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March 3, 2014 / diannegray

Just like some froggie that I used to know

I saw a frog on my window. It was TINY and transparent and I don’t know what kind of frog it was but I sung it a song and it hopped away (I’ve never won a Grammy). I’ve tried to Google it to no avail because small and transparent frog just doesn’t cut it. Also – it’s on green glass so it looks green but it was more of a brown colour. If you know could you please let me know – for no particular reason other than I just want to know.

Do you know what kind of frog I am?

Do you know what kind of frog I am?

For the last two weeks my writer’s nook has been filled with fireflies (or lightning bugs). I turn off the lights at night and it’s like looking up at the stars. Most are on the ceiling but some shoot past my face and others just hover around my head (my hubby’s beginning to wonder if he’s married to some kind of critter-attracting-alien). I’ve tried to get pictures but they just come out dark with a few white spots so I’m not going to bore you by posting them here. I’ve talked to some locals around the place and they say it’s unusual for fireflies to move from the trees and into houses so I feel very humbled that they take time-out from their tree rituals to come and visit me. It’s like living in fairyland!

But I did get an interesting shot the other night. Last year I posted about two geckos having a ‘big cuddle’ (hey – this is a family blog) on the ceiling. Well, this shot goes one step further. Not only did I see two geckos in a fast embrace, but I saw a third trying to separate them. The third gecko had one of them by the tail and was yanking as hard as possible to get them apart. Jealousy perhaps?

Gecko weirdness

At the moment I’m putting exterior walls on the writer’s nook and will post some shots here soon.

Wishing you all a lovely week! 

89 Comments

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  1. bodhisattvaintraining / Mar 3 2014 1:13 pm

    Loving the wild life!! Laughed out loud at the ‘big cuddle’ and the photo that followed…

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    • diannegray / Mar 3 2014 1:40 pm

      LOL! The geckos are prolific around here, Annie. I lived here for ten years in the nineties and only saw this ‘display of affection’ once – now I see it on a weekly basis. There must be something in the water 😀

      Like

      • bodhisattvaintraining / Mar 3 2014 8:45 pm

        Indeed! We had heaps when I lived o/s but only ever saw one at a time 🙂

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  2. Carrie Rubin / Mar 3 2014 1:14 pm

    I’m going to start calling you Dr. Doolittle. Or at the very least, the gecko whisperer. 😉

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    • diannegray / Mar 3 2014 1:42 pm

      Haaaaa – Dianne (Cesar Milan) Gray, The Gecko Whisperer! I can just see the promo for the TV show with me running in slow-mo through the fields with a team of professionally trained geckos 😀

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      • Carrie Rubin / Mar 3 2014 1:45 pm

        Yes! Breaking up romantic gecko trysts as you go…

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  3. Jenny Ackland / Mar 3 2014 1:19 pm

    Love it Dianne, I always know where to come for some animal stories. (I do not know anything about the frog, except it is cute, and such a wonderful photo, with that glass.)

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    • diannegray / Mar 3 2014 1:44 pm

      It was such a little cutie – but very timid. Normally the frogs take no notice of me, but this one was very ‘hoppy’ so I didn’t want to get my face too close to it (I’ve had them jump on my nose before) 😀

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  4. Minuscule Moments / Mar 3 2014 1:25 pm

    Dianne your place sounds like it is on the edge of a porthole to a mystical land. When I first moved to the farm, we had all manner of creatures visit us but fireflies oh that would be something special. Thanks for sharing your space it is gorgeous.

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    • diannegray / Mar 3 2014 1:48 pm

      I just adore the fireflies, Kath. I can’t wait until the end of each night when I can just sit and watch them. I’ll be really sad when they go. We’ve had a lot of rain so I’m guessing that’s the reason they’re here. I’m glad you share my love of good creatures (I know you’d get bad ones too and they’re best avoided) 😉

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      • Pagadan / Mar 3 2014 3:24 pm

        They do like/need moisture, I believe.

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  5. kragenhai / Mar 3 2014 1:26 pm

    That is one of the Reed frogs.

