HAPPY CHRISTMAS

It is now ten and a half people months since I arrived here, and for the first time in my life, I got a Christmas tree and sent out Christmas cards! I got a present a while back from the people who looked after me whilst Mum was away - a nice pack of special seed. Yummy! And today, a card came addressed to Dog Angela and me in response to the cards we sent out. This photo was used on my card, and the one below is what Angela selected for her personal card.

The Christmas tree stayed for the photo taking episode (I posed for about forty photos, folks) nd then departed. I was quite glad, actually - it fell into my cage at one stage. I did not really like that.

I hope that you all, bird friends and people friends, have a peaceful and blessed Christmas.

Love

Bibbie

Dog Angela sends her Christmas Greetings too. She went to a Christmas BBQ at the vets' surgery - well behaved dogs on leads were invited. Not birds! Still, I did not want a squeaky toy (which all dogs got from Santa) or sausages in bread, mince tarts and cordial (which people got) and would not have liked all the dogs staring at me. Especially not Diva, the surgery cat -she was there, ignoring all dogs but supervising everyone else. So - all in all, I was glad to stay home in my house.

At the top you can see one of my brightly coloured distant cousins thieving apricots.. I counted about 15 who flew out of that tree all at once! and then, under that, you can see me walking about. Sad I have to take such little steps - it takes me many more than it does Mum to walk about!

SoB made me a rope ladder, which I shall try out later today. I will let you know how things go.

Bibbie

Whoo hoo, excitement

A big exciting event, last night! I took my courage in both hands and leapt out of my cage! I lost a feather attemtping to fly, but landed safely and started walking about. Mum came looking for me to put me to bed and could not find me in my cage.. yes, the door is left open quite often.. and then she heard me move, walking round the floor. she said "Oh Hello" and went back to the bedroom, so I followed her. I found Dog Angela was in there, on the bed. She got off once but I acted fierce and screeched, so she got back onto the bed and just looked at me.

There is a new person in this house right now - Sort Of Brother I will call him though he used to live with me once before, before I came to this house. SoB said Angie must remember the time I bit her on the nose!

I explored for a bit then Mum produced my little safe cage. I hurried down the passage to her and it and climbed in. I have had a very good sleep and am just waking up now.

Oh recently I have had a nice time watching distant cousins stripping Mum's apricot tree. I don't think she will get one - nor me, even though I did ask them to leave me some.

I've forgiven her

Well folks I had to give in.  I was given all sorts of nice tidbits. 

 

Today was nice and sunny and I spent it outside.  I saw Mum picking strawberries –she came and gave me one.   I enjoyed the change of scenery until it started to rain.  I did not get wet but it made a loud noise on my roof.  I called out and Mum came and got me, and took me back inside.  She said she had been asleep.  Still jet-lagged apparently.

 

Dog Angela did not even look at me when I was outside today; no need to screech at her at all! 

 

I will allow photos to be taken in a day or two.  Suffice to say my ankle warmers have not fluffed up, though I do have more oomph on the nape of my neck.  The feathers that appeared as down are getting bigger and more feathery!

 

Bibbie

Mum's back

Well, SHE came home yesterday.   It has been a long time since she left – just over seven weeks in human time.  I had just got used to my alternate arrangements and was settling in nicely – now, my routine is all upset!  I will punish her for going by not letting her stroke me and will certainly not kiss her for a bit.  I have not even taken food from her hand!  But I did charge down my perch to the treat dish before she had withdrawn her hand, I just could not resist.

 

Dog Angela has forgiven her already – it only took a few hours and she was asking for her tummy to be rubbed and so on.  It will be a bit longer before I go back to how I was before.

 

All is well though and the vegetable garden has rioted. My feathers have not – though I am a little fluffier than seven weeks ago.

 

When I have forgiven Mum I will pose for a photo..

 

Bibbles aka Bibbie

 

 

Well something is going very funny and two emails to the blog have sent themselves it seems. Both half finished, and peculiar. Maybe because this is a strange computer and a mac to boot. More likely because Mum is tired as she has not slept for over 40 hours now.

