Odd Articles ↓

Lil’ Girl Puts Grandmother Up On eBay

“When selling an item on eBay there is a strict etiquette – give an honest appraisal of the goods including their faults. So when ten-year-old Zoe Pemberton put her grandmother up for auction, she was brutally honest. Among the many points listed were ‘annoying and moaning a lot’, although she admitted 61-year-old Marian Goodall could be ‘very cuddly and loves word searches’. It was, of course, only meant as a joke. But that didn’t stop dozens of people placing bids that reached more than $20,000 before the auction was shut down for breaching strict sales policies.” w/ photos

Huge Pet Skunk Put On Strict Diet

“A pet skunk has been put on a crash diet after ballooning to double his size – by scoffing bacon butties. Mr Bumble tips the scales at nearly 15lbs – twice his recommended weight – after being fed up to two bacon sandwiches a day by his previous owners. They handed him over to the RSPCA because they were unable to control his weight gain and he is now on a strict diet of fruit and vegetables with two walks a day.” w/ photos

Little Bird Vs. Hawk

“How far would you go to get rid of an unwelcome visitor? This is the moment a tiny kingbird decided it was time to see off a potential predator circling his home. In a bold move, the aggressive little bird launched itself at the fearsome red-tailed hawk and sank its talons into the larger bird’s back. The feisty kingbird attacked the hawk as it ventured too near its nest, dive-bombing it relentlessly, before jumping on for a piggyback, clinging to it as it soared through the air. It enjoyed the ride for a few seconds before resuming the attack, pecking the hawk’s head in fury. The hawk, which is typically up to 50 times bigger than the kingbird, was powerless to shake its rider off and shrieked until it finally flew away to look for easier pickings elsewhere. The incredible moment was captured by amateur photographer Pat Gaines, 41, at Bonny Lake park in Colorado, United States.” w/ photos

That House Next To The Nuclear Power Station

“It’s quite hard to miss those two enormous, ugly nuclear power stations looming outside the front door of the fisherman’s cottage. But somehow, they escaped the notice of the estate agents who advertised the house online. Though the agents rave about the period features, double glazing and gasfired central heating, there is no mention of the Dungeness A and B plants. They even managed to leave the buildings out of their lovely panoramic shots of the surrounding area. Unsurprisingly, prospective buyers have been shocked to arrive at the headland in Kent and see that the $247,000 three-bedroom home is just 100 yards from the perimeter fence.” w/ photos

Real-Life Tom And Jerry

“The tiny mouse stands proudly on its hind legs, stares defiantly into the eyes of the cat just inches away and lets out its loudest squeak. Stunned at the bravado of its would-be prey the prowling pusscat meekly slinks off, tail between its legs. This was the real-life Tom and Jerry scene which greeted Wendy Rothwell in her backyard in Swavesey, Cambs recently.” w/ photos

Tree Log Cabin

“Tree houses are meant for children, but this “log cabin” has been sold on eBay after being advertised as an ideal home for fist-time buyers. The property – which is 42 ft in length and around as spacious as a luxury coach – sold for $11,000 on the online auction website. It even comes with wheels already attached so the new owners can tow it to wherever they want to live. But anyone attracted by the idea of living inside a tree should not get too excited – the home may look like a hollowed-out trunk but has actually been constructed from plywood, foam and fibreglass. The tree house was originally used to promote environmental tourism on the Australian island state of Tasmania but was put up for sale earlier this month by its most recent owner, the entrepreneur Alan Jennison.” w/ photos

Frog Swallows Christmas Light Bulb

“In an ultimate case of crossed wires, a tiny tree frog’s bug-catching antics left it with a bellyful of bulb. The Cuban tree frog took on an unnatural glow when it swallowed an entire fairy light in a botched bid to catch an insect. The unlucky amphibian had been hunting in the back garden of wildlife photographer James Snyder when it made a bid for the snack.” w/ photos

Cow Airlifted Home By Cable Car

“The farmer warned Lulu and her pals that the path from the pasture was too steep – but it went in one ear and out the udder. So the three silly moos had to travel by cable-car to get home again before it was time for milking. Lulu and the others didn’t cowculate how steep the pathway they ambled down near the historic German castle of Neuschwanstein in Bavaria was. By the time they got to the bottom for some scenic cud-chewing in a juicy, virgin pasture, there was no way back up. The path was too difficult and they were in no mood for mountaineering. Help came in the form of the local mountain rescue who hitched the hapless heifers one by one to the local cable-car used by hikers for a free ride home.” w/ photo

The Woman With A Giant Onion

“This stunning giant onion had one green-fingered guest crying tears of laughter at a flower show. The massive vegetable, bigger than most people’s heads, caused a storm at the Harrogate Autumn Flower Show. It was entered in the giant onion competition and looks likely to beat off all the other entrants to first place. And this woman visitor was stunned when she was walking among the vegetables and spotted the huge onion. She needed both hands to pick the weighty onion up from the table. And she was so amazed by the size of the vegetable that she found it hard to put it down again. The woman spent a few minutes staring at the onion in disbelief as other guests flocked to get a glimpse of the creation. She lifted the onion above her shoulders and was amazed to see that it was so big that it covered the whole of her head. One visitor said: ‘She was really taken by the large onion and could not get over how big it was. ‘It was without doubt the main attraction of the show.” w/ photos

Speed Bumps For Cyclists

“It is generally agreed that speed bumps are an effective way of slowing down speeding motorists and improving road safety. But now one council has introduced the bumps in a bid to stop speeding cyclists rampaging down one road. In the exclusive area of Canonbury, in London’s Islingston, they have laid 14 bumps on the no-car backstreet after a catalogue of complaints about cyclists careering down the road. The move comes after Government advisers claimed motorists should be made legally responsible for all accidents involving cyclists, even if they are not at fault.” w/ photos