A sword and a pistol by his side
I’ve been absent for several weeks whilst we deftly orchestrated and executed a somewhat major and moderately emotional move. I will write of that on Friday, but in the meantime, lest you have missed me even the teeniest smidge, here, as a trifling placeholder, is a picture of a rather cute couple snapped by my husband a few days ago. It seems to fit rather snugly with the Photo Challenge of the Week titled Liquid of which you can find a veritable treasure trove of other entries here . It was only when ambling through my recent photos to find something pertinent to the theme that I noticed the tiny turtle. I have a propensity for the romantic, for which I make no apology. Therefore, I see her gazing longingly at a suitor positively transfixed by her petite loveliness. For the avoidance of doubt, my fanciful leanings didn’t lead me to intervene and give him a peck on his wide froggy mouth to test for Princeliness.
PS: The title is a line from a song I have sung gustily and quite possibly tunelessly since childhood: Froggie Went a Courtin‘. Here as your bonus is Bruce Springsteen with my favourite of all favourite versions of the shenanagans of the amorous amphibian. I sincerely hope this little croaker is armed with neither sword nor pistol.
By the by, I don’t know if this is a green frog or a bull frog – perhaps a herpetologist could help me out ….
I’m truly disappointed that you didn’t kiss me when you saw me. Fortunately someone else did. I think his name was Guillaume.
My apologies … what I actually did was to net you and walk you down to the pond because you had decided to make a new colony of froggies on the pool cover! Next time, Peter – I promise I’ll recognise you next time 😉
I do tend to get overexcited at spawning time!
LOL!
Lovely to see you back again, and look forward to the story of your move. There’s probably a non-PC joke in there about kissing frogs while you’ve been in France for so long, but it would be beneath me to make it 😉 xx
Only you Clive, only you! Thank you for your ribald remark – it has made me smile broadly! xx
So glad you’re back. Can’t go wrong with The Boss — but here’s the version I grew up with — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmw0n0HTWdc
My father LOVED Burl Ives.
I was torn it must be said because Burl was the version I grew up with so I thank you for sending it to me. I too LOVED him!
Of course I missed you! But I knew you were moving ponds but I had no idea the transformation was so complete! Looking forward to the true tale on Friday
Thank you Susanne – I’ve missed you too 🙂 I rather fancy being a hatchling turtle just now ….
I love the reference to ponds, Suzanne. Of course, Osyth probably included a subtle word play about her move in this choice of photo but I would have otherwise missed it! 😉
Susanne with an ‘s’, sorry! x
Ah, writers you both are! Susanne for the clever reference to whence I came and you for picking up the nuances of language deliberately sprinkled in this piece. May we long rejoice in the written word!
Welcome back Osyth!!!
Thank you so much – it’s lovely to ‘see’ good friends like you 🙂
Missed you and your whimsical humor. The frog looks like he is singing “it’s not easy being green “.
He absolutely does! Maybe that is what he and all his chorusing friends are booming out each night by the light of the silvery moon!
….by the light of the silvery moon (doris day, 1953)?
Definitely (and how I love that song and how I love everything DD every sung!)
Oh I’ve missed you Fiona! CANNOT WAIT to hear about your adventure coming over!
The Bean has committed to write her own story of the journey … she feels she may be of use to those wondering what it is like to fly with a dog (she has crossed the Atlantic 6 times now, travelled across France by plane, train and automobile countless times and is a little smug so I’m going to have to keep a beady eye on her words :D)
Hahaha. Love it! Can’t wait!!
xoxo
Sapphie eagerly awaits the Beanblog! xx
She’s working on it at this very moment which is why I’m typing on the ipad not the big keyboard 😂 xx
I am so glad that you are settled and have not been reduced to kissing frogs…
Thank you, Helen. I can now start to make a mighty nuisance of myself, stir a few pots and generally make my presence felt (at least in my head). As to frogs – I have a past which involved rather too many of the creatures … at one point in my life it was like groundhog day! We have two of those in the garden too actually 😀
Full house, then!
This Frog is so cute. Love the photo!
I love frogs, Gary – which may explain why I’ve kissed so many in my life 😉
Gribbet! So great to see you back and look forward to hearing your travel tales. 🐸
Thank you, Miriam … it’s good to BE back. I’ll pass on the froggy greeting to my amphibeus friend!
I echo the I missed you and look forward to the next installment.
Thank you so much. It’s lovely to be back and I have missed my contact with people I consider to be good friends, even though we have never met. You are surely one of those. I’m working on the next installment now 🙂
🙏
I’ve kissed a few frogs in my time but never a turtle. I do have penchant for those creatures who carry their homes on their backs. Poetically appropriate for you! And yes, you’ve been missed!