Joonie the thought of having to chase my food around gives me the horrors too but not maybe for the reason it gives you nightmares. You see, being unable to fly, maybe my food could run faster than I can and I would be VERY hungry. It woud be fresh though Joonie you have to admit. Sammy may have a point..

Mum is in England now and very tired she said. She has the lend of a computer for while she is at SoS's place.

Goodnight from Oz, good afternoon from England

Bibbie

It will be a while...

Well hello everyone – and so long for a bit.

 

My typist leaves in a couple of hours to go to England for just over seven weeks.  If I can send my thoughts to her, she may be able to sneak a post or two onto my blog, but probably not.

 

Today she is going to a place called an airport – this one is specifically called Tullamarine (Melbourne) where there are big big birds that fly all over the world.  Apparently hundreds of people get inside their tummies.   I think those big birds might be frightening!  And I guess they can’t just sit in a tree and take off like I am meant to do so they need special landing places.  If only I could fly!   Although, England is a long way, and Mum is bigger than me, so I might not be able to manage it.

 

I have met Vida and a few other people the last couple of days.  Apparently these are all people who will come and look after me.  And Angela.  They are all very nice and kind, but I do not really know them yet and stand back and hiss at the men.  Vida and the other ladies, I just open my mouth and look as if I am going to hiss!

 

Silverbeet, the leafy green part, looks like spinach but is much harder.  It needs cooking longer whereas nice young spinach can be eaten raw even by Mum.  Silverbeet leaves she cooks but gives me them raw – just a bit.  I am not really fond of it.  Mum cooks and eats the silvery white stalks too but I have not been given any of that.  Pears, apples, oranges I love!  Mum puts them in my little pink dish and I hoe in.  Get it all over my beak sometimes.  Egg is nice and the bit of omelette I had this morning was lovely.  I saw Mum put cheese and parsley in it as well as fresh home grown asparagus - I saw her cut it from the garden just before she made the omelette.  Can’t get any fresher than that, now can you!

 

Mum has bought a few tomatoes and they are not bad; carrots if they are sliced thinly by the peeler are nice too.  Broccoli, cabbage, mandarin.. In fact, I want to try EVERYTHING Mum eats these days and scream till I get some to taste.  (Some things Mum won’t give me though.)  To think I used to be scared of everything but bread! 

 

The other night I had a real problem.  I had been tucked into bed so to speak – the fire stove was making the place all warm and cosy and the lights and my TV had been turned off.  I decided to go into my bedroom from the large living part of my cage.  And I could not!  The door was ajar but would not go wider to let me in!  I tried a bit then got very annoyed and let everyone know about it.  Mum and Angela came in to see what I was fussing about – the lights came on, and Mum started laughing.  She had to open the door of the big cage and then open the door of my little cage wide, then shut the door of the big one again which keeps it in position.  It had not been done that way and the big cage door is too close by far to the little cage to allow the door to swing right open or shut. I looked at Mum and did a quick think.  I was hanging onto the door you see.. – so, Mum and l looked at each other and then I quickly scrambled up onto the cage itself.  Even then my backside hung down so I had to hitch it up.  Mum fixed it all and shut the big door again and I went happily to bed.   

 

By the time Mum gets back it will almost be summer.  It should be warmer for sure.  Spring can be warm, hot, cool or cold.  Wet or dry – mostly dry the last few years – and windy or calm.  Well it is nice looking at the weather changing outside several times a day whilst I am snug and warm inside.  If I don’t like it one way, I only need wait a couple of hours and it is usually different!  The clocks change too at the end of October – doesn’t make any difference to me but apparently these mammals I live with will get up earlier by the sun so they have light later at night.  They like it.  To me, it is odd.  Why not just use the sun?

 

Goodbye for a while

 

Bibbie

 

 

silver beet

Well now Joonie you have alerted me to something. Silverbeet is sometimes called swiss chard. Now do you know it? You eat the stalks and leafy part not the root. My Mum grew up only eating the stalks as her mother did not like "spinach" as many people used to call the leafy part. Now she eats it all. It is a relative of the things Mum calls beetroot, and you just call beets or red beet. Yes, those come in orange and other stripey colours accordng to pictures in Mum's heritage seed catalogue.. Mum sometimes grows beetroot and then I might get the odd leaf of that, too - Mum eats those would you believe, too. As well as the roots. Back to silver beet. The stalk part is white, perhaps with a silvery tinge. And I suppose that is where the name comes from. you can get coloured sorts, known even here as rainbow chard. I have seen yellow and pinkish red stemss up to almost beetroot coloured stems. the chard things do not have edible roots - at least, Mum does not eat them and she seems to eat a lot of odd things.

