Dam Building

Last week I finished writing the 2nd draft of a new novel. It felt mildly satisfying so I cut loose at the weekend by busting out the ginger ale and going on some long walks with Adelle and our friend Cherry, though I suspect it needs a lot more work on it yet.

I've notched up 103,000 words on it since I left London in July 2009. It's time for a break from it.

I've been reading All My Friends Are Superheroes by Andrew Kaufman, which was "tender", and I've also started reading Melville's Moby Dick - though, for the sake of authenticity, only in the bath. I fear it may take me a while to complete.

I've been listening to the new album by Chrome Hoof and enjoying that daft song by Professor Green that samples INXS, and which I downloaded at a cost of 99p. There seems to be some better pop music around than there does rock music at the moment

But mainly I've been dam-building down at the pond that sprung a massive leak in the prolonged sub-zero winter we just had. I've spent a month shifting rocks and tyres and weaving dead branches together in the rain, then redirecting a stream into the pond in order to get the water levels up, circulate more oxygen etc. The pond is full of fish - perch, mainly, but one or two over-sized pike aswell.

Here is how the ponds looks so far. The birds seem to be enjoying the new lease of life breathed into this otherwise neglected old mill pond.