I rather fancy being thought of as a little turtle pottering around with my home on my back. I, too have kissed some frogs – too many but fortunately the Prince eventually arrived to rescue me as, I know, did yours! Thank you for missing me – it’s mutual x
Missed you. Can’t wait for the next installment. We are planning a move too.
Tu m’as manqué aussi, Nadia. I hope the move is a welcome one and look forward to hearing all in due course. Stay strong …. it’s quite the challenge and certainly fires high on the richter scale of stress but I imagine you are well versed in that with your international jetsetting lady of mystery journey through life 🙂
I have waited hour after hour gazing into our murky ‘mare’ in the hope of seeing one of the very vocal frogs and toads sans success…….Marc however seems to have them leaping out of the water every time he walks past (maybe because he is a frog!)
When I read the title of this post it struck a chord (quelle surprise), as for some strange reason, I have had an ancient ‘Thin Lizzy’ album on continual play at the house and the lines ‘I first produced my pistol, and then produced my rapier’ from ‘Whiskey in the Jar’ immediately frog leaped to mnd.
Absolutely FAB photo – congratulations to the photographer xx
HB2 is getting swollen headed with all the praise for his photo but it is a little stunner so I’ll let him have his moment! The frogs here should be living in notre grand mare BUT every year they decide it’s a far better idea to make use of the rain, snow melt and fallen leaves in the pool cover and create their own habitat. So every year there is a frog rescue moment when the disgruntled little croakers have to be caught and moved to their rightful habitat. When I was here in 2016 there was one that was so persistent in hopping back up the (almost 2 acres) yard that we eventually drove him to the river and released him there! Thin Lizzy and I have history which is not for the sharing here but suffice to say I know all the words to that brilliant song and now have Phil’s unique voice ringing in my head! Your froggy, by the way, courted and caught a cracker but I suspect he knows that 😉 xx
That is a truly amazing shot. Congrats to the photographer. I won’t be able to read your post tomorrow 🙂 but perhaps I’ll catch up later
He says ‘Thank you kindly’ 😊 If I am right about why you stand be able to read the post tomorrow, I wish you all the very best for a successful hospital sojourn and a comfortable and trouble free start to a speedy recovery once the deed is done. My warmest wishes to Mrs Knight and tell her I shall be thinking of you both in the coming days 🙂
I will tell her, Osyth. Many thanks
I can imagine the frog thinking, this human can’t possibly see me here…I hope he won’t squish me….whew! he’s gone now…what in the world was he looking at…
Looking forward to all your news tomorrow!
Ha! He really does look as though that is the thought process …. I’ll try not to disappoint tomorrow … am working on the structure now 🙂
Fab little post 🙂
Thank you, Naomi – it is kind of you to take the time to stop by and comment and I am very glad you enjoyed the post 🙂
Great to have you back dear friend.
What a lovely capture. Don’t they make the most adorable couple? X
Oh, they do! I have here kitted out in a tiny veil and tiarra in my head! I’m glad to be back – I have missed my friends on here. HB2 is getting quite swollen headed with all the praise, but it is a wonderful picture (even if he had no idea the turtle was there when he took it …. ) X
Haha, he deserves the credit regardless. I hope I receive an invitation for the royal wedding 🎩🐸
I thought of making a reference to Harry and Meghan but decided against as I didn’t want to offend anyone so early on in the return!
Have to ease back into it!
Looking forward to watching the Royal wedding though. Enjoy your upcoming weekend Osyth ❤️
Good to see you back and looking forward to news of what you’ve been up to. I found two toads in a passionate embrace in our swimming pool yesterday. They did not seem happy to be hooked out…
Thank you – it’s good to BE back! I have missed the friends I have here and getting back to it in some way has made me more settled in my new place. A constancy, I suppose. I imagine your toads were highly peeved at your interruption of their ardent clinch but there are limits to what is allowable in one’s pool! Perhaps you need to put up one of those notices that grace all municipal pools the world over with ‘no diving, no bombing, no peeing etc’ and include no bonking toads!! À demain …….
So glad you’re back, Osyth! You’ve been missed. Lovely post…looking forward to reading about your adventures! 🙂🌻
Hi Tonya! It’s so lovely to be back … I have missed my friends here and now that I am starting to interact again I somehow feel more settled … a constancy, I guess. Have a lovely day!
Love that little frog. He’s enjoying his life.
It was a conversation with you earlier in the week that prompted the content so I have to thank you!
Always a pleasure!
Lovely shot of the frog there. The blogging world has missed you more than a smidge. Welcome to the US, glad your back. Look forward to your post on Friday sugar
Thank you so much …. it seemed to fit. I’ve missed you all too (and y’all) and now that I am back in the saddle I seem to be feeling more settled back in my US of A roost which is my win!