Your nice ball with nuts sounds fun - for you. I do not really like to DO anything. I sit and watch TV and Mum in the garden and Dog Angela and.. sing and whistle and climb about my cage. I have a swing and it terrifies me. I will not go near it! I sit on the door of my little cage - I like to sleep there - but soetimes it rocks a bit and I get scared evenof that. If I lose my balance I am in big trouble.. can't flap feathers to sort things out though the wings still flap. They just don't seem to DO anything! I have a sort of kebab thing,and some balls appeared and I ws scared to move till they vanished again. I have cuddly things too, but I did not come out of my little house for several weeks, well, not willingly, till it went away again. I hated it touching me! Soft and cuddly and warm they said - no way! I like to sit and snooze, contemplating my life and how it has changed since I was dangling upside down in that garage carport place with cold winds whistling about.

Maybe SoS can update the blog for me - she can, but she does not communicate with me often from England so she may not know what I want to say.. Last time she rang I called out "Hello Cocky"and she called back over the phone "Hello Bibbie!" It was good to hear from her. I will have to practice screeching loudly so she can get my messages on the other side of the world. And then she can update my blog..

Well, the fire has started putting out more heat now Mum has put more wood on it. She went out to friends for dinner and I was not invited. The only consolation, the only thing that makes me not feel ignored, unwanted and so on is - Dog Angela was not invited either. At least she came straight in and stoked up the fire for me.

It is cold and windy outside so the fire is a nice thing to have going.


Back to sleep for me

goodnight

Bibbie

Silver beet - nice for me, too.

Pear blossom to make lovely pears. I love pears! some will come my way I think. There are apple trees with a bit of blossom on too but they are a bit later to flower than the pears.

I have recently been making a pig of myself on oranges and tomato and a bit of egg. And rocket - that nice Italian bitter sort of lettuce. I get a bit of everything Mum has, really. Carrots and celery and.. so it goes. to think I used to be scared of such things! Now I ask for things by calling out when I see them.

Bibbie

There's a bit of rain about - a wonderful thing!

I'm still here

Hello Everyone

I am still here and doing well after another traumatic visit to the vet.

Would you believe the indignity? I had the snip so to speak much against my wishes, and then Dr Peter let me go to find my own way back into my safety house. But I could not climb! I heard him say "Oh, now you don't have a hook, do you?" and he tried to pick me up again. NO WAY!! So he let me try again - I thought of walking off the edge of the table away from him, actually - and as I started to climb in, he put his finger under my backside and helped me in! I pretended I did not notice. It was bad enough it happened without me acknowledging it. It was a big help though.

The other news is, Mum has to go to England for seven weeks to help her aunt as she recovers from an operation. Apparently I am to stay here and will get fed twice a day by one of two men who will come and visit and water the garden and talk to Angela and me. Dog Angela will go to another house for each night apparently and will be taken for walks too; me, I will sit in my house as ever. Mum says she will ask them to turn the TV on and off for me.

I wil have to be taken to the vet by one of them too for the monthly beak trims. I do not like the idea at all. Bad enough when it is Mum with me. I do not like men!

There are things growing in the garden now - the fruit trees are in blossom and there are intersting things growing in the vegetable patch. I will put some of the photos in for you. think they may go up the top in a new post though. Sorry!

bye for a bit

Bibbie

Alex the Grey died this morning.

Oh dear I am sad too.  My bird friends departing to bird heaven and us all left here missing them.  Vale Alex.

 

Sammy might become quite a friend now once you get properly used to each other. 

