Clare's Collection of Unusual Tales and Pictures

[Dark One]

Hen turns into a c0ckerel

The owners of a hen were stunned when it turned into a c0ckerel.

After eight months of laying eggs she suddenly sprouted a scarlet comb and started crowing at dawn.

Jo Richards, 42, who has now christened the chicken Freaky, said: "One morning out of the blue she just started crowing. I've never heard of such a thing."

Freaky now wakes up Jo every sunrise at her home in Saltford near Bristol reports the Mirror.

He also fights with other males and even tries to mate with his former laying mates.

Victoria Roberts, of the Poultry Club of Great Britain, explained that the sex change was a one in 10,000 rarity, caused by soaring testosterone levels.

Adrian Keep, secretary of the National Federation of Poultry Clubs, confirmed: "It does happen but the odds are very, very rare. I've only seen it once in 55 years."

[Dark One]

JCB can do 300mph

A JCB has been created that can do 300mph.

The digger firm produced the Dieselmax in a bid to smash the speed record for a diesel-powered vehicle reports The Sun.

JCB say they are confident it will soar past the 235.74mph diesel world record at Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.

It will be driven by Wing Commander Andy Green, who set the 763.035mph land speed record in 1997 in the rocket-like Thrust SSC.

Andy said: "This really shows what British engineering can achieve. I'm really looking forward to driving another British entry into the '300mph club' - and a diesel-engined JCB at that!"

The Dieselmax does have some disadvantages. It needs a push-start by a truck, it does four miles to the gallon and the tank holds just two gallons.

[Cookie Lover]

So it has a few disadvantages. I'd drive down the street in one.

[Dark One]

Boy, 8, drives teacher's car home

An eight-year-old boy stole his teacher's car and drove a mile home.

Akos Szabo from the western Hungarian village of Koeszeg broke into the car, adjusted the mirrors and drove home to his shocked parents who were not aware the boy could drive.

Szabo said he had taken the car because he did not feel like walking home.

He has not been charged for the theft but has been expelled from school.

[Dark One]

Man crashes 33 cars in 23 years

A postman has finally learnt how to ride a bicycle after crashing 33 cars in 23 years.

Croatian Franjo Pozgaj, 39, crashed his first car at the age of 16 and has wrecked at least one a year since.

The postie from Pokupska Luka in central Croatia said: "The first car I crashed was my father's Audi when I was 16 and I once totally wrote off a new Renault just 20 minutes after I had bought it. I just seem to have bad luck with cars."

Pozgaj, who claims he has never suffered more than a few bruises from any of his crashes, has finally decided to hang up his car keys for a while and will try his luck with a bicycle instead.

[Dark One]

Architect will turn jet into a home

An architect is planning to build a home made from a scrapped jumbo jet.

Architect David Hertz says he will use all 4.5 million parts of the Boeing 747-200 by the time it's finished in Victorville, California.

The jet's wings will be used in the roof and the jumbo's top deck will covert into a guest house.

David bought the jet for £55,000 but the house is expected to cost £1.2million altogether reports The Sun.

[Dark One]

Gardener found skeleton in soil bag

A Croatian man found the skeleton of a Nazi soldier while sifting through a bag of soil for his new garden.

Bruno Marincic had bought the soil from construction workers who had helped build a nearby highway.

Mr Marincic, from Rupe, was spreading it on his garden when he spotted the remains.

He said: "I was shocked and scared at first. When I took a closer look and saw some metal with the bones I realised they were identification plates showing the bones were those of a Wehrmacht soldier."

Local historians said the tags showed the soldier was a member of the Nazi army's 188th division which fought in the area under the command of General Ludwig Kibler.

Local authorities have contacted the German Embassy in Zagreb about the find.

[Dark One]

Beerbelly is a big success

The Beerbelly - a secret strap-on beer holder that disguises itself as a bulging beer belly - is being marketed in the US.

It was the brainchild of three middle-aged men who wanted a way of sneaking beer into movies and baseball games.

Within just five days of launching their www.thebeerbelly.com website, they had an incredible two million hits and calls for it to be sold worldwide.

The £20 Beerbelly's harnesses slip over the shoulders and around the waist, under a shirt, leaving onlookers thinking the wearer just spends too much time in the pub.

