Tuesday, 29 September 2026

Thoon and Katia - My Goldfish

5 years old! wOOt!

💕💐🍾🥳🎂🎁🎉🍭✨

(“Born”: September 20, 2021)

20 Sept 2024

11 February 2024

2 years 4 months old!

Katia is now about 5.9 inches (ca. 15 cm) in length, and Thoon is c. 5.1 inches (ca. 13 cm).

Monty Python “Find the Fish”

(View on YouTube)

Katia and Thoon, 4 October 2023

Katia glowing in the sunlight

Thoon & Katia; “Yo! Human! Wassup?!”

14 January 2024

How the heck do you measure the length of an active goldfish? [laffs] Katia is now about 15 cm/5.9 inches in length, and Thoon is c. 13 cm/5.1 inches.

11 October 2023

I bought Thoon and Katia a new tank-cleaning vacuum, and it works like a charm! I just run the emptying hose out the front door, which empties onto the front lawn - no problem! Now cleaning/changing the water in their tank is much easier and simpler for lil' ol' me [yay!]. It even came with its own video, tho my machine is red [which, of course, we all know, just goes faster! lol].

Now their tank looks clear and pristine every day... sure, they don't appreciate the intrusion while the cleaning is taking place, but they do after it's all finished. They've never thanked me tho, either, ungrateful buggers [laffs].

I have to laugh . . . Cleaning the tank mid-summer is better than mid-winter, as their water is BLOODY FREEZING! 🥶

(Watch on YouTube)

"Me happy... fishies happy..."

15 August 2023

I caught myself making an unconscious Spoonerism today - instead of 'Thoon and Katia', it came out as 'Thatia and Koon'... I made myself laugh.

24 April 2023

I gave their fish tank a jolly good cleaning out today, including rinsing out the gravel etc. Poor Katia was NOT happy when she got momentarily stuck in the vacuum hose nozzle (she's fine)... plus neither of them was happy being placed in a small bowl during the cleaning process. It took them a while after it was all done to look me straight in the eye again [laffs]]. Sturdy buggers they are.

28 March 2023

I think I saved the life of one of my goldfish today. Katia got a small pebble stuck in her mouth; she (I should not assume the gender of my goldfish, huh? lol. As it is, I have no idea what either of them is!) would have starved to death, as she had been unable to remove it!

I grabbed my small net, and of course, being the feisty Alpha fish she is, she put up a fight while I tried to catch her and try to do something to help. Thankfully, in her moment, the small pebble popped out all OK! Phew! No harm done.

10 July 2023

I know it doesn't sound like much, but I enjoy my two goldfishies. I've been enjoying this pair's company now for 1 year 10 months [grins]. Their "Birthday" is 20 Sept 2021.

Thoon & Katia

28 March 2023

10 March 2023

Katia 10 March 2023

💥 If anyone has any practical tips on how to get a good fishie photo, pls let me know! 💥

Answer: get a bloody better camera [laffs]

My freshwater tank measures

600mm wide x 300mm deep x 400mm high

23.6 in x 11.8 in x 15.7 in

Tank Volume: 70 litres / 18.5 US Gallons

(Originally Posted: 23 Sept 2022)

I attempted to take a picture of one of my two goldfish, "Thoon", because he's a bit of an oddity: he is a normal Comet, but he has three tail fins!

"Thoon's 3rd fin is a superpower, and he doesn't know" - SB

It doesn't negatively affect him at all, thankfully.

(NB. It's not easy taking a photo of a goldfish with a little 'point'n'shoot' camera!)

I kinda like the irony that I have a unique common goldfish! Thanks, Thoon! 🐠

Here's the tank and Katia putting on a show, whilst Thoon is shyly poking his head out from behind a plant (lower centre)

➽► So, why "Thoon"?

Short answer: it's a fun, silly, random name (very me...).

Long answer: In a band many years ago, we used to invent words for sounds (for silly fun)... 'Thoon' was "the sound of a cricket ball bowled just past off-stump..." 🏏

Much later, I discovered that 'Thoon' was the name of a Giant in Homer's "Iliad"! 😄

I know... It's bizarre, random and absurd... perfect!