 

It is sunny again and no rain – looks like we are fronting up to another season of no rain following years and years of little or no rain – it is getting worrying.  Mum is using buckets to move tank water from outside to bathe in, and then using it again into the (front loading so she uses a small jug to ladle with) washing machine and catching it outside (it now goes onto the garden instead of into the drain) and bringing it in to flush the loo.  She says three uses for water is not bad.  The rinse water from the washing machine goes onto the garden.  But sometime not too far away the tanks will be empty and she will have to start using mains water when allowed.  Not that she will be allowed to use it for too much longer.  We hope for some showers Sunday night or Monday which MAY top up the tanks and then – it will be really work to save it for the garden I think.  I do my bit – I don’t drink a lot!

 

I think – don’t tell anyone yet – I am getting fluffy ankles.  If my legs get feathers all over and the rest of me doesn’t it will look like I am wearing leg warmers or pantaloons!  What fun! 

 

Bibbie

 

 

Spring and Joonie and Sammy

Oh Joonie you make me laugh with the story of how Sammy talks!   Have you told him the story of the rude bird that so disgusted his human, that in the end the human put him in the freezer for a few minutes?  It taught the rude bird such a lesson – he came out, very polite, apologising for his rude behaviour.  THEN he asked what the poor chicken had done to deserve its fate.  I don’t think you need worry Joonie – your Mum sounds as if she knows how things are.  As for getting Sammy here – why not turn him loose and let him FLY here?   It’s the only way he could get here to be honest, I think – there are strict laws about quarantine and things and I suspect Sammy might not pass.  Shall we agree to keep that bit secret – he might get an inferiority complex if he knew?   On the other hand…     

I would like to meet you face to face too Joonie but would not like to give you my virus and have you loose all your feathers too.  Perhaps we had better leave our locations as they are!

Yes it is spring here now in Melbourne Australia.  Just – it officially started 1 September.  But already we have had days where the fire has not been needed, and Mum is working outside in jeans and t-shirt.  Of course, it is sometimes still cold too – some days the max is only about 15 or 16 deg C = 59 – 61 deg F.  Better than the 10 or 12 we had occasionally in the depths of winter.  Still it is a bit early for tomatoes and things to be planted out so Mum is protecting them with plastic and paper if it is going to be cold (below about 3 deg C about 37,38 deg F) at night.  Mum might have to go to England soon to help her Aunt who has to have an operation and lives alone..  so she wants to get things planted before she gets the phone call to say the operation is booked.  Seems strange to me, but that is apparently the way the National Health system works in England.  Here too, apparently, but at least you get a bit more notice locally I think.  As for Angela and me, things are being lined up to get people to come in and do our daily care twice a day, and others to come and sit for company every day or so.  Mum is also trying to get someone to come and live in the house with us but is not having a lot of luck. Even so, it will not be as nice as her being here all the time like now.

I have sat on Mum’s had again a couple of times, and investigated up her sleeve and so on.  I do enjoy a nice cuddle!  And right now, I will enjoy watching Mum pegging the sheets on the line to dry.  Such fun watching them flap in the sun and breeze, too!

Bibbie

 

 

 

No excitement PLEASE

Re  <<<<I am envious, Bibbie. Your life is an adventure filled with surprises and, as Darwin said, giant leaps for birdkind.>>>>

 

Oh Joonie here are you envying me and I envy you!  A bird to talk to and nothing terrifying happening.  I think I could do with some boredom!  And - the closest I get to a bird to talk to is either through the window at the back of the yard, OR a frozen chicken on the way between freezer and oven, poor thing.   They have no feathers either!

 

Yesterday I watched Mum putting tomato seedlings into the ground.  She has put bottles in so she can pour water into them and it gets down into the soil instead of evaporating from the surface.  She said she will give it a good watering today on the garden bed (it was supposed to rain over night but it was just a light shower) and then put mulch all over it, thickly.  She said I can watch her plant little seeds in the umbrella sort of plastic greenhouse, too,  That’s the sort of excitement I like, Joonie, not falling off my perch!

 

Say hello to Sammy for me – he will settle in soon I hope?  He is not sort of decrepit, is he?  Bet he has feathers..

 

Bibbie

 

Great excitement

Hello Folks

Indeed there have been two events of great excitement.  The first – I stepped both my feet onto Mum’s hand tonight – twice!  - and stayed there for a few minutes on both occasions.  I can get closer to her face from there – had a good look up her sleeve as well.  I scrape my beak all over and nibble her fingers and so on..  she doesn’t seem to notice a thing! 

