KISSING FROGS ? - 9/10/2005 <--Prev : Next-->
KISSING FROGS ?
Who was it who said frogs give you warts ? It must have been my dear
departed Mum I am sure. Well I have disproved that theory (at least I
hope so)
Every week I have an energetic foray into the gold fish pond to
collect the wretched noisy bullfrogs.
They are a complacent species, intent upon other pursuits than the
pursuer it would appear !! There always seem to be three of them,
definitely quirky frogs we have in Bulawayo !!
It is of course the fault of the Hammerkops who took up residence in
our garden two years ago. The fish pond came about as a result of
trying to keep them from raiding the neighbours koi pond (Said
neighbour would lie in wait every morning with his pellet gun)
And so we thought, offering an a la carte meal at home in Cafe Kriel,
might save the lives of the industrious Hammer and Kop !!
But no ...nature has its mysterious ways ...Hammer and Kop left for
greener pastures and so we were left with a pond of gold fish to care
for.
It was not long before the frogs arrived, where frogs come from
nobody knows. They just appear !!
Now, I am sure there must be a place for frogs in the food chain. I
just have to be convinced of this !! I know the French Folk love
frogs and HeeHoo even brought me a frog's leg once.
It was gently wrapped in a paper napkin and tucked artfully in his
suit pocket, purloined discretely after he had attended a reception
at the French Embassy ....but I have yet to be convinced of their
place in the food chain.
I know some folk get quite violent about frogs,they seem to bring out
the worst character traits possible !!
We attended a wedding once and in the midst of the nuptial vows, the
father of the bride suddenly leapt in his top hat and tails, into
the fish pond and started to beat a miscreant amphibian to death.
(Obviously he had not been allowed o get enough beauty sleep at this
vital and important but stressful time of his life !!)
Now I do not care to bludgeon them to death, I merely focus the torch
on them, and blinded by the light, they allow me to carefully flip
them into my bucket, using the lid as a lever.
Sometimes, when the hop behind a rock I have to actually touch them,
and that is not very zesty I can tell you.
There are always three !! And so once I have collected all three I
hastily get into the car, (lest they escape in the dark garage), and
drive them five blocks away down to the Matsheumhlope River
(affectionately know to the Bulawayo residents as "The Stench Trench")
There I release them gently on the banks of the river and I return
home smugly, safe in the certainty that a good night's sleep lies
ahead of me.
Funny you know, it takes them exactly a week to hop those five blocks
back to the pond, and the whole palaver begins again !!
