Time to restock
Where have all our goldfish gone?
7/6/20242 min read
It always seemed to me to be to have been a miracle. What were the odds that two tiny goldfish would produce an endless family to stock our newly constructed garden pond for the following twenty years? If we had wanted to be sure of success, then surely we should have started with a few more. But success story it was. Twenty years ago we went to M. Bricolage in Clermont l'Hérault to purchase just two goldfish from their large pet department, and ever since we have enjoyed a well stocked pond. That is, until a year or two ago when Monsieur Heron arrived, and their abundant progeny began to diminish. Now , not a single goldfish remains. It is summer and without goldfish to eat the mosquito larvae, I fear we may become plagued by biting insects. So today, we decided to repeat our trip to the very same M. Bricolage store, in order to restock.
Twenty years can seem like a long time, and our trip to M. Bricolage filled us with a certain nostalgia. How many times had we passed through those doors in those first few years in order to buy building materials; paint; lighting; fencing; garden furniture; plants, and much much more? No wonder this business is thriving. We must have contributed largely to its profits. Now the shop has doubled in size, though in many ways it still looks much the same. We found our way to the pet department without any difficulty. But many of the loyal staff, who once seemed almost like friends, have gone, while others who sit at the payment points may not even have been born when we first came here. Ah yes, France has played a much bigger part in our lives than any other place in which we have lived.
The manager of the pet department was busy cleaning some fish tanks when we greeted him. But true to the slogan on the back of his tee shirt, he readily dropped everything to help us. Very soon he had fished six small specimens from the tank where they were swimming, and soon we were handed a stout plastic bag with them swimming inside. Before we left the shop, I regarded the other fish , destined in their many different shapes and sizes , colours and forms for exotic aquaria. But I felt very satisfied with my "ordinary" poisson rouge. I hope that they will enjoy their life in the open, and more importantly , stay safe from predators.
