Until 'inheriting' one, I would never have considered owning a bird. The concept of confining a creature which should really be able to enjoy the freedom normally enjoyed by birds didn't appeal to me.
However, recognising the fact that one born into 'captivity' would almost certainly meet a rather unpleasant fate if 'set free', I contrived to allow it as much freedom as was possible. So, whilst I'm indoors, our parrot is allowed out of the cage.
Those who are familiar with these circumstances will appreciate that there are times when furniture, fixtures and fittings are liable to suffer. That said, so long as you're aware of the danger and are able to keep an eye on what the bird is doing, damage may be limited. There are times, however, when a temporary lapse in concentration can lead to frayed tempers as well as frayed curtains or cushions.
Our umbrella cockatoo is called Ellie and here is an example of one of her less destructive episodes. I had left the room for a few moments and she had noticed a tin of 'Quality Street.....
By the time I returned, she had opened the tin and, having unwrapped, it was sampling a sweet.
These icicles suggest that there must have been a thaw - of sorts - but, it couldn't have lasted too long because last night was alleged to have been the coldest night of the year in parts of the UK. That said, bearing in mind 2010 is little more than a week old, I can't see what the fuss is about. What is clear, however, is that it looks as though some painting might be on the agenda for the summer.
Antipodean followers (in particular) might be interested to know that a little more snow fell, last night. Not an awful lot - but enough to bring down a tree on the lane which leads up to where we live.
Conditions have meant that the nightly visit from a local fox has proved unproductive. He/she/they understand exactly where we usually throw left-overs or seeds for the birds. However, although it's not terribly clear in the photo, it's clear to anyone who knows where to look for their tracks in the snow that the visit has been aborted due to lack of provisions......
.........and the reason for that is that the food has been placed in a hanging basket. Not to deny the fox access to the food, by the way - but, to encourage access for the birds. Note the icicles which have formed underneath the outside staircase.
The snow before Christmas was pretty deep for the south of England - but, last night's snowfall was the deepest I've seen in the twenty-plus years we've been down here........
It was so heavy that it was deeper than the depth of the steps on the outside staircase..........
The view from our lounge window was interesting - a palm tree covered in snow. The larger one, in the foreground, is rumoured to be the tallest in the UK.
Pre-Christmas snow.
This was the view from our kitchen window, this morning.....
...........A good reason to stay in for the day. However, I hope it clears up by Sunday because I have to collect my younger son at Heathrow Airport as he returns from his extended visit to his elder brother and family in New England.
From time to time, over the past few years, I've done the occasional 'chauffeur' work for my wife's employer. Recently, she (her boss) has been suffering from the early stages of a heart condition and, as a consequence, I've been asked to do a lot more. As I'm now fully-retired, I've been quite glad of an opportunity to renew my acquaintance with a steering wheel and, more often than not, I have used my own car. However, this weekend, I've been asked to drive her car - which is identical to the one shown below.
It's not quite the same as driving a bus - but, someone has to do it.
Having just posted the following observation on Twitter, I thought it should be exposed to a wider audience -
Why do US TV crime shows describe someone who's disappeared as, "Turned up missing."? Surely, if they've turned up., they're not missing!
