So having finished my ‘tiles’ I was left with a few spare pine blocks. The only thing to do, obviously, was to paint more pictures on them.
Here then, is the frog that now graces our downstairs loo. It’s a copy of one by Matsumoto Hoji, in the British Museum, only my version is greener and a bit cruder. Hoji was around in the nineteenth century, but I can’t find much information about him – this seems to be his big hit (as well it might be).
The poem underneath is this…
What a wonderful bird the frog are!
When he stand, he sit almost,
When he leap, he fly almost.
Ain’t got no nose, hardly,
Ain’t got no tail hardly, either.
When he sit, he sit upon what he ain’t got, almost.
Now when I first read that, years ago, I’m sure it was attributed to some author, but googling it now I find it’s down to Anon. Also, my version isn’t quite right, or at any rate, not the earliest. But it’s the version I like, so I’m sticking with it. Anon never sues.
Seen and Done 