How to make a Backyard Mini-Pond

[Ad- gifted collab] A few years back Dann and I made a little flower-pot pond, they were going viral on the internet and we wanted to give it a try! It’s been thriving in our backyard since, and we love looking out into the garden and seeing it. I find these little ponds to be so fun to build and watch change. We’ve seen birds taking drinks, smaller bugs on the plants and sometimes even see butterflies fluttering about! Recently Essex Local Nature Recovery Strategy has challenged people in our area to boost their local ecosystem’s biodiversity, so we’ve partnered with them to create a second mini pond, and we’ll tell you how!

Creating a mini pond is actually really easy and you can often recycle a lot of the materials that you need. We used:

  • A bucket, either an old, upcycled one or one purchased from a store.
  • Bricks
  • Rocks
  • Pond Plants (optional)
  • Large Sticks

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Breakfast at Scrappy’s Diner

One morning while visiting my family, my sister planned on going to Scrappy’s Diner for breakfast, and I tagged along! I remember going out for breakfast here when I was in my last year of high school, so it was neat to return back. Scrappy’s Diner is very much a classic American dinner, with booth seating, a little bar where you can sit on your own, and a lot of classic breakfast and lunch dishes. We went before lunch started to be served (though breakfast is served all day) as our goal was to have something for breakfast.

Lemon-filled French Toast with Home Fries

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Fun in the Sun at Potter Street Fete 2026

This was our second year helping out with the Potter Street Fete, which this year was dedicated to Micky T, who was from Potter Street and had passed in the last year. This fete is an extremely local event, to Harlow, where members of the local community come together to hang out, enjoy the sunshine, and just be together. It’s lovely, full of community spirit, and put on by a bunch of locals who like seeing everyone enjoying the sun.

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Pizza and Snacks at Sunnyside Par 3

When looking for a place to eat, my cousin suggested Sunnyside Par 3, as he had eaten there before. This is a sort of casual eatery, with golf both inside and outside. We were not there for the golf and were there, instead, for some pizza and snacks! They also do burgers and the like, so it’s a good time if you like party food.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

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Trying Various Flavors of Popcorn Shed popcorn

[Ad- gifted product] Our house is very big on snacks! Kai and myself, specifically, also love different flavored popcorn, so we were excited to try a bunch of flavors of Popcorn Shed popcorn, which come in these adorable little boxes that look like sheds. They just feel fancy and with so many classic (and interesting) flavors, there is a lot to enjoy.

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