Shocktober!

[El Gordo]

I'm not a natural gardener, but I did plant 3 trees on Sunday, including a ginkgo to remind us of Japan.

And you wish to be reminded of Japan because...?

And what about your giant rhubarb? You never did explain yourself!

All these unanswered questions: another one springs to mind - did your goldfish survive the winter ice and the heron attacks?

Tell us, EG, tell us these things!

Japan good. [Bows deeply]

Giant rhubarb = gunnera manicata. have bought and planted three of these towering triffids, and managed to kill 'em all.

Goldfish? Hard to keep up with their history. I thought none had survived last winter (which remember, finishes around early March over here), but then I saw a majestic streak of bright orange early in the spring, nestling against the underside of a water lily leaf. As an afterthought, I covered the pond with netting, to keep the herons at bay which worked well. However, a few weeks later I found a couple of frogs caught in the net and realised this wasn't an ideal solution for all my garden brethren, so removed net.

Saw hardly anything of the fish over the summer but they do still lurk. Population is hard to say. I once saw 7 of them in the spring, including a couple that are quite sizeable.

Since then, I've added to the number. I spent a Sunday a few weeks ago at my good friend Richard's place (he of the master of wine status). He'd invited me over to help sample some good quality supermarket wines he'd been commissioned to taste. It became a rather jovial occasion, and I took advantage of his good mood by asking for a bucketload of goldfish from his pond. His had bred rather prodigiously in the spring. I think I managed to borrow about 12 which eventually vanished into my pond, and have not been seen since.

Is that enough info for the moment?