Sheena wrote:That picture is great isn't it, there's actually a Flamingo a day website
Just search for it and see what comes up, the foodie ones look best
Thank you Sheena
- I never realised that pink flamingoes were so popular - perhaps Dietske Klepper is a distant relative or perhaps I might have some Dutch ancestry …
The Mick and Nick episode happened about 25 years ago, not long after we moved from Guisely to our present home here in Doncaster. Looking back, it will probably always qualify as my ‘ Mother of Misunderstandings ‘.
Whilst on a visit to some friends in Guisely, their nine year old daughter persuaded me to ‘ adopt ‘ two stick insects - she had grown rather bored wth them and immediately ‘ pounced ‘ when I said I thought them rather endearing.
I christened my boys Mick and Nick - they came with a tank and very specific care instructions:
Their tank had to be cleaned out everyday.
They must only be fed dark green privet - on no account were they to be given any other variety or any other type of leaf.
They must not be given any water - everything that they needed came from the privet leaves.
We didn’t have any privet hedges but I found a property close by that did - it was surrounded by a 5’ wall and about 1’ of privet protruded from the top. It also had the advantage of being a bungalow - so my furtive, privet nicking activities couldn’t be seen by anyone living in the property.
One day, I was reaching up to pick a large sprig of privet - I already had a few in my hand, when an elderly couple came around the corner and the man who was quite tall, said, “ Are you alright, do you want any help? “ and I said, “ Thank you but I’m okay. “
There was a bit of an awkward silence - the couple were giving me and the privet some curious looks … Not wanting to admit that I kept stick insects as pets, I said, “ My son has stick insects. “
The lady said, “ Please forgive us dear, but would you mind speaking up, as we are both rather hard of hearing these days. “
I then proceeded to explain in great detail everything about Mick and Nick’s care - at one point, the lady, looking at me very strangely, said in a worried voice, “ No water? “ and I said, “ Definitely no water, just green privet. “
By this time, the couple were staring at me in a very alarmed manner.
“ I’m sorry dear, “ said the lady, “ but what disease did you say your son had? “
After that, it was a wonder that we could speak as we were in fits of laughter - the couple saying something along the lines of, “ What must you think of us? “ and me saying, “ What must you have thought of me? “ The man was leaning on his walking stick and laughing so much that I thought he might fall over.