excellent ideas there. i think i will ask the council about putting fish in the pond, tho i spotted a big heron there yesterday so they might not last long!

no racoons here but there are gangs of very friendly cats and big seagulls both of which would probably leap into a paddling pool

feeling a bit better about the pond now, if i can fix it up and rehome some fishies (i think there are around 30 odd but they move fast so having trouble counting) then it'll all be fine.

thanks for all the great help.