Shortly after that I had been told to go to bed, it was too late for a birdie to be up, in the semi light of the glow from the firestove.  And then - IT happened.

I somehow got stuck half falling off my perch and the edge of my bedroom door – I screamed and screamed and screamed.  Mum came running, Dog Angela came running – the lights came on – just as I was able to climb back onto my perch as normal.  I was quite disgruntled and fluffed up by then!  Mum stroked me and said I was a good boy and then she moved my bedroom cage closer to the front of the big cage so if I fell again I would not have to do the splits to get back up.  I calmed down a bit and then Mum said bedtime again and turned off the light.  I was pleased to see that both Mum and Angela came to help me and see what was wrong – that Dog Angela is not such a bad sort really.  And I am settling down for the night.  A good cup of coffee would not go amiss, but somehow us birds don’t get offered coffee.

Bibbie

Bold Me

I was very brave last night! I stretched out one leg and put my foot on Mum’s hand.  She did not move so I am sure she did not notice.  I kept it there for about five minutes, on and off – mostly on – and will one day MAYBE consider putting the other foot on too.  It took me about 7 months to pluck up my courage to go this far, not that I like that word PLUCK either.  A bit too close to the bone for me, really.  It would be nice to come out and be carried about, actually – I could go in the lounge room and look out the window maybe!  There are cars in the distance and a nice garden out there, and occasionally people walking by.  It could be fun.

Sssh!  Please don’t tell Mum.  I need to keep this quite secret or I won’t dare to do it again.

Love

Bibble

I like a nice cuddle and scratch on my head. Mum saysI have a very smooth bald spot right behind the lump that would raise my crest, if I had one to raise. It is one of the few spots I cannot see on myself.

I am posting lots of photos today so you can see me in my new finery, feathers - as well as eating a nice piece of apple. Would you believe Mum said to a lady from church that I was only getting vegetables till she next went shopping in a day or two, and that nice lady gave her an apple for me! It was VERY nice of her, wasn't it! The first time I have been given a present by someone outside the family, and for it to be such a lovely thing, was very good. Thank you Nancye.

Enjoy the photos

Bibbles

I had better tell you I am Bibbie, back again to say hello. You might not recognise me otherwise. I am so proud of my new clothes. Mum says I am getting more and more feathers and she wishes I would pose nicely for a photograph of my back so you could see better. But there is no way I will let that black box sneak up where I can't see it - that is, unless I have fresh new food in my dish. You will see some more photos of feathery me below. too. Don't I look good!

The weather is warmer - it got to 25deg Celsius yesterday. Most days I don't need the fire lit till the evening and really I didn't need even that last night. Winter is on the way out -officially spring starts 1 September here.

I have heard talk of what I will have happen to me - and Dog Angela - when Mum goes to Egnland soon. she does not know quite when as it depends on when her relative has an operation in a public hospital. They don't usually give you a date a long way ahead. At the moment I willhave aman come and feed me twwice a day, turn my television on and off, put my cover on and off, and so on. But if that does not work I will be going to Dr Peter's hotel and maybe sit in reception and talk to people. I would like that I think especially if Dr Peter does not get those beak clippers out. apparently dog Angela will sleep at the man's house and come here and spend the days with me. Mum has said she is concerned it is all OK and will not go unless she is sure we are not looked after properly. She used to go to England for about 10 weeks at a time, but says she thinks it will be a lot shorter this time as she wants to get back to us.

There will probably be no vegetable garden this summer. It is already dry, and some seeds Mumplanted came up then died for lack of water. It is still winter and gets the occasional short rain shower at night so they should be OK. but they weren't. Mum says plants have feelings too and she does not want to go away and have them all die, so.. there are tanks to collect rainwater and they are mostly fuoll, but if it does not rtain then they get used up and there is no more. Water restrictions mean it is not possible to water gardens properly unless you have tanks and lots of them.

I am going to post another couple of photos of me, above this, now.