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    • diannegray / Mar 3 2014 1:50 pm

      Do we have Reed frogs in Australia? Wow, you learn something new everyday 😀

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  6. JackieP / Mar 3 2014 1:32 pm

    Big cuddle huh? lol….the other one was probably just impatient to get his cuddle in. LOL….cute lil frogger though…..

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    • diannegray / Mar 3 2014 1:51 pm

      They can be impatient little critters LOL 😀

      The frog was just too cute. I wish he’d hung around a bit longer 😉

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  7. Ruth Rainwater / Mar 3 2014 1:45 pm

    I love reading your ‘critter’ stories. Keep ’em coming! LOL

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  8. avwalters / Mar 3 2014 2:04 pm

    Frogs and fireflies–wishing for spring….

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    • diannegray / Mar 3 2014 3:02 pm

      Wishing for winter here 😉 But it will be sad to lose the fireflies…

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  9. ramblingsfromamum / Mar 3 2014 3:04 pm

    Cuddleeesssssss awwww (though just between us two..I think it’s more than a friendly embrace) how funny the one pulling at the tail. I can picture said female saying George will you please get Fred offa me!!
    Love your little menagerie – frogs and geckos, so much prettier than wasps, snakes and spiders.
    🙂 xxx

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    • diannegray / Mar 3 2014 4:06 pm

      More than a friendly embrace? Really? LOL 😀 I just did a typo on ‘friendly’ in this comment and it came up as ‘frenzied’ haaaa – lucky I noticed it 😉

      I should have had a caption competition with this one – I love your George and Freda caption 😀

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      • ramblingsfromamum / Mar 3 2014 4:11 pm

        I love your George and Freda Caption too 😉
        frenzied would fit too :-)xx

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  10. Pagadan / Mar 3 2014 3:23 pm

    It is great that you have fireflies! I haven’t seen any for years–even when I lived out in the country, and I miss them. They may be extinct here.

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    • diannegray / Mar 3 2014 4:08 pm

      I hope they’re not extinct where you are 😦 I think they need a lot of rain because I didn’t see them last year and it was very dry here. Hopefully they’ll make an appearance for you next Summer 😀

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  11. Amy Reese / Mar 3 2014 3:51 pm

    I just love all the wild life you see, Dianne. I think that’s pretty cool. I have no idea what kind of frog your froggy is. Someone must know! And those geckos…tsk tsk. I hope you have a lovely week, too!

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    • diannegray / Mar 3 2014 4:19 pm

      I’m sure the geckos will have a lovely week 😉 They have a roof over their heads and live with a crazy woman who follows them around taking photos and makes sure they’re comfortable – LOL

      The little frog hasn’t come back but I’d really like to know what it was. Hubby saw him and said he was a barramundi frog – but I couldn’t find it anywhere and was horrified when he said he calls them that because people use them as barrumundi bait 😦 Oh dear!

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      • Amy Reese / Mar 3 2014 4:32 pm

        Oh, that is sad if they are used as bait. I won’t even think about it. I bet the geckos are posing for you now!

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      • diannegray / Mar 3 2014 4:40 pm

        They’re going to start throwing things at me soon to catch my attention for their poses LOL 😀

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      • Amy Reese / Mar 3 2014 4:42 pm

        Ha ha! Yeah, and knocking things off the walls.

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  12. Janna G. Noelle / Mar 3 2014 4:04 pm

    Fireflies are so magical. I’ve only ever seen 4 or 5 at a time, so you’re lucky indeed to have a swarm of them paying you a visit.

    And the geckos! Too funny. I’ve heard of male animals competing over mates, but I didn’t think the fighting would continue once the, er, cuddling had already begun. 🙂

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    • diannegray / Mar 3 2014 4:39 pm

      I’ve never seen so many fireflies and just love it when I turn off the lights at night. I know one day soon I’ll turn off the lights and they’ll be gone 😦 but until that time I’m enjoying it immensely…

      Haaa the …er… cuddling and tail-pulling was a classic. It only lasted about 30 seconds so I’m glad I had my camera on hand 😀

