Down to earth now, and though there have been no lotus blossoms in the ponds – and it was indeed only the one by the garage that had flowers in profusion, until the time I left for Canada in March – the fish with the exceptions I mentioned in the posts after Canada have done well since the reorganization. In particular I have been delighted by the kaleidoscope of colour which I placed in what was the first lotus pond, the yellow bath tub by the eastern wall of the garden.

I had as mentioned put in a few rosy barbs and several colourful tetras and also some zebras. Initially there had been a few black mollies there, and some platies, to deal with mosquito larvae before I got to the dealers in more exotic fish. They too are still there, and Kavi introduced a few small white fish, whom I fear as predators, the Malavi as I thought of them, but these are very little ones and thus far there seems to have been no trouble.

I cannot check very close, for the net over this tank is quite high, and that means also that I cannot get pictures of a host of different fish, for some of them are quite shy. So it is mainly zebras that you see in the two first pictures here, though in the first there is one of the little white fish in the bottom right hand area, and in the other there is at least one red tetra. But I hope this gives some idea of the host of fish of different types and colours who circle around each other when I drop food in of a morning, very fine food now for them.

Pictures of the other ponds too are difficult because of the nets over them. But the pond by the garage still lends itself to easy pictures, for the fish gather at the front in the morning if I am late with their food. In the first picture of this lot you see angels and oscars, two white ones and a black, and also one of the black mollies who were there from the start.

The next picture shows the two tiger barb, and a red tetra, with some of the same supporting cast, while the last picture has a catfish, unusual for these appear late when the others have moved away. But here there are lots of others, including both black oscars, and also the dark angel at the back.