But little do they know, the wearer doesn't actually need the pub - he, or she, has an 80-ounce plastic bladder full of beer constantly at hand.

[Dark One]

Romania's first registered witch

A Romanian woman has become the country's first legally registered witch.

Gabriela Ciucur, 31, from Targu Jiu, persuaded authorities to accept witchcraft as a profession after months of negotiations.

She told local media: "The authorities sent me home and told me it was ridiculous at first. But we finally reached a deal and registered my company as dealing with astrology and connections to the spirit world."

Ciucur said she charges £3 to £6 per "consultation" with clients where she uses witchcraft to, among other things, tell their fortunes, help them get in touch with the spirit world, and examine their star signs for them.

Witchcraft is extremely popular in Romania where many people in rural areas still believe in vampires.

National football chiefs in the country once even considered bringing in a witch to put a spell on an opposing team.

[Dark One]

Pupils start fire to dodge maths test

Three Argentinian schoolchildren set fire to their school to get out of a maths test.

Two girls, aged 15 and 16, and a boy, 15, set curtains alight in one classroom at Santa Maria School in Buenos Aires.

The flames spread to other rooms but firefighters extinguished the blaze before anyone was caught.

The culprits owned up when police started questioning pupils to find out how the fire started, reports UOL Noticias Populares.

A police spokesman said: "They confessed straight away, simply saying they were dreading the maths test and that it looked like a good way out of it."

[Dark One]

Couple's Lotto luck

A Welsh couple had a run of three lucky lottery wins in one week, ending in a £2.5 million jackpot.

First, deputy headteacher Jenny Cooper won £10 and used it to buy lucky dip lottery lines and scratchcards.

One of the scratchcards won her another pound which she used to buy one more lucky dip Lotto ticket.

And that ticket landed them a lottery jackpot of £2,470,696, reports the Mirror.

Jenny, 49, husband Gareth, 54, and their daughter Hannah, 17, are now planning how to spend their new-found wealth.

Gareth, who had to retire from his factory job through ill health, has vowed to buy a farmhouse, a luxury car and jet off on a dream holiday.

He said: "We have struggled all our lives but now we can taste the pleasures of life. Things were tough when I had to retire but now it's time to enjoy the good life that money can bring."

[Dark One]

Man on horse and cart escapes police

A man on a horse and cart escaped four police motorbikes, a patrol car, a video van, two cycling constables and a helicopter.

The combined efforts of modern policing were outwitted in a low speed chase through Leeds, reports the Guardian.

The 34-year-old man, who has not been named but is wanted for serious assault, was first spotted by a police cycle patrol.

The suspect jumped on to a rag-and-bone cart with a friend and trotted off - followed eventually by a convoy of police vehicles.

Locals in Chapel Allerton described "a bizarre procession" along a dual carriageway, with the horse and cart weaving to frustrate its pursuers.

West Yorkshire police said that officers had got as close as they could but were anxious not to frighten the horse.

The Steptoe-like scene ended in a side street, where the wanted man jumped off the cart and ran down a back alley.

The second man was surrounded by officers after he reined in the horse but the wanted man is still at large.

[Dark One]

Designer dog burns down kitchen

A pet dog caused £30,000 of damage when it turned on its owner's cooker and burnt down the kitchen.

Skylar, a three-year-old 'goldendoodle', apparently started a kitchen fire when she tried to jump on the stove to get left-over pizza.

It happened after her owner Fred Haines left his home in Naperville, Illinois, to go to work, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

The designer pooch, a cross between a golden retreiver and a poodle, is believed to have switched on a hob which ignited the cardboard underneath the pizza.

The flames spread to a nearby plastic cutting board, and then to the cabinets above the stove, Naperville fire officials said.

Haines, 32, said he had been running five minutes late: "I didn't do my typical sweep through the kitchen to make sure Skylar couldn't get at anything," he admitted.

Firefighters broke down a door after neighbours raised the alarm and rescued the unconscious Skylar. Paramedics used oxygen to revive her.

"Skylar's fur is white, but when I saw her that day, she was literally a black dog from the fire's soot and ash," Haines said.

[Dark One]

Teen squirts milk through his eyes

An Indian teenager has become famous for his ability to take in milk through his nose and to squirt it out of his eyes.