Farewell for a bit

Love

Bibbie

Tired me

Hello Folks

 

Just thought I would let you know I am lying low for a couple of days, getting back my strength.  Fighting Dr Peter really takes it out of me!  Yes, my beak is nice and short again and I am enjoying the ease of eating.  It was trimmed Tuesday – I slept just about all of Wednesday, but enjoyed the odd tickle and cuddle from Mum even so.  Today I have said a couple of Hello Cockys.  I didn’t feel like talking earlier – I screamed so much my throat was all tuckered out.  I got a piece of mandarin, but threw it on the floor.  This morning earlier though I did enjoy a bit of carrot peeled off with the vegetable peeler, and a little bit of egg, mostly yolk.  Mum said she does not like to give it to me really, she thought it was almost making me a cannibal!   (Still, it makes an appearance every few days, whenever Mum has a cooked egg herself.)  Maybe I will get some cabbage later when Mum cooks her dinner.

 

For now, I am happy sitting looking out the window.  Mum was out there yesterday planting some seeds and checking those she planted a few weeks back.  They are slow to come up because it is so cold I think – but so far, we look like having lots of beetroot in a few months.  There are broad bean plants several inches high, too.  Perhaps there are a few swedes (rutabagas in the US) turnips or mini cabbages coming up – Mum said they all have the same sort of leaf in the early stages and she can’t remember which went in where!   Yesterday it was more carrots and parsnip seeds and mini cauliflowers, and also, under glass jars to make glass houses, some tomato seeds!  Mum saved them from last year – so the few she put in of three kinds of tomatoes will not matter if they do not come up.  It is still officially Winter here and we had a frost two nights out of the last three – and it was almost zero again last night.  What does she think – tomatoes in winter?  Still, there are some hardy green things hanging on the single scraggly vine, still ripening the odd (foul tasting) tomato.  Frosts and all!

 

There is a nice smell about the house too because Mum picked violets (white as well as the purply sort) and daffodils and jonquils yesterday.  They are nice.

 

There have been lots of messages on my youtube videos, and more on my blog.  So thank you one and all for your kind thoughts and friendship.  It will take a week or more before I really get back into feeling like having more videos  - and photos - taken!

 

Bibbles

 

 

 

 

Hooray - videos made it

Well folks, SoS got Mum sorted out from America and now my videos have made it onto my blog.

It is getting warmer here so the firestove does not need to be lit every morning now.

Today I saw Dog Angela sneak in with something dead, furry and smelly while Mum was out. When Mum came home all the doors and windows were opened, there was something sealed into a garbage bag, and there was a lot of spraying with disinfectanty sort of things going on. Mum was not pleased! Neither was Dog Angela - I think she thought it was something special and it had just matured nicely.

SoS emailed from on holiday that the planes let her down by being late so connections were not made, and she ended up driving 14 hours to get her luggage because the plane took it where she should have gone but didn't - and then 14 hours back. SoS, if I could fly I would have taken you with much less trouble. Maybe we can learn to fly together?

Bibbie

Bibbie does ballet

Bibbie has more feathers

Bibbie has a treat

downy feathers

I may have lost my BIG feather but I am getting lots and lots more downy ones. Good! I like a bit of fluff.

A Sad Loss

Oh I am so sad! Look what has happened! My best, my only, proper, feather has departed from me. I can still sing and dance though.

Bibbie

My view of the garden

Here is what I sit and look at during the day. On the left is the fenced vegetable garden - to keep Dog Angela out of it -and down the back are some fruit trees. Oooh I hope I get some when they have flowered and turned into lovely apples and things! Up the top you will see the jonquils up close - there is a lemon tree behind them and the plants in the pond in front of them.

New videos

Hello everyone!

Given the success of my first video, and the new friends I have made on youtube from it, I thought I would make some more! There are three new ones on youtube but Mum does not know how to feed them across form there to my blog, and SoS is travelling in America and Canada, so.. in the meantime here are the URLs (if they work) so you can go and see them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR9SdtWrMV4 and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rEWtxy-Rzg The third one does not yet have a URL so you might have to find it yourselves in a little while! Now it does.. here'tis. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaQsSPy-Scc

There will be some more photos coming soon, too.

Love

Bibbie

update on video

Well what do you think?

