pusskin, I have a caravan in the garden which is my den/office, and the noise of rain on the roof is like thunder sometimes, and you are right about the frogs, we had a day of rain last summer, and thousand upon thousand of baby toads came out of the river across the road and all headed for everyones gardens. there were, without any doubt, many thousands. they were falling down drain holes, jumping up steps ( or trying to) and we could not walk outside the house for several days without shooing them away. wonderful stuff.