Praveen Kumar Sehrawat sucks milk up his nostrils and squirts it up to 12ft through his tear ducts, reports Asian News International.

The feat has earned him a place in the Limca Book of Records, India's version of the Guinness Book of World Records

The 16-year-old wrestler, from Dariyapur Kalan, near Delhi, also holds the national record for eating 170 green chillies in 5 minutes 7 seconds.

And he says he can hammer a nail into his nose without discomfort.

His brother Ashok Kumar said: "He is an inspiration for many around the village.

"Some people here are even trying stunts that were earlier unthinkable. I hope others will come forward to carry on his torch."

[Dark One]

Swiss to extend mountain

The Little Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps is about to get bigger after officials announced plans to build an 'extension'.

The 3,883 metre high Klein Matterhorn is overshadowed by its bigger brother which, at 4,478 metres, is the seventh highest mountain in the Alps.

But officials from the local tourism board in Zermatt say that is about to change and they are going to add 120 metres to the mountain in the form of a glass pyramid.

Spokeswoman Eva Flatau said: "We're going to build a pyramid on top of the Klein Matterhorn so that it reaches over 4,000 metres. This will give it more prestige among mountain climbers and will increase the number of tourists."

The pyramid will include viewing platforms, a restaurant and even a few rooms where visitors can stay overnight.

Building on the mountain's extension will begin next year.

[Dark One]

Top cop arrested for bank robbery

A German police commissioner has been arrested for robbing a bank near his police station.

The 52-year-old was caught after using his girlfriend's car as a getaway vehicle.

The senior officer, who has not been named for legal reasons, stormed into the bank in Trier, Rhineland-Pfalz, wearing a mask and brandishing a gun.

He demanded the branch manager hand over the cash and escaped in a car which was later found abandoned.

But his colleagues were able to trace the car back to the commissioner's girlfriend who admitted she had leant it to him for the week.

A police spokeswoman said: "We just can't believe it. We are trained to fight crime, not commit it. But you can just never tell who is the black sheep among your colleagues.

"I'm surprised he used his girlfriend's car though, even the dumbest thieves usually use stolen vehicles."

[Dark One]

Serbian cops drop a bomb

Serbian police have admitted they may have accidentally put an explosive device on a plane to London.

It happened after an exercise to test sniffer dogs at Surcin airport in Belgrade went wrong, local daily Blic reported.

Officers had put explosives into luggage destined for Heathrow airport, as well as Paris, Milan, and Athens, and let sniffer dogs loose to find them.

The dogs found all the devices except one before police realised they had not marked the bags and could not find the final package or identify where it was headed.

The bags went off onto their respective planes and no one now knows where the explosives ended up.

Serbian authorities also failed to inform police in the UK or other countries about the incident, which took place on April 15, hoping no one would find out about the unofficial security exercise.

A spokesman for Serbian police told the newspaper: "It was a catastrophic mistake. The officers involved have broken the law. However the explosives were not large and did not have a detonator."

The truth only came out when a local paper investigated the sacking of a police officer over the incident.

One unnamed police officer who said he was furious about the incident told Blic: "What if the police in the country where the explosive ended up found it in a passenger's bag?

"The passenger would be arrested and most probably accused of being a terrorist. It makes our whole police force look bad."

[Dark One]

Man spends 50 years in tree after row

An Indian octogenarian has reportedly spent half a century living in a tree after a tiff with his wife.

Gayadhar Parida took to staying in a mango tree after a quarrel over a 'tiny issue' with his wife 50 years ago, reports Mumbai Mirror

He moved trees when his first tree house was destroyed in a storm but he has never moved back into his home in Kuligaon, Orissa.

Mr Parida, 83,said: "I had come to stay after disturbances with my wife. But after some days, I felt spiritualism had developed within my body."

The paper said he spends most of his time in the company of poisonous snakes and comes down only to drink water from a pool.

Mr Parida accepts food offered to him by family members but no amount of coaxing has convinced him to leave his tree house.

His son Babula, 55, said: "I have gone to the garden several times to woo him back but he vehemently refused to return. Hurt and dejected, I had to come back home."

[Dark One]

Hotel bans kids, welcomes dogs

An Austrian hotel owner has banned children - but says pet dogs will always be welcome.