I have to say, on listening to it, my "Hello Cocky"s could be clearer. but there it is, it is the way I say it. Perhaps some elocution lessons would help! Mum thinks I was taught to say Hello Cocky by someone with an accent that is not local Australian.

Mum managed to get the video converted and uploaded to youtube, then SoS got it to the blog for me. Mum was spitting chips before she managed the upload - the getting enrolled and listed on youtube was hard as it thought she was someone else, not me, Bibbie!

I have not learned any new phrases but I do make nice songs and things. If Mum sneaks up round the corner so I don't see the camera you may be able to hear them. I do not really like that box that clicks and whirs - so far it has not hurt me, but you never know! Presently Mum keeps asking me "Who's got sexy legs?" so maybe one day I will say that, too.

Bibbie

Bibbie talks to you

Here is the Bibster making his video debut!

Carrot

Usually I get some thin slivers of carrot cut with the potato peeler. But this time it was offered as a stick. I was a bit unsure - it LOOKED like carrot, sure enough, but.. Mum sid to me "Carrot, Bibbie, you like carrot" and as soon as I heard her say carrot, I grabbed it fast and hoed in. Yum! Mooky, you don't know what you are missing.

Perhaps it is the veggies that are making my feathers fluff?

Hello

Re comment on Dancing...

Two Pis and a Poi said...
Oh Bibbie! I wish there was a video of you dancing! I bet you were wonderful!

My reply

Oh I was! I am! Wonderful, that is!

I told Mum about you wanting a video and she took one straight away. I even obliged with TWO "Hello Cocky"s whilst the camera was running. I didn't dance, of course - it is hard to do that sort of thing on cue.

But then we met a huge problem. Mum didn't know how to put the video on the blog. She did remember SoS doing one ages ago, and worked out how to convert it to a format so it would upload.. and then, sent an SOS to SoS who said she had converted it to the wrong format for one thing and she had to create an account on something like youtube and then copy the code and paste it in.. Mum said she had a headache then, and SoS is going away for a while and anyway Mum would have to post (snailmail not email) SoS in London england a cd of it if she was to do it.. it might take a while, that's the problem. Remember, I live in Melbourne Australia which is a long way away from England. If a video gets on my blog in less than a month or six weeks, you will know Mum managed it AND avoided a nervous breakdown from stress.

You will see the big comment with me eating some food that appeared yesterday. SoS sorted out the broccoli part - from single posts in the wrong order - and then told Mum how to do it. So Mum put on the dessert apple part and managed to get it into the end of the broccoli post just as I always intended.

I tell you this to show there is some hope for poor Mum. She does try, but really.. now if only my hands were a bit different, it would be done in a flash!

SoS also suggested a slide show of me might be nice but that is yet another thing for poor Mum to learn!

Bibbie

What's that?

Some weird things get put in my house!

Better take a better look at THAT!

Don't think you can fool me by putting it in the wall...

Hmmnn.. that's not bad...

in fact....

In fact - it's very nice!

Now, here's a change...

Yes, it is good.

Indeed it is good.

Seriously good! I like a nice piece of apple for dessert. Cleans my teeth, too.

Dancing

I tried out some new steps in light of Swan Lake..   first I stretched out my wings VERY wide and high and then I pointed my toe whilst standing on the other..

 

I thought I looked very good for a novice ballet dancer, but Mum said it reminded her of the goose-step.  Never mind!..

 

Bibbie

Swan Lake

I watched Swan Lake on TV Sunday afternoon.  It looked good.  I think I would make a good swan!  Does anyone know of some ballet lessons I could attend?  All those little leg twiddles really got to me.

Keep me out of the snow please

It was very cold here yesterday. Today Mum went for a drive and said she found this person up in the hills about an hour's careful drive from home. I am very glad he was not in my back yard! Oooh, chilly indeed. I like to stay nice and cosy by my fire stove. None of that cold white stuff round me, please.

My feathers are lovely

Well here I am, cleaning my beak, biting my fingernails, whatever you choose! but the best bit of it all is - have a look at my feathers! On the back of my neck! I have about four pieces of down there and they are getting longer! Oh, I am so proud of myself. A big achievement, that!

