THE POND

Husband said perhaps we should fill the pond in.  I agreed.  I think we're both a bit sad about it, but basically it's in the wrong place anyway - it gets the full brunt of the sun from morning to evening so the algae, despite having been poisoned last week along with the fish, are now re-appearing already after a week of daily sunshine.

We're going to fill the hole in, dig up the borders around it, and extend the lawn.  A little bit of rockery will be left where there's a change in level, which could be quite attractive (and means I can leave the iris in, which has been beautiful recently), but the entire thing will feel far more spacious and be more child-friendly.  I pointed out to the children that we could even make sure there's a level bit at one end so that there's space for a paddling pool.

Thinking aloud, I think we could take up some of the paving slabs too (can't see them in the photo but they're near the shed/summer house)....

However this is all going to need extra 'stuff' - soil to fill in the hole; turf or lawn seed for the lawn - and a lot of work.  Confirmation once more that I need to get a well-paid job and then I can just pay someone else to do it!

Meanwhile excitement on the ex-work front: the local newspapers have announced that Carlisle City Council is going to abolish Carlisle Renaissance and take the functions back into its own in-house Economic Development Department.  Exactly what I've been saying they should do for about a year.  Two staff were on secondment from NWDA so presumably will move back there: another, a surveyor, will maybe transfer to Carlisle's property department, which may explain why they haven't advertised their vacant post.  It's all eminently sensible.

What's also sensible is it looks as if the Council is close to giving Sainsburys planning permission for their store on Caldewgate: they want the design to be better and more innovative, and I'm sure that's something Sainsburys can do.  I wonder if Sainsburys will think of arguing against any improvements on the grounds that Tesco, Morrisons and Asda all have very bog-standard designs.... anyway I wish Sainsburys all the best as it would be so good to have a decent supermarket to shop at in Carlisle.  Our nearest decent stores are Booths in Keswick and Waitrose in Hexham: unless you count M&S, which I don't really think of a supermarket per se,  though they sell the best quality and most flavoursome fruit and vegetables of any of them.  There will be a Sainsburys in Penrith at some point as well.

So I really must get on with a least one job application this week: I need a decent salary just to fund the lifestyle to which I prefer to be accustomed!