31 January 2006
The birds had a little field trip to the window this weekend:
Highlights were watching the seagulls swoop around outside and having a nice preen in the sun. They take turns preening the other one, helping to reach the tricky bits. It never looks that nice to me, but I guess they like it. Frankie (the lighter one) has pulled out all the long flight feathers from his left wing -- I've watched him do this, so I know it's not Ira picking on him.
He can't really fly anymore, so he has to make his way around the cage by clinging to the bars and hopping along. Sometimes I hear a crash on the floor of their cage, and Frankie has fallen to the bottom, having forgotten he only has one good wing. I'm not sure what this is all about. Ira is fine, so I don't think it's an irritant in the cage. Frankie used to get the occasional feather that would go wonky, which he'd then pull out, but he's really gone overboard this time. They have plenty of nesting material. It doesn't seem to be related to a molt. He's just a nut bird.
A picture taken in very poor light. This little corner is a corner of patterns at the moment. My lovely tray and the paper I buy at Oliver Bonas (Islington branch) and hoard. Actually, I've been cutting some of it up to package the bird prints as I send them out -- they're so beautiful, even in little swatches. I still have an entire sheet of the roll on the right and one of another by the same designer. Not sure what I'll ultimately do with them, but I'd love to have them on display someday. They actually form a repeating pattern, so you can stock up and wallpaper an entire room with the print! A bit much, but I'd love to see it.
The little dishes and soup bowls are from Ikea. I'd resisted buying them the last few times I went, as they don't match anything else we own, and there's no room in the kitchen to store them. I finally caved yesterday, because how lovely would it be to have a cup of hot soup with some bread beside it? Or a big mug of hot chocolate with biscuits for dunking? So lovely. We just need to move house so I have somewhere to put them.
Lastly, two interesting things I've seen in the past few days:
A man on the DLR who was clutching a big teddy bear and reading a Stephen King book. I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation, but I like to think the teddy bear was to keep him from getting too scared. He also looked a little like Tom Cruise from halfway down the carriage, but that's neither here nor there.
We went to 'our' cafe in Woolwich on Sunday (delicious food, very cheap) and there was a big film production going on right outside the windows. This film, in fact. There wasn't any actual taping going on while we were there, but we did see some prop cars ready to go. Of course, we didn't know it was a great big, proper, famous-movie-stars type film (I was hoping it was Dr. Who. The episode where Christopher Eccleston makes a magical reappearance.). If I had known that, I might have insisted we stay longer. Beacause -- dudes! The Operative is in it! Eeee. !
The movie looks interesting. Do you know when it will be released? When I had birds and they became obsessed about something like pulling out feathers I'd do something that would annoy them to help distract them from their fixation. Tape on the head or a thread around a leg works well. It might take a few days for the bird to get over the theraputic annoyance after it is removed but by then they have forgotten the original fixation.
.d
posted by .d at January 31, 2006 06:31 PM
ANNA! I can't even read your post because I'm too busy hyperventilating with glee and pure joy -- oh! Thank you for my box. Its contents are so beautiful, I once again ran into the other store and opened it in front of an appreciative audience. Clara May is the prettiest, most jolly little girl -- I love her bio, too, not to mention the book and the suncatcher. I haven't had a sec to really look at everything because I wanted to write you right away -- can you believe I was just sitting here drafting a post about how much I love England when the mailman came with this? I'm thrilled to postpone it so I can get a pic of my box, and include you as one more reason why. Thank you, dear girl. This has really made my day. XO, a
posted by Alicia at January 31, 2006 07:18 PM
I am going to work really hard and give up sleeping so's to make more money so that we can afford a bigger house all so there's somewhere to keep the new green dish/cups. Yes, yes.
posted by Rob at January 31, 2006 07:28 PM