Twincredible Two-Toned Family

Hampshire UK
We mix so well ... the four Durrant girls
BLACK and white twins Hayleigh and Lauren Durrant proudly hold their new sisters Leah and Miya — who incredibly are ALSO twins with different coloured skin.
Their mixed-race parents Dean Durrant and Alison Spooner repeated the two-tone miracle after a seven-year gap.


Ebony and ivory ... Alison and Dean Durrant with two sets of twins - Hayleigh and Leah on left, and Lauren holding Miya

When the first set of twins arrived in 2001, the couple were astonished to see that Lauren took after her white mum, with blue eyes and red hair, while Hayleigh had black skin and hair like dad Dean.
Then this year Alison, 27, found she was expecting again — and lightning struck twice.
She had twin girls again. And little Miya was born with dark skin like her dad and Leah is white like former recruitment consultant Alison.
Dean, 33, of Fleet, Hants, said: “The girls just love Miya and Leah to bits.
Delighted
“We didn’t think it was even possible when we had Lauren and Hayleigh — and it didn’t cross our minds that it could happen again. But we are just delighted that it has.”


Early days ... Hayleigh and Lauren in 2002

Alison said: “I was shocked when I first found out I was pregnant with twins again — but I never thought for one second they would turn out the same as last time.
“After the babies were born they weren’t breathing properly, so they were taken to a special care unit.
“It wasn’t until about five days after they were born that we saw them side by side for the first time.
“And when they were together it was clear that one was darker than the other. It was unbelievable.”
Staff at Frimley Park Hospital, in Surrey, decided to deliver the babies by Caesarean section after just 37 weeks of pregnancy, when scans revealed both were breach.
Doctors took 30 minutes to deliver them on November 13, with Miya weighing 4lb lloz and Leah 5lb 10oz.
Alison said: “Now the girls are back home with us and are very healthy. Lauren and Hayleigh think the new arrivals are fantastic.”
Block paver Dean said: “It was a real shock to the system when I found out we were having twins again. I didn’t think the same thing would happen again. The odds must be millions to one against it.
Friends
“It was really stressful when they were first born, because they were being kept in different parts of the hospital, and the difference in shade wasn’t apparent.


Keen reader ... Hayleigh


“I was running around all over the place between Alison and the girls and when we finally got them all together it was the first time I noticed the difference.
“I could tell straight away that one was darker than the other. But it wasn’t as much of a shock as last time, as we had already been in this situation once.”
He went on: “Leah and Miya are so small they haven’t been out much yet — but some people have looked at us a little bit funny when we’re with Lauren and Hayleigh due to the colour difference.
“Looking so different has never caused them any problems and I’m sure it won’t for Leah or Miya either. When people see Alison and I they tend to realise why our children are different.


Tomboy ... Lauren


“The most important thing is THEY know who their parents are. It doesn’t matter what anyone else might think.”
Alison agreed: “Everyone knows who their mum and dad is and it doesn’t cause any problems — why should it?
“We’ve had the odd comment from people about how different Lauren and Hayleigh look.
“Children at school used to say to them, ‘You can’t be twins because you’re different colours’.
“Some of the other mums didn’t believe they were twins either at first but then they see Dean and I together and realise.”
Dean added: “Having two sets of twins is absolutely hectic and we haven’t even had a chance to work out how much it will cost us.
"Thankfully we’ve had girls again, so we have some things put aside from when Lauren and Hayleigh were little. Friends and family are all offering help as well.”



Mixed emotions ... Durrant family


Little Lauren said: “Me and Hayleigh are really good friends and we really enjoy playing puzzles together. It’s very exciting having two new baby sisters as well.”
Mixed twins are rare — but back in 2006 The Sun tracked down the parents of FOUR sets.
Terri and Malcolm Rayhaman, of Cricklewood, North London, were convinced there had been a mix-up in the IVF clinic when their tots were born.
Fair-skinned Luca was followed by his dark sister Marina.
Terri said: “It was such a dramatic difference. But as soon as I held Marina I knew she was mine.” Malcolm, the darker of the two, has a Turkish mother.
A couple from Basingstoke, Hants, had twin boys Oliver, who was dark skinned and Boyd, who was white. Mum Claire is white and dad Spencer is of mixed race.
Kylie Hodgson, of Nottingham gave birth to blonde, fair-skinned Remee and twin sister Kian, who is black, in 2006. Both parents were of mixed race.
And Kerry Richardson, of Middlesbrough, Teesside, told of her two-tone twin boys.
Layton is like his dad who is white. Kaydon is more like his mum, who is of English-Nigerian heritage.
Kerry said: “Everywhere we go you can see people looking and you can tell they are dying to comment. I have to explain they really ARE twins.”

a Joke

The French President is sitting in his office when his telephone
rings.
'Hallo, Mr. Sarkozy!' a heavily accented voice said. 'This is Paddy down at the Harp Pub in County Clare , Ireland .. I am ringing to inform you that we are officially declaring war on you! We voted to reject the Lisbon treaty!'

