My Grandparents Pond is a place that keeps inspiring me. It's a little place of calm and wonder, with colorful fish, algae and waterlilies. Today I noticed a rarely seen visitor, an European Toad using the water for some refreshment on this hot day.

The toad is coming to the pond since years. In Winter to rest and in summer to refresh. Much like me. The pond is always also a place of inspiration for me and today it finally "clicked" for a game idea based on it. After seeing the fishes move the lilies in the pond as they swam by, I imagined how a player in a video game could use this to cross those "swimming islands". From that I developed the idea and ended up concepting a little folk that lives in the pond and worships the biggest fish in their rite of life and death, as well as the water lilies when they start to bloom.

After some photos next to the pond, I checked my small patch in the garden and found this young vineyard snail. It shell felt really soft as I picked it up. From what I read, this may mean that the snail just grew a bit and their shell needs still time to harden out.
I then took her for a quick photo session to my moss garden, which's result you've already seen above.

Later that day, as my grandparents took their daily afternoon nap, I decided to go on a quick Bike Trip. I went to some ponds I knew, which grew really wild and full of wildlife since the last time I was there. I spotted two swans with a young one, a water bug almost as big as my hand and also some fishes.

As I went into the water of the pond, some of the fishes turned out to be really trusting when I stood still. They came a few centimeters up close and I could watch them nicely. I even spotted a little pike, I was able to see for the first time in real life.

After returning from my biketrip, I collected some berries with my grandpa. The wild strawberries and the raspberries they have are great and I really just enjoyed doing something together with my family :)
We also attached a bird-house later to one of the trees, my mom brought by sometime earlier.
(left image is shot by my grandma)

I hope the birds will like it when they breed again.

Even later, after dinner and as the sun was setting, I went for a last walk of the day. As I was stopping at a nearby meadow for horses to take a photo, I noticed an animal moving noisily moving trough the tall grass. Having seen hedgehogs here before, I immediately knew who was roaming around. I stalked it carefully and took some photos. It was really fascinating seeing those little creatures up close again. 

Visiting my family is always a wonderful time. Each time I go there the gardens and nature surrounding it got a little more wild and beautiful. May it be the rare visit of the toad in the pond or the trustful fishes in a natural lake. I really love coming here.