➽► So, why "Katia"?

Basically, I honestly liked that name for many years!

(View on YouTube)

Answer: YES!

It's when they start talking back that... er um... [laffs]

(Not my tank, unfortunately! Thanks to @BrownsFanGurl for the vid!)

Relax with this video of Goldfish

(Not my tank tho!)

(Source)

➽ Also see: 2 New Fishies

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Also: Thoon

Peas be with ewe
Mal

Very Slight Very Mild Autism

I would be nowadays classed as having Low-Stream High-Functioning very slight-mild Autistic traits.

They just did not diagnose this stuff during my childhood/youth in the 1970s/1980s! I'm now 62-yo.

The funny thing is: my middle son and I are identical in the way we think/react/respond — yet he has been diagnosed with very mild autism!*

Common Signs in Adults (for me)

Social Challenges: Trouble reading body language, missing sarcasm, or feeling awkward in group conversations. (NB. A life-long issue for me — missing social cues).

Focused Interests: Deep, extreme focus on specific hobbies, topics, or collecting detailed facts. (For me examples are: making lists, the Beatles).

Many adults who reach their 30s, 40s, or beyond without a diagnosis are highly adept at “masking”—unconsciously mimicking neurotypical behaviours to fit in.

Chronic Social Exhaustion and “Autistic Burnout”

The “Social Hangover”: While you might manage to navigate a party, work meeting, or dinner, it requires an immense amount of deliberate mental effort. Afterward, you feel completely drained and require days of isolation to recover. [1] [2]

Severe Burnout: A history of cyclical, unexplainable physical and mental collapses. This isn't normal workplace stress; it is autistic burnout—a profound loss of functional skills and a heightened sensitivity to the world caused by years of masking. [1]

Misdiagnoses and the “Missing Handbook”

A History of Unresolved Mental Health Labels: You may have been diagnosed with generalised anxiety, depression, social phobia, or borderline personality disorder, yet therapies for these conditions never seemed to fully address the root cause of how your brain operates. [1] [2]

The “Alien” Feeling: A persistent, lifelong sensation that everyone else was handed a “social curriculum” or handbook for life that you missed out on. You might feel like an outsider looking in, even when surrounded by friends. [1]

Identification Through Family (see with my middle son [above]!)*

The Diagnostic Mirror: Many adults only realise they are autistic when their child (see above)* or relative is diagnosed. As they read through the criteria and developmental milestones for their child, they recognise their childhood and current coping mechanisms perfectly mirrored in the description.

Rocking & Autism: “Stimming”

Repetitive body rocking is one of the most common stimming behaviours in autism. Here's what you need to know:

What it is:
Rocking is a type of self-stimulatory behaviour (“stimming”) — rhythmic, repetitive movement. It may be (for me):

- Back-and-forth
- Done sitting, standing, or lying down
- Often happens when focused, stressed, bored, or overstimulated

Why it happens

- Regulation: Calms the nervous system during stress, anxiety, or sensory overload
- Sensory input: Provides comforting vestibular (balance/movement) feedback the brain craves
- Emotional expression: Happens when excited, happy, frustrated, or upset
- Familiarity & predictability: Feels safe and controllable in an overwhelming world

It is NOT a “bad habit” — it serves an important purpose.

What helps?

Don't just try to stop it — support it instead
Accept it: It's their way of coping; acceptance builds trust
Offer alternatives: Swinging, rocking chair, trampoline, dancing, walking, fidget toys
Don't punish, mock, or restrain — this increases anxiety and makes rocking worse

Rocking is not something to be “cured” — it's a (subconscious) tool the person uses to feel okay. The goal isn't to eliminate it, but to help them feel supported so they can choose what works for them.

Stimming = short for self-stimulatory behaviour — repetitive body movements, sounds, or actions that help regulate emotions, focus, or sensory input.

Why people do it