Frozen #midnighthaiku

Posted on February 28, 2018 by Sue Vincent

Force stopped in its tracks
Frozen moment magnified
Beauty’s mastery

It is not the weather to be outside messing around with water, but the Siberian temperatures are playing havoc with the pond. I have been managing to keep the surface fairly clear of ice for the fish, but all was not well when I arrived at my son’s home.

The water level had dropped dramatically and the pond needed to be topped up urgently. It is pretty much heron-proof as a rule, but when the levels drop too far, the big birds can land and fish from the slope we created to allow accident-prone animals and birds to get out if they fell in the water.

Unfortunately, the fifty foot length of hosepipe was also frozen solid and had no chance of thawing. I would have dragged the hose into the sun and taken a chance, until I noticed the large, object at the far end of the deck shimmering brilliant orange-gold.

The poor fish was already frozen completely solid. It wasn’t the heron… you can tell where their beaks have been and anyway, he would not have left such a good breakfast. The only thing I know of that would have done so is a well-fed cat… and one of my son’s cats is a huntress known for watching the fish and trying to catch them. We think that where the herons had failed, Boots had succeeded.

While they are alive and moving, she will play with any creature that she catches, ignoring them as soon as they are dead. The poor fish had barely a mark on him, but he had to have been fished out and carried  a fair distance to get to where I found him.

Unwilling to put any more fish at risk, I wrestled the frozen hosepipe into the shower… not an easy task. Draping the fittings in the basin full of warm water, feeding the hose through a bucket of hot water and running the shower on everything else, I managed to get the thing thawed, reconnected and set the pond to filling.

The ‘full-body ice-pack’, as my son put it, didn’t help much, though. The spine I had just begun to be able to move after a week of painful immobility, is now back to square one. But at least the fish are safe again. Checking the waterfall at the head of the articfical stream that runs across the garden, I found where at least some of the missing  water was going…

As the water splashes and falls, it was freezing instantly, making icicles, sculpting fantastic shapes and encasing whole plants and tiny fronds of moss in pure crystal. It was worth feeling like an ice cube just to see so much otherworldly beauty in miniature.

Haiku for Colleen’s Poetry Challenge

About Sue Vincent

Sue Vincent was a Yorkshire born writer, esoteric teacher and a Director of The Silent Eye. She was immersed in the Mysteries all her life. Sue maintained a popular blog and is co-author of The Mystical Hexagram with Dr G.M.Vasey. Sue lived in Buckinghamshire, having been stranded there due to an accident with a blindfold, a pin and a map. She had a lasting love-affair with the landscape of Albion, the hidden country of the heart. Sue  passed into spirit at the end of March 2021.
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53 Responses to Frozen #midnighthaiku

  1. willowdot21 says:
    February 28, 2018 at 00:23

    Great Haiku, naughty boots, hosepipe fun, not! I do hope your back improves soon!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  2. Deb Whittam says:
    February 28, 2018 at 01:17

    That is pretty amazing – I’ve never seen a pond freeze like that

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  3. memadtwo says:
    February 28, 2018 at 02:03

    It’s definitely beautiful, but what an ordeal. You are good to your family, both animal and human. (K)

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. Eliza Waters says:
    February 28, 2018 at 02:29

    Disaster strikes, poor fish and naughty Boots. And your back, not again. 😦 Take it easy, my friend.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  5. Colleen Chesebro says:
    February 28, 2018 at 02:39

    Oh no! I love the Haiku but feel bad for you and fish. To top it off, your photos were beautiful. Glad you rescued the fish. ❤ Hugs, Sue. Hope your back feels better soon.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  6. Suzanne says:
    February 28, 2018 at 03:33

    What a fascinating glimpse into life in a climate I have rarely experienced. Your photos are stunning.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  7. Ritu says:
    February 28, 2018 at 06:47

    Oh my Sue!!!

    Like

    Reply
  9. jenanita01 says:
    February 28, 2018 at 09:55

    Sympathies with the back, Sue. This cold weather is playing havoc with mine too, using a lot of the pain relief gel, which seems to help!

    Like

    Reply
  11. Jennie says:
    March 1, 2018 at 00:47

    Heart really can get in the way of nature.

    Like

    Reply
  13. dgkaye says:
    March 2, 2018 at 03:50

    You’re a superhero Sue! What an ordeal, yet the photos look harmlessly beautiful. Give that back a rest! ❤

    Like

    Reply

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