Caterpillar Fish Tank
Recently I had a core memory pop up and rise again from the recesses of my childhood.
I kept caterpillars in an old fish tank a long time ago.
This strange summer holiday hobby started in my Grandads vegetable patch in the north Hampshire countryside. I was at age around 8-11. I am unsure whether this was a one-time thing or whether it was across multiple years.
Anyway, my grandad's vegetable patch was invaded by caterpillars. Something had to be done, and being helpful and woke to the plight of the humble caterpillar I reduced them from my grandad's vegetable patch in an old ice cream tube and took them home to live in an old fish tank.
Once the tank had been fitted out with all the latest in Caterpillar conforms (including a He-Man figure). The new residents spent their days munching on the best leaves I could find.
This was an important job. I was responsible for these little beasties.
At one point they did escape up the walls of my bedroom, which upset my mum, in time I saved them all.
Eventually, they all turned into cacoons and me and my Dad found a suitable place to hide them in the garden from hungry birds. We never watched them emerge, however, we did check the old cocoons.
This memory came back from nowhere and made me realize that so many exciting things happen as a child, and the best normally involve being in the garden.