'Well, Paddy,' Sarkozy replied, 'This is indeed important news!

'Right now,' says Paddy, after a moment's calculation,'there is myself, me Cousin Sean, me next door neighbour Seamus, and the entire darts team from the pub. That makes eleven!'
Sarkozy paused. 'I must tell you, Paddy, that I have 100,000 men in my army waiting to move on my command.'
'Begoora!' says Paddy. 'I'll have to ring you back.'
Sure enough, the next day, Paddy calls again. 'Mr. Sarkozy, the
war is still on. We have managed to get us some infantry equipment!'

'And what equipment would that be Paddy?' Sarkozy asks.
'Well, we have two combines, a bulldozer, and Murphy's farm
Sarkozy sighs amused. 'I must tell you, Paddy, that I have 6,000 tanks and 5,000 armoured personnel carriers. Also, I have increased my army to 150,000 since we last spoke.'
'Saints preserve us!' says Paddy. 'I'll have to get back to you.'
Sure enough, Paddy rings again the next day. 'Mr. Sarkozy, the war is still on! We have managed to get ourselves airborne! We have modified Jackie McLaughlin's ultra-light with a couple of shotguns in the cockpit, and four boys from the Shamrock Bar have joined us as well!'
Sarkozy was silent for a minute and then cleared his throat. 'I must tell you, Paddy, that I have 100 bombers and 200 fighter planes. My military bases are surrounded by laser-guided, surface-to-air missile sites.And since we last spoke, I have increased my army to 200,000!'says Paddy, 'I will have to ring you back.'
Sure enough, Paddy calls again the next day. 'Top o' the mornin', Mr. Sarkozy! I am sorry to inform you that we have had to call off the war.''Really? I am sorry to hear that,' says Sarkozy. 'Why the sudden change of heart?'
'Well,' says Paddy, 'we had a long chat over a few pints of Guinness and packets of crisps, and we decided there is no fookin' way we can feed 200,000 prisoners.'

the Word for Wednesday

IRASCIBLE

1. Prone to outbursts of temper; easily angered.
   
2. Characterized by or resulting from anger.

Synonyms: irritable,testy,angry,peevish,

a Joke for Wednesday

Two Irishmen in London looking for work are strolling down Oxford Street.
Suddenly, Paddy turns to his pal and says: "Michael, will you look at that shop over there, I thought London was supposed to be expensive, but that shop is as cheap as chips!"
You're right, Paddy, so you are. I can't believe it. Suits �10, Shirts �4, Trousers �5, I think that we should buy the lot and take them back to Ireland. We would make a tidy profit selling them in Dublin so we would."
"Michael that is as good an idea as you'll ever have, but I'm pretty sure you'd have to pay taxes and duty on things like that. The shopkeeper will never let us have them if he thinks we're gonna export them and make our fortune, so he won't."
"Paddy, I've got an idea! You can do the best English accent out of the pair of us. You go in there and do the talking and I'll just stand behind you and say nothing. He'll never guess we're Irish. No he won't."
"OK Michael", agrees Paddy, "I'll do the talking, you just stand there and look English."
So the two visitors go into the shop, where Paddy is greeted politely by the owner. Paddy then proceeds to do his best Warren Mitchell impression; "Awwwight Guvnor, I'll 'ave 20 of yer 'Whistle 'un Flutes', 20 'Dickie Dirts' and 20 pairs of strides. And if yer don't mind I'll be paying with the 380 'Pictures of the Queen' in me 'Sky Rocket'."
The owner smiles, takes a look at Michael as well, then says to Paddy "You're Irish aren't you?"
Quite bemused, Paddy replies, "Oh bejabbers, if that ain't me best English accent ? How in God's name did you know we were Irish?"
The shopkeeper replies, "This is a Dry Cleaners".

