Boy, what a weekend. Long ago and far away (Christmas 2007, Gardini shop at Bellagio Mall, Las Vegas) I saw a whistling frog. A garden creature with a motion sensor built in, so every time you go by, it gives you a Hey Beautiful whistle. I haven’t felt such a desire to have something so desperately since the age of five – of course, only realising it after 6 months. So I went all over the place – mimicking the whistle in front of the sales people – but no luck whatsoever. The quest started off in Ponsonby, all fresh and posh – and finished all the way in outer suburbs, Bunnings and Mitre 10 and the Warehouse, god forbid! The closest I got to my frog was Norman the Gnome from the Warehouse, with somewhat 20 hoarse phrases, $29.95 for the crudest creature around! “Steal me – I want to travel the world!” “You better do the dishes this time – we are still cleaning up after your last visit” and “Gimme a beer, mate!” Not as sophisticated as the original frog (will probably end up mail-ordering it from Vegas anyway), but might still buy it for the sleepless cats to hang out with.