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  13. bulldog / Mar 3 2014 5:10 pm

    ménage à trois, how can you post photos like that…lol… I’m sure the frog would be one of the tree frogs, and probably after the fireflies… which one I’m not sure, but don’t kiss it, it wont turn into a Prince… there is a tree frog that in the past has been used to test for pregnancy.. are you feeling all right???? no swelling or odd morning sickness that you can’t explain???? Urge for certain foods.?? Just asking… lol

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    • diannegray / Mar 3 2014 5:15 pm

      LOL! No morning sickness for me – maybe some swelling but that may be from the kilo of chocolate I just ate 😀

      I know this post was a little racy (with the gecko ‘cuddle’) but I’m coming out of my prim and proper shell. I hope I don’t get banned from WP for this shot. They may suspend my Facebook account when they see it 😉

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      • bulldog / Mar 3 2014 5:24 pm

        I doubt that… seen some horror pics on FB… this is just nature at it’s most enjoyable…

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  14. restlessjo / Mar 3 2014 6:45 pm

    Talk about seeing life in all its rich variety- you surely do, Dianne! 🙂 The fireflies must be an amazing experience! If I were your husband, I’d think you were a “keeper”.

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    • diannegray / Mar 4 2014 4:57 am

      Haaaaa – I’ll tell him that 😉

      I just love those fireflies, they add so much beauty to my day 😀

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  15. 4amWriter / Mar 3 2014 8:04 pm

    Fireflies are so magical, I think. I love looking out into the darkness and seeing them popping in and out. All of this lovely wildlife is making me want spring more than ever! Just a few more weeks, I guess, for these parts to start seeing flowers and green grass and froggies!

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    • diannegray / Mar 4 2014 4:58 am

      Spring will come and all those beautiful things will be popping up around you soon 😀

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  16. Jill Weatherholt / Mar 3 2014 8:11 pm

    I love fireflies! As a child, our backyard was always full of them, lighting up the entire backyard. Now, I’m lucky to see one or two flashes, if I really watch. 😦
    That photo is hilarious! Looks like they’re doing a line dance. Thanks for sharing, Dianne!

    Like

    • diannegray / Mar 4 2014 5:00 am

      Line dancing geckos! I love it 😀

      I hadn’t seen fireflies for years either, Jill but it’s been particularity wet this summer so that may be the reason they’re so prolific. I hope they come back to you this summer 😉

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  17. the eternal traveller / Mar 3 2014 9:44 pm

    We had heaps of geckos in the house when we lived in Darwin many years ago. I wasn’t fussed on them when we first moved there, but I got used to them. I love their chirruping song.

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    • diannegray / Mar 4 2014 5:06 am

      We’ve got two types here – the native ones (brown) and the introduced ones (white). I only found this out about two weeks ago so I’m a bit behind the eight ball. The introduced ones are bigger and not as camera shy as the native ones. I like them outside the house, but they annoy me when they decide to come inside because they poop everywhere and I have to chase them around to relocate them 😉

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      • the eternal traveller / Mar 4 2014 5:42 am

        Once I was vacuuming under the lounge chair and tried to suck up what I thought was a dust bunny but it kept running away. That’s when I realised it was a brown gecko. Poor thing.

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  18. Theo Fenraven / Mar 3 2014 11:10 pm

    I once had a firefly land on my computer monitor. Maybe he was nearsighted and thought the glow was from a really big female? Great gecko pic. 🙂 It’s amazing what one sees through a camera lens. Go out walking with it and you’re sure to notice things you wouldn’t ordinarily spot.

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    • diannegray / Mar 4 2014 5:08 am

      I walk the dogs to the creek every day, Theo and every time I think ‘I should have bought my camera’! You’re so right, there is a lot to see out there 😉

      I love the fact that the firefly landed on your computer monitor! What a classic 😀

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  19. Harliqueen / Mar 4 2014 12:30 am

    Great post, those geckos made me laugh! 😀

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    • diannegray / Mar 4 2014 5:11 am

      I’m so glad, Mishka! They are pretty funny 😉

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  20. nrhatch / Mar 4 2014 1:54 am

    Your hubby’s not the only one who wonders if you’re some kind of critter-attracting-alien. :mrgreen:

    Love the menage a trois. Enjoy the fireflies.