You're Never to Old to Rock 'n Roll

a Joke

Three nuns die and go to heaven, where they are all warmly welcomed at the Pearly Gates by St Peter. "Sisters," he says, "I want to thank you for all your good work on earth. Now there's just a brief formality before I can admit you to heaven: Each of you will have to answer one question." And, turning to the first nun, he asks, "Sister Michael, what is the mystery of the Trinity?"
"That's the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost," she replies. And the lights flash and bells go off and Sister Michael is swept into the Pearly Gates.
"Sister Benedicta," asks St Peter gently, "what is the mystery of the Virgin Birth?"
"That's the Immaculate Conception," she replied, and she too is swept inside the gates with much flashing of lights and sounding of bells.
Sister Angelica is left alone, shaking a bit with nervousness. St Peter turns to her and asks, "What, Sister Angelica, were the first words Eve said to Adam?"
Sister Angelica thought it over, beads of sweat starting to appear on her brow, and finally blurted, "Gee, Saint Peter, that's a hard one."
And the bells went off, the gates opened...

CROCODILE MAN

Known as the 'Crocodile Man', Costa Rican animal lover 'Chito' swims, plays and even feeds 'Pocho' the giant crocodile in what is one of the world's most unlikely friendships. Wading chest-deep through the green water in a 100 sq/m lake in Siquirres, this bizarre and dangerous spectacle draws tourists from around the world. Calling quietly for his five metre long 'companion' before thrashing around, lifting his tail and head above the water. 'This is a very dangerous routine but Pocho is my friend and we have a good relationship,' says 52-year-old Chito. 'He will look me in the eye and he does not attack me. 'It is too dangerous for anyone else to come in the water. It is only ever the two of us.' The bizarre friendship began nearly 20 years ago when Chito rescued the 980-pound crocodile after finding him close to death on the shore of the Parismina River, in the Caribbean province of Limsn. Unlikely friendship: Chito rests on top of buddy Pocho, who he rescued after the crocodile was shot in the eye Crazy: Chito plays with Pocho the crocodile, who seems to enjoy the attention Shot in the left eye by a cattle farmer after preying on a herd of cows, Chito enlisted the help of several friends to load the massive reptile into his boat, Naming him 'Pocho' (meaning strength), the fisherman says he healed the reptile with medicine, food, and, more importantly, lots of care and attention. 'When I found him in the river after he was dying so I put him in my boat and I brought him into my house,' recalls Chito. 'He was very skinny, weighing only around 150 pounds, so I gave him chicken and fish and medicine for six months to help him recover.' Rolling around: Chito says that if anyone else entered the water it would be deadly During the recovery process, Chito stayed by Pocho's side, even sleeping with him at night. 'I just wanted him to feel that someone loved him, that not all humans are bad,' Chito says. 'I love all animals, especially ones that have suffered. It meant a lot of sacrifice. I had to be there every day.' After Chito felt that Pocho had bonded with him, he started to get closer and closer to the animal. Tourist attraction: It took Chito many years to build his relationship with Pocho to this level 'After 10 years I started to work with him,' he says. 'At first it was slow, slow and I started to play with him a little, touching him a little bit and then slowly doing more. Then I found that when I called his name he would come over to me.' Today tourists travel from all over the world to see the unusual spectacle. 'I am happy because I rescued him and he is happy with me because he has everything he needs," says Chito.

the Word for Tuesday

FECUNDITY
1 : fruitfulness in offspring or vegetation : prolific
2 : intellectually productive or inventive to a marked degree
synonym: fertile

UGLIEST CAT EVER..EVER...EVER..E-V-E-R

EXETER, N.H. -- A cat aptly named Ugly is attracting a lot of attention at an Exeter vet clinic, where clients say they can't take their eyes off his striking appearance.
The cat's full name is Ugly Bat Boy. He's bald in most places except for flowing fur on his chest, and he spends his days on a warm computer at Exeter Veterinary Hospital N.H. Bat Boy has become something of a local star.
People come in and take pictures of him on their cell phones," said veterinary employee Christie Hartnett. "He's just great. He's Dr. (Stephen) Bassett's little wonder cat."
The cat's striking appearance is normal, for him. He was part of a litter of four with a sister that looked just like him. That kitten died at only a few weeks old, but that was long enough for Bassett to become enamored with Bat Boy.
"The owner knew that I liked the way the sister looked, and I came in from lunch one day and this cat was sitting in a cage, and the owner said Dr. Bassett liked this cat, so that's it," Bassett said.
Workers said many people who come into the building can't really believe what they're seeing. But they said despite appearances, Bat Boy has a nice disposition and real inner beauty.
"The impression from clients that come in is he's not real because he just sits so still, and when he does move, he scares them, but they think he's mesmerizing," Hartnett said.
The office staff was getting so many questions about the cat that they put up a couple of fliers saying he's about 8 years old and perfectly normal in every way -- just ugly.
He has the run of the place and all the attention he can handle.

I DON'T KNOW ABOUT CATS