Hotel Cortisen turned away a German family with two young boys when they turned up for a holiday in the Alpine village of St Wolfgang.

Owner Roland Ballner, 38, said: "I have just had the hotel redecorated for more than two million euros - kids will put their dirty paw-prints on the white walls, stand on the white leather sofas in their dirty shoes, and scream and run around and disturb other guests.

"I have decided to make a stand and I am sure others will follow suit and say no to kids. From today, children are no longer welcome - and I plan to advertise it as I am sure it will attract guests."

But he added: "I don't have a problem with dogs... dogs are always welcome in my hotel."

He claimed his customers had welcomed the move to ban all children.

He said: "My guests have a right to quiet and relaxation without the noise of children. Parents seem to feel they are here to relax and wash their hands of their children's bad behaviour."

The Deputy Governor of Upper Austria, Franz Hiesl, said it was "outrageous" that families were being turned away.

[grunty]

soooo cute

[Dark One]

That cat doesn't look too happy though!

Prince admits to liking dogs - fried

A Danish prince has upset animal rights campaigners by admitting he loves dogs - delicately sliced and lightly fried.

Prince Henrik of Denmark told Ud & Se magazine: “Dog meat tastes like rabbit. Like dried baby goat. Or perhaps - I know! - like veal. Like the veal of a baby suckling calf, only drier.”

The 72-year-old Prince, the husband of Queen Margrethe, is the honorary president of the Danish Dachshund Club, reports the Times.

He developed an appetite for dog-bone stew and other canine delicacies at an early age. He grew up in Vietnam, where roast dog remains a speciality.

“I’ve got no qualms about eating dog meat,” he said. “These dogs are bred to be eaten, just like chickens.”

The Prince is rarely seen without his dachshunds. He has said that he would like to be reborn as a dachshund in the Danish Court. And he has advised parents “to bring up children like dogs”.

Danes recall a tabloid-fuelled drama in the 1990s, when one of the royal dachshunds disappeared.

“In the light of the Prince Consort’s confessions, perhaps we should reopen the case of the disappearing dachshund,” Mats Jørgensen, an architect and cat owner, said.

[Dark One]

£5,000 carwash

A Surrey car washer, who claims to offer the best service in the world, charges nearly £5,000 per car.

Paul Dalton, whose clients include Rod Stewart, reckons his wash-and-wax is worth it because the finish lasts a year.

The 30-year-old uses only the finest materials - including Brazilian wax which costs £7,000 per tube, reports the Daily Record.

He also uses purified water, towels imported from Australia and £70 buckets in his 61-stage Pinnacle Wash, the most expensive in the world.

Rod checked his £700,000 Ferrari Enzo in for the £4,800 treatment. It's also popular with Premiership footballers.

Paul says he has a nine month waiting list and added: "My clients are among the most wealthy in the country.

"When a car costing over £100,000 leaves the factory with seven layers of paint and three coats of lacquer having been lovingly applied, does a bucket and sponge do it justice?"

[grunty]

I'll be sure to save up 5,000 pounds and take my (future) truck to him. a wooden flatbed in back. lol

[Dark One]

Fire blamed on pet fish

A pet fish has been blamed for a house fire which nearly cost a woman and her two daughters their lives.

Kipper, an eight-inch catfish, is thought to have triggered the blaze when it fought with a rival in their tank.

Water splashed out of the aquarium and landed on an electric plug below, reports The Sun.

It sent a power surge up the tank's light cable which burnt the plastic lid which melted and dripped onto a leather sofa which burst into flames.

The blaze soon engulfed the lounge as Sharron Killahena, 25, and kids Nicole, six, and Kerry, two, slept upstairs in the house in Poole, Dorset.

Luckily a smoke alarm woke landlord Simon Justice, 25, in a different room, who woke the family in time to escape.

Their home was wrecked and their six fish died but Sharron said: "At least we are here to tell the tale."

[Dark One]

Uproar after woman wins tram race

Male tram drivers in Hungary are demanding a re-match after a woman beat them in the country's annual tram racing championships.

Female tram driver Borbala Kiss won the 100 metre race in Szeged, southern Hungary, after reaching speeds of up to 25mph.

But her male colleagues say they want a re-match to "reclaim their dignity" in a profession that is traditionally dominated by men in the eastern European country.