Thursday, April 28, 2011

new fish



new fish in the pond

1 x baby orfe 2 inch
2 x baby shebunkin x 3
1 x white koi x 4

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Watch me dance - fall over - earn money for charity

I need your money Vote!!

http://www.justgiving.com/caraline-brown

Pledge your number of votes (£10 per vote) by email to mark@nsmg.co.uk

I have recently been persuaded to add to the evening’s entertainment, provide amusement and possibly risk my street credibility forever, by taking part in an Argentine Tango Dance-Off Competition at this year’s STRICTLY SPRING BALL.

The fabulous Black Tie ball at the Hilton Brighton Metropole on Saturday 7th May 2011 will feature live Argentine Tango performances from world renowned dancers Leandro Palou and Romina Godoy - and me!

They have promised I will be dancing tango to a Morrissey track….

Paired with a professional dance partner, myself and the other amateurs, will be given one week’s rehearsal to learn a dance routine which we will perform on the night. The event will be judged by Leandro & Romina, who will be joined by Nicholas Owen, BBC Newsreader and last year’s contestant actress Kirsty Dillon of TV’s Midsummer’s Murders.

The audience will be invited to cast their votes and the winning couple will be decided by the highest number of votes received.

BUT… here’s the twist!

YOU can influence the result by using your unique ‘Advance Vote’ to give your favourite dancer (ME!) an early advantage - and you will also be in with a chance of winning a fabulous stay at a Hilton Hotel in Europe.

What’s to lose?

Ah…apart from a tenner….!

Your Advance Vote can be cast by pledging a £10 Sponsorship.

I am appealing to your generosity to vote for me! Each individual TENNER pledged will count as ONE vote towards my score. And you can spend more if you wish!!! I will be noting the generous friends!

Of course, the real winners will be our local charities. All proceeds raised will be shared between two very worthwhile causes - the Hilton in the Community Foundation and The Argus Appeal who both provide vital support to local children’s projects throughout Sussex.

And, if you would like to attend on the night and share in this unique opportunity to watch me fall flat on my face dance, tickets are still available from the Hilton priced at £55 each (contact details below).

Yours Strictly Nervously (and I don’t even watch the programme),

Aspiring Tango Dancer!

To buy tickets: Ticket price is £55 each or £550 for a table of 10. Numbers are strictly limited so please contact nickywillard@hilton.com or 01273 715043 to secure your place.

Auction/Raffle prizes: Please contact me or Nicky if you would like further information or are able to donate a Raffle Prize or Auction item to raise much needed funds for our charities.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

photos of new tadpoles





















Tadpoles in pond slowly hatching...they are thousands of them! look closer!

That's the tank I put a few of the rescued ones into and above left is the water barrel where they will live as froglets

Friday, April 08, 2011

operation successful

Very exciting.

I took a few jugs full from the pond and put in the barrel but have to let that settle. Put a jug in the “water feature thingy” (WFT) and a couple of jugs in the fish tank.

And then lifted the tadpoles…..it HAD to be done…the fish would have eaten them otherwise….,managed to rescue about 10? Teeny ¼ inch tadpoles..put some in the WFT and some in the fish tank. Left about 5 in the jug where I could see them.

Now “down the other end” ..PAST the wire…you may remember there is a [collective noun] of spawn. You stare at it for a long time and you can see it wiggling. I haven’t worried about this, as you know, because they were the “men behind the wire”….BUT….i had the hose on to replace the water I stuck in the tub etc etc and I come back and all the bloody tiddlers are under the water….can tadpoles drown???

Common sense says no but then again…they were lying on top and wriggling around and now they are under water.

Am I truly the Karen Mathews of the fish world?

I stuck my hand into the gloopy mess and it came out with loads of them clinging to me….popped them into the WFT.

I’ve left some in the jug n the side.

Lets hope that - morale of miracle – just for once the teenagers dont come home and think they will ….tidy up

Anyway…we will see how we go….we have tadpoles aplenty dispersed amongst out various breeding devices…..

Fingers crossed.

I still have my mind on a midnight trip to preston park to catch a newt in a crisp packet.

And PS. Call me sentimental but it aint the same in the pond without that big old fish. To think that fox actually came and dug up the big daddy and he sat at the end of the garden and munched him. There are scales around the grave and I really have to harden my heart about it.

Tonight's the night

Tonight I am going to move the floating spawn to the barrel. It is starting to dissipate to such an extent that I fear it will soon disappear.

IAM nervous about moving it but I have not choice. It will be eaten otherwise.

The big collection of spawn is twitching away and looking excellent. I am not so worried about this as the fish cannot get to it as it is behind the wire.

Monday, April 04, 2011

roll call Spring 2011

Pond cleaned and ready for the summer.

2 x comet with red stop 3in approx

1 x slightly larger comet about 4in

1 blue orfe x 10 in (an original fish from about 8/9 years ago – and the last. There were 2 this time last year but one missing)

1 x orange orfe (about 10 inches, grown over ¾ years from a tiddler)

I x silver koi – 5/6 inch already showing the characteristics of the Pig of the Pond

1 x shebunkin (added 2 last year and only one left)

1 x red and black goldfish. (this must be 4/5 years old now)

1 x very golden goldfish now about 3in long. Found him last year

And that’s it.

Friday, April 01, 2011

Nervous

Apparently these spawn are meant to show tadpoles within 4- 10 days??? Last year was so disappointing. No frogs for the summer. I blamed myself for moving it. This year I have not touched it and still no action. And it IS starting to decay.

We also have the massive [collective noun] down the dark end.

I will go to Preston park in the dark with a crisp packet if I have to.

I want to build a new pond down the end of the garden and leave this one for the frogs. its not deep enough for reproduction.