August 28, 2009

Living Gems

I have just discovered that I have some living gems In my back garden. Previously I thought they were just fish that happened to be in the pond that came with this house. But having scouted around google I now know so much better. Koi are prized assets with a legion of fans who look upon their brightly coloured fishy friends as living gems.

I must admit my fish do have their attractions. They are koi carp and seem quite tame. They are also more impressive in size than the average goldfish… some of them are well over 2 feet long. Bizarrely I now find myself giving my fish names and trying to hand feed them – and I am not alone.

Keeping Koi is obviously one of this nation’s growing hobbies. And it seems koi are like dogs or horses. You can pay an absolute fortune for a good koi – but it may not look a whole lot different to a mongrel or donkey to the untrained eye. And mongrels are often given away free.

I assume mine are in the latter class – otherwise the previous resident would have taken them with him. But to my untrained eye they are beginning to seem rather beautiful. There is a big red and white one in a variety I now know is called a kohaku. I assume it is male and have called him Conan.

There is a browny one that actually feeds from my hand… and even attempts to nibble the dog’s tongue when it ha a drink. This is apparently a chagoi – and is consequently named Chug.

A big fat and very greedy yellow and white one is hariwake – and is now known as Harriet the Hariwake.. A wise and confident shiny white one is a platinum ogon and is known as Plato. And finally we have a white one with black spots, who has become Muffin the Koi Carp – to differentiate her from our Dalmatian who is called Muffin.

Admittedly we have been enjoying a particularly good summer here in the UK – but there is a great deal of pleasure to be had sitting by a pond, listening to the stream, watching the darting dragonflies – and large, ponderous carp.

Latterly I have taken to viewing sites on the internet. There even seems to be thriving koi businesses on ebay. Already by doing some on-line homework I know my fish need a different diet in the colder months. But then again there is nothing unusual there – so do !!

Living Gems

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