I too have missed you. What you couldn’t possibly know is that this early morning when my problems and ‘soucis’ didn’t let me sleep I wondered quietly to myself why I didn’t hear from you anymore. I was hoping that it was for ‘all the good reasons’ and I’m pleased to read that at least on this I was pretty close.
I wish you the best of luck in the States, only at breakfast (in our slightly rusty but wonderfully scenic veranda) I said to HH: Do you realise that the ‘bad’ development in your working career most probably saved your life? For 2 years we could more or less be together, he worked in his part-time job from home, we had many, many meals together, we ate when we felt like it and most importantly, he could recover from his former stress and be away from the mobbing.
Now, he signed a contract for a company back in Switzerland and we will, in due course (and when we know if that job IS what it looks like and will ‘do’ until long in the future), put our beautiful home on the market. (And I shall ask you per private mail about that super-careful removal company, for putting out feelers already….)
Be welcome back, dear Osyth, you were dearly missed. Kisses all round, hope the ‘transfer’ wasn’t too stressful for Bean.
xoxo K xoxo
What a fabulous couple! That’s a gem of a picture, Fiona. Whoever could resist that tiny cute turtle? 😉 Great to see you back here! 😄 xxxxxxx
Thank you Sarah … it’s lovely to be back – I’ve missed it more than I knew. And now that I am back in the saddle I feel more settled … something to do with constancy I guess.
What a fun post… so nice to have you back! Totally would have missed the turtle if you hadn’t pointed her out (in keeping with your assumption that she was smitten by the handsome frog)! I must admit my favorite rendition of “Froggie Went a Courtin‘” was by me and the rest of my third grade classmates as we presented the song – complete with timely croaks and everything – to our enthralled audience on Parent’s Day when I was in school.
Oh how I wish that had been recorded for you to share with us all! The turtle was only spotted by me yesterday when I was pondering ideas for the challenge. My husband was very surprised when i emailed him his picture and told him to look again! And she must be a she, simply must!
You’re most welcome back. tWould’ve been okay too if you had arrived back without turtle and frog.
That is a hugely smile-worthy comment …. thank you so much – j’suis content 🙂
Its great to see you back and in good form. I am looking forward to your news. The little turtle and frog are so cute together. 🌼
Thankyou Bridget – it’s really nice to BE back and it turns out that the process of reading and writing in this place has made me feel more settled – I guess it’s continuity at some level.
welcome back, Miss O! 🙂 well, as you know I’m not a “Froggie”, but… I’ve loved the Boss for decades!!! <3
* * *
have a great weekend and do like turtles:"festina lente!" = hurry up, slowly! 🙂
Hurry up slowly is good advice – I might adopt ‘festina lente’ as my motto! Glad you enjoyed the post – just a little bit of nonsense really but an excuse to slip in The Boss at the end seemed too good to miss!! xx
It’s a lovely photo, I hope you are settled from your move soon.
Thank you – I take no credit for the photo but it did seem to fit a silly story to kick of with. Being back here writing, reading and interacting is doing wonders for the settling – a continuity amidst the chaos but yes, Spring is Sprung and summer beckons and being outside in a lovely place can’t be beat!
Welcome Home.
Such a tiny turtle – and a large frog.
The Boss singing about a courting frog – never would have thought. 🙂
There are lots of versions of that song – Burl Ives did the one I knew as a child but Bob Dylan did one and Woodie Guthrie but I just love The Boss’ version – it’s SO unexpected! Thank you for the welcome … the turtle and the frog say hi!
I do vsguey remember it from somewhere – may – but I know it wasn’t the Boss singing it! 🙂
Paul is a great fan of Bruce Springsteen – I am not. I am, however, a fan of adorable frogs.
We are opposites (and so are our husbands!) …. overall though – the frog wins every time!
Hey Osyth, I’m glad you’re back, I’ve been wondering where you’ve been !! … I’m very anxious to know your latest news (what you call a major move)
Looking forward to your update. Et Heureux de vous revoir.
Milles mercis, ma belle amie … j’suis très heureuse de te retrouvaille!
Great to have you back Osyth. You have been missed indeed not by a teeniest but by a MEGA smidge 🙂
Oh how flattering you are! It’s really good to be back and I am finding the process of interacting and reading and writing in this blogging place very settling … a continuity of sorts, I suppose. So there will be much more!
Looks like two old friends having a chat. LIke the photo.
Thank you MythRider …. they sure do!
A welcome way with words to brighten my weekend. Could do with kissing a “frog” right now..or maybe I should say instead a Transylvanian one who will whisk me back to a palace of my dreams.
Worth waiting for, then … may the dream be reality very soon indeed 🙂
Three weeks and counting. Then goose bonding while I paint their fencing primrose yellow. Amazon sent the cans as cheaper than Brico Depot..daft really. If you were not far away I would insist handing you a paintbrush…there is an awful lot of slats to paint!