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    • diannegray / Mar 4 2014 5:12 am

      LOL! I’m actually beginning to wonder myself 😉

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  21. amb / Mar 4 2014 3:51 am

    Oh my goodness! Who needs soap operas when you can watch a real life gecko drama unfold before your eyes?! This was too funny 😀

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    • diannegray / Mar 4 2014 5:14 am

      A real life soap opera, Amb! They must have little quirks that we don’t realise – I would have loved to hear what they were saying to each other! 😀

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  22. El Guapo / Mar 4 2014 4:05 am

    Ok, the gecko picture is a little weird.
    Think how much time he’d have to chomp tails if he’d only spent 15 minutes on his car insurance.

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  23. jmmcdowell / Mar 4 2014 6:26 am

    As children we loved to chase fireflies. Alas, there were seldom happy endings for the ones we caught. As an adult, I cringe at what we did to some of them. Now, they’re declining in many parts of the US. Another loss we should come to regret. I’m glad to know they and other wildlife have a safe haven at the RUC.

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    • diannegray / Mar 4 2014 7:31 am

      I haven’t seen any for years, JM. It’s been a very wet summer here so that could be why they’re so prolific. It’s great to know that they’re still around 😀

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  24. char / Mar 4 2014 7:15 am

    I don’t know what that little frog is. He almost looks alien-like. Love your crazy pictures. That last one made me laugh. Definitely jealous.

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    • diannegray / Mar 4 2014 7:32 am

      That is one jealous little gecko alright! LOL

      Hmmm – maybe the frog is an alien – too bad I scared it away 😉

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  25. Jacqui Murray / Mar 4 2014 11:50 am

    All you have to do is crop around the frog and then drop the photo on http://images.google.com and it’ll come up with what kind it is.

    Though you have some suggestions above that are probably right!

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    • diannegray / Mar 4 2014 12:42 pm

      Thanks Jacqui – I’ll try that. You are a wealth of information! 😀

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  26. Bonnie / Mar 4 2014 3:22 pm

    Dianne..I love your wildlife updates!! It’s a look into a whole different kind of way of life! I of course have no idea!! I am no help! 🙂

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    • diannegray / Mar 4 2014 4:15 pm

      LOL! Thanks, Bonnie 😉 I have no idea either! I’m so glad you love the updates and can ‘see’ my world from yours 😀

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  27. DaydreamsInWonderland / Mar 4 2014 3:41 pm

    It sounds so dreamy where you live. I love fireflies. You take the best photos. I’ve seen a frog like that in a pet store once but I forget what it was named. If it’s the correct one, I think they can swim underwater (as apposed to just the surface like some other froggies).

    & Those geckos seem to have dubbed your place the love den. That’s something how even in the midst of that ‘hug’, one is still fighting for affection. Nature never ceases to amaze.

    Like

    • diannegray / Mar 4 2014 4:22 pm

      I’m so glad you think I take good photos because I’m only at the learning stage with my camera (even though I’ve had it for well over 12 months!)

      I’m still a bit stumped by the frog – Jacqui said I can cut it out and put it on a website that will identify it, but I haven’t had a chance to do that yet (and I have to figure out how to cut it out first) 😉

      Nature is just amazing and I’m so glad I have all these little creatures to observe – the geckos only get annoying to me when they decide to poo on my head 😀

      Like

      • DaydreamsInWonderland / Mar 4 2014 4:34 pm

        Oh well that’s not very nice of them, now is it? Tell them if they keep it up they have to camp out somewhere else. 😛

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  28. jannatwrites / Mar 4 2014 5:21 pm

    It appears you’re a critter whisperer! That gecko photo cracked me up. Oh, so many stories from that one… I had no idea that geckos were so full of drama! (A threesome – how scandalous 🙂 )

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    • diannegray / Mar 5 2014 6:56 am

      It was a bit like watching Days of Our Lives – they certainly are little drama queens! 😀

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  29. Letizia / Mar 5 2014 2:59 am

    I love fireflies! I look forward to their arrival (here it’s around August) with glee. I had read somewhere that women used to tie them to their hair to have decorative flashing head jewelry. Fascinating and cruel.

