3 April 2012

Koi Keeping - The Sweet & Sour

Don't worry, this is not some demented change of circumstance resulting in my Koi being whipped from the pond and served up in a tangy red sauce served with boiled or fried rice! However keep reading and you'll soon understand the reasoning behind the latest blog title ...

We were lucky enough to be able to visit A19 Koi & Pond Supplies just after Paul had received his latest shipment of hand picked Koi. The quality of the Koi available was fantastic with an amazing array of varieties and sizes available - definitely something for everyone! Needless to say that four or five fish certainly grabbed out attention, two of which standing out from the others ..... a stunning Yamabuki Hariwake and an equally beautiful Budo Goromo. It didn't take us long to convince ourselves that we simply had to have these Koi and therefore asked Paul to put them aside and save them for us whilst undertaking quarantine protocols. Needless to say we've been waiting with baited breath ever since for the telephone call from Paul to say that we can finally collect them. The call finally came and so yesterday saw us speeding over to A19 Koi to pick up our new Koi.

We'd already moved some to the Koi from the QT system to the main pond in readiness of the new arrivals and so as soon as we were home the new Koi were floated for around 30-40 minutes before finally being released. The kettle went on again and we were soon stood, coffee in hand, observing and admiring our new Koi. It's that sweet moment enjoyed by all Koi keepers when they introduce a new Koi to their own ponds.

Unfortunately our indulgence of this sweet moment came crashing to an end when our son fell over, crashing face first into one of the upright wooden support post. Tears and crying ensued, as did the blood, as we comforted him whilst trying to asses the damage.After carefully cleaning some of the blood away we could clearly see that he'd split his upper lip quite deeply which looked like it may need stitches. Apart from this and a few other minor grazes he'd managed to escape unscathed, which is miracle considering the force and how he hit the post! We both switched into super efficient mode in order to get him to hospital as quickly as possible. The dogs were quickly put away, the lid put on the paint (the brush would have to wait), house locked up and doing warp factor 8 to York A&E where he was seen by a wonderful nurse who really looked after him. He was glued back together (less invasive than having to have stitched was the consensus of opinion) and after a brief visit to Grandma's & Grandad's we were on our way back home and to get something to eat.

We arrived back home with pizza in hand (his favourite which seemed the comforting thing to do after his ordeal) but before tucking in thought it best to let the dogs out. A quick look to see how the fish in the QT were ......... 1 MISSING!

Our hearts sank when we quickly realised that our new Yamabuki Hariwake must have jumped out of the QT whilst we'd been getting medical attention. What's more, it seems to be a general rule in our house where the dogs are concerned that anything landing on the floor simply becomes "fair game". And in this instance, it was the new Koi. The only piece of evidence as to the fate of the Koi was a couple of scales left on the floor and two dogs with fishy breath!

Yes you're right ..... you shouldn't laugh !!! Although I am trying my very hardest to inject a little philosophy and humour into this post in an attempt not to be miserable at the least .... or erupt like Mt Etna.

We're finding it very difficult to come to terms with the "it's just one of those things" philosophy and ditch the "what if" thoughts that plague you when hindsight comes in to fruition. We'd already planned to cover the QT over for the first few nights or so whilst the new arrivals settled in, but it simply never crossed our mind earlier when the focus was quite rightly, on our son.

The other new Koi, the Budo Goromo, is a little skittish at present but will no doubt settle down very soon for it's brief holiday in the QT before finally being introduced in to the main pond in around 4-6 weeks time.

As for the progress we're making on the main pond ..... well that's another post - soon!