Swimming pond or pool, part 3

Continuation of Blog 2:

What I find wonderful about swimming ponds are the many species of birds and other animals that are attracted to the pond. But not all animals are welcome to me!

I love watching squirrels stretching out over the embankment to get a drink of water. Or dragonflies flying around the pond plants, which shows good water quality. I try to avoid chemicals in the water as much as possible. But this is a real challenge!

Recently, a pair of ducks even landed on our pond twice in a row. Although they are really cute, I chased them away straight away because ducks really do make a lot of mess. Better not in our pond then!

Toads and frogs come anyway as soon as they discover a bit of water. I first had to get used to these creatures, especially as I sometimes came into close physical contact with them while swimming. Another time, when I was cleaning a spotlight sticking out of the pond, I startled a frog that had been hiding behind it. It suddenly jumped out of nowhere onto my chest, causing me to squeak loudly.

As we were cleaning our pond liner, we noticed a dead animal with a long tail at the bottom of the pond. It was the first time we had discovered a corpse in the water. Bloated, we could no longer tell whose animal it was because it disintegrated into all its parts when we fished it out, which also stank terribly.

From this point onwards, my beloved swallows, which constantly fly over the pond and pick water striders out of the pond with pinpoint accuracy, were also absent.

I enjoy the spectacle of the swallows over the pond, they herald bad weather and are really nice to watch.

Algae, which are not a bad thing, should be removed continuously during the bathing season if you want to have a beautiful pond and clear water, as I prefer.

But when the swimming season starts, all the hassle and work is quickly forgotten and you can enjoy the wonderful water. Meanwhile, others are sweating in their flats or travelling by car/bike to overcrowded pools.

The reward of all the work is to also enjoy the pleasant side. Numerous examples are the various pond plants when they start to bloom in different colours in spring. A swimming pond can also be used in winter. If the temperature is below freezing, the frozen pond can be used for ice skating in your own garden.

You're spoilt for choice: do you already know whether you prefer a pool or a swimming pond?