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    • diannegray / Mar 5 2014 7:05 am

      Oh – poor little things, I didn’t realise they used to do that (although it would look nice!) I hope you get loads of them come through in August, Letizia! 😀

      Like

  30. billyraychitwood1 / Mar 5 2014 3:35 am

    My guess is it’s a ‘glass frog’ – with 4800 species of frogs, what are my odds? Now. about the geckos, we have to at least consider an ‘X-rating’, hey-what? The fireflies are dazzling — would you consider a trade? Your fireflies for our tiny lady-bug beetles? 🙂

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    • diannegray / Mar 5 2014 7:08 am

      I love lady bugs, Billy Ray 😉

      A glass frog sounds interesting – I’ll Google that and see what I come up with. The little cutie hasn’t been back and I’ve never seen one before, so my guess is that he’s not common around these parts.

      Those geckos! They’re such drama queens! 😀

      Like

  31. Britt Skrabanek / Mar 5 2014 7:23 am

    Haha! Dianne, everyone in our family would call you a beast master. That’s what we are, too!

    How neat to have your own personal firefly sky. And, those geckos are killing me. Do geckos have a crime of passion, I wonder? How about that for a novel?! : )

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    • diannegray / Mar 5 2014 7:28 am

      LOL – I could call the book ‘The Gecko Chronicles’ 😀

      I love the idea of being a beast master – sounds kinda cool! 😉

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      • Britt Skrabanek / Mar 5 2014 7:32 am

        That’s because we beast masters ARE cool. (And, a little strange to non-beast masters.)

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  32. Piper George / Mar 6 2014 1:43 am

    Maybe he was saying “Get Orf Of My Mum”

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  33. Kozo Hattori / Mar 6 2014 6:06 am

    What kind of stuff are you writing in the nook, Dianne/ It is attracting all kinds of characters. Wonder if those geckos are the same ones from last year. Never knew geckos were jealous or monogamous, but you have photographic proof.
    Love how the fireflies have welcomed you and the RUC to the neighborhood. {{{Hugs}}} kozo

    Like

    • diannegray / Mar 6 2014 7:47 am

      Strangely enough I’ve been working on ‘In the Company of Beasts’! I don’t know if its coincidence or if they want to see what the story is about (LOL) 😉

      Like

  34. agjorgenson / Mar 7 2014 11:06 am

    Three kinds of critters in one post?! i’m feeling animal envy, but not of the sort you narrate so winsomely (with a photo!).

    Like

    • diannegray / Mar 7 2014 12:16 pm

      It was so quick I almost missed it (and I bet they wish I had now that their faces are all over the internet) 😉

      Like

  35. Hazy Shades of Me / Mar 8 2014 4:36 pm

    LOL! If you didn’t post pictures, I’m not sure I’d believe you! Ha ha ha…a “fast embrace” and a scorned lover on the side. LOLOL…sorry – I’m still laughing! 🙂

    Like

    • diannegray / Mar 9 2014 7:05 am

      Entire movies have been made about this scenario, Hazy 😉

      When someone tells me a funny story now I say ‘where are the pictures?’ LOL – that’s a big sign that I’ve become a fanatical blogger 😆

      Like

  36. dearanonymousfriend / Mar 19 2014 10:21 am

    great post! the lizards are interesting… your writing nook is filled (literally) with ideas for posts and stories! Love it!

    Like

    • diannegray / Mar 19 2014 4:51 pm

      The geckos were entertaining everyone that night! 😀

      I just love my writer’s nook (which is where I’m siting now) 😉

      Like

  37. mccannx / Apr 12 2014 1:34 pm

    in answer to your question of what kind of frog is he… I would say he is a curious frog. 🙂

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    • diannegray / Apr 13 2014 5:48 am

      He is a very curious frog – you’re right! 😀

      Like

  38. Jacqui Murray / Apr 13 2014 8:03 am

    Were they at ‘this’ for a while, or you just got lucky with the shot? I think you’re becoming a nature photographer.

    Like

    • diannegray / Apr 13 2014 12:00 pm

      No – they were only there for a few minutes so I raced in and took two or three shots and then they ran away – I was very lucky! 😀

      Like

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