the roof of the house re-pointing the ridge tiles. It's easy enough to get on our roof I just put a ladder up from the flat roof of lounge extension and walk up it. Our roof has thick rough-finished concrete tiles, I can just walk around on them up there if I'm careful. I changed the TV aerial about ten years ago and fitted a new cowl for the new gas fire we had installed even more recently, the gas people were talking about scaffolding and all that nonsense, so I did it myself.


Anyway....I'd got fed up with carrying the empty plastic bucket of mortar down every time, so I chucked it down onto the patio. As it had quite a bit of mortar adhering to the sides, it made a loud noise as it hit the ground.

Apparently the conversation went...

My daughter said; "Dad's fallen off the roof!!

My wife replied; "Don't look!"

 

Love that space!

 

The new fish I photographed in mid-June have grown rapidly, from around 5-6 inches to between 9-10 inches. I'm feeding them up ready for the winter when they will go for several months without eating at all.

 

Thanks for that..


Nice looking fish, looks like a Hariwake-Matsuba.

The names of different varieties can be almost unpronouncable!

As they get big, they develop "chubby faces."