The gozzies will be so chic in their cheerfully painted corral! I’m a fan hand with a paint brush so when I’m next nearer I’ll happily help with whatever you need 👩🎨🤣
I loved the tiny turtle staring at the frog! I can’t tell you how many turtles I have rescued that were the size of a frying pan…
Isn’t it a darling? It’s the first I’ve seen this time and no snappers yet but I don’t doubt that will change! X
Little turtles grow big…
🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢
Ps to you …. I thought of you on Friday with the tragic news from Houston. Take good care …. when these things are close to home they are even harder to bead and you are such a sensitive spirit xx
Thank you, Osyth. It is hard to imagine but I think I am becoming inured to them because they are so common. A bit like a war zone.
Good to have you back, and on my side of the pond…love the picture..xxxkat
Glad you like the photo …. they are rather cute, non? I’m happy to be back in the US and it turns out that getting back to blogging is helping me to settle…. double win! Xxxx
Well I miss your writings…I am thinking that my cousin is turning off the internet and tv soon for I maybe MIA for a short time…the downsides of selling. XXXkat
Ace. Very partial to the Dylan version myself (as you might guess!).
Regards and Bon chance … Thom.
I would have guessed, Thom and I confess I’m pretty smitten with it too …. in the end I had to toss a coin to decide between the two having discarded Woodie Guthrie in a similar manner which involved the science of the Ip Dip Sky Blue method 😊
Thanks Osyth.
Not much more to add, Osyth, than to say again “glad you are back and in top form”.
🙂
P.S. Obviously there is more to say, I love the photo 🙂
This post made me so happy. The cutie-pie frog and the turtle, then the lagniappe of Bruce singing about Mr. Frog and Miss Mouse. I didn’t know such a rendition existed. Thank you!
Lovely to see you back Osyth 🙂 What a fabulous photo! You are such a good writer!
And you are far too kind! It’s lovely to be back … I’m still catching up with all that I’ve missed which feels like a gluttonous feast 😊
Oh I’m sooo happy to see you back! Anxiously waiting to hear more, but the frog pleases me to no end. I’m rather fond of frogs, you see. They always look like they’re contemplating all the deep mysteries of the universe. One day we will learn of their discoveries, of that I am certain.
What I love most about this comment is discovering that someone I hold in the highest regard clearly and truly understands that frogs are mysterious and wise creatures. I sit on the deck at night listening to them chorusing and yearning to know what those croaks and belches and strange sounds like rocking a huge wardrobe actually mean. One day. One day this secrets will be unlocked. I, on the other hand am a mere frippery but it is lovely to have been missed and I will endeavour to curb the discursiveness sufficiently to write some more soonly.
*drumroll. And she is back! I have missed your posts, even though of late I have been concentrating on my writing rather than blogging regularly. It is tough to juggle both.
Loved the Springsteen version of Froggie. I will have to remember to ask you for your rendition when we meet 😉 Now that is a promising thought, eh? And is there any other way of looking at life than the romantic way? 🙂 xx
Haha … how can I resist the drums 🥁 I’ve very happy to hear that you are concentrating on your writing instead of being too absorbed in blogging … it’s a tough balance, no? I will give you my best Froggie and you will understand why I am generally not allowed to sing in public (though my darling HB2 likes me singing … probably because it generally goes hand in hand with me being happy). I wear those rose-tints all the time. When I mislay them all goes far too blue for my liking so romantic it will always be chez moi 🌹 xx
Wonderful to have you back!! Xxx
Thank you Lynn … I’m still a bit muse-less but there will be more (once the pesky computer that blew up yesterday is fixed!!) xxx
Xxx
Great to see you back in the world of blogging. We just came back from a driving trip to France and loved it! Love the frog and turtle.
Oh how lovely! Whereabouts where you in France, if I may ask? So glad you like this little mismatched pair and very very glad to be back. It seems the continuity of reading and interacting and writing is enormously helpful to settling in this new place of mine 😊
We drove from the Costa Blanca of Spain up to Bordeaux and then on to Paris where we stayed with friends. They took us to downtown Paris (my very first time there!!), also to Giverny and Versailles. Then we drove back through Bazier and Barcelona and home. We took our dog with us too which was fun. Loved the French countryside and was enamoured by Paris. Writing helped me through my transition of moving to Spain 3 years ago. That and getting my dog, Dot!
That’s quite a drive and very beautiful. I love Spain though France has my heart. I would be lost without my dog, The Bean, and never more so than when settling in a new place. Paris is heavenly, of course and Versailles extraordinary. I will catch up with your writing when I take some time to visit your blog – I’m so behind but slowly slowly does catchee monkey in the end!
Eww…frog lips! Sounds like a 5 year old! Miss you!
Haha! I’m glad to be missed by those that count but will be rectifying the silence now that I’m in one place for a while!
💕