And if you look very carefully, there is a tiny bit of another feather showing down on my right side which is the left side as you look at this picture.

I'm an acrobat!

Peep-oh. I am getting more and more acrobatic. See me do the splits. I sometimes like to sleep like this - one foot on my little inside cage door, one on the wire of my big cage..

Beak and Eat!

Yes, folks, it IS easier to eat with a shorter beak. Not so easy to shovel seed out onto the floor, though. And I still don't like to each much apart from seed. Carrot peel is nice, and I asked for and got a little piece of toast a week or so back.

I examined myself carefully today and found, whoo hoo, I definitely have more feathers than I did. I have a short feather growing again on my wing where it broke off last visit to Dr Peter, and a couple of other bits starting. And some bits of fluff on my back and a tiny puff on my lower chest! I am very proud of my new feathers! White and yellow they are. I must get some photos taken of my new clothes.

The fire has been going well the last few days because although it has been lovely and mild and sunny in the middle of the days, it has been very cold in the mornings and evenings. It is staying light later I note, too - it was still light outside at 5.30pm tonight and Mum reminded me the shortest day was around the 21st of June so of course it should start being light later.

Soon I will have something to preen!

Bibbie

my latest beak trim

Yes, I visited Dr Peter again. This time a nurse held me down. Mum said she could hear me in the waiting room and my screeches showed sheer anger she said - not so much fear, no hurt, just rage! No matter how hard I struggle, they get the better of me and take that long bit of my beak off, top and bottom. I have to admit between us that life is easier when it is short - just don't tell them that!... Bibbie

Before...


...after

To be or not to be...

The question is, don’t you think I do a mean impression of Sir Laurence Olivier?

Dead Eye Dick!

I have found out if I hover just right, wiggle just so, I can manage to keep my newspaper carpet clean.  It takes real work to squeeze my guano through this little narrow gap where my door does not shut quite tight.  So it falls on the table where my food is stored or the floor – so who cares?  Not me!  My house stays nice and clean, so I don’t have to wait till Mum cleans it each morning.  Very pleasing!

Bibbie

Hello

Mum was working in the garden today.  I could see her through the kitchen window – it looked nice and sunny out and she had taken off her jumper. She was there for a long while, pulling strawberry plants apart and replanting them.  And weeding, and pulling out other things that had been big and bushy in summer.

When she was tidying up and getting ready to come in, I called out “Hello Cocky” to her and she answered!   It was a nice day. And with the fire going, warm inside as well as out.

 

Bibbie

PS Lady is still here - no Fluffy Bum yet.

Rats!

Well that is how I feel about it.

I was having a goodnight kiss and cuddle with Mum when I noticed that strange Lady creeping up on her. I had to warn Mum – she knew what I was saying – and she just said Lady would not hurt me if I stayed up where I was instead of thinking about nose dives to the floor (I was experimenting balancing on the threshold of my big cage). And then she pulled my covers right down, put wood in the fire stove, put out the lights – and said goodnight!

So here am I in exile once again whilst the three of them go curl up on Mum’s bed. IT’S NOT FAIR. I WANT A BED!!!!

Birds of the world, unite! We have rights too!

Bibbie.

Lady Boots

There is a new dog here. They call her Lady Boots. Or just Lady. She has a wavy tail with a white tip and is smaller than my own Dog Angela. Apparently she is a fox hound.

Well she is only staying a couple of days, but tomorrow we can apparently expect another one called Dakota or Fluffy Bum to arrive. She is fluffy and has a mask like a wolf – they say she is a malamute.

Too many dogs for my liking! My own Angela is nice, she sticks up for me but I am not sure about these new ones. Riff raff!

They are both in on Mum’s bed right now – Angela and Lady. Why can’t I sleep on the bed too, I want to know?

Well at least I can look down on them from my nice secure cage.

Goodnight

Bibbles.

Sexy legs!

Mum says I have the sexiest legs she has ever seen! So I thought I would share them albeit the photo is a bit blurry..

things I say and do

Well, not so much say.. Mum was programming the bread baker two days ago and I joined in. That made her work out the beeps I make are me being a bread baker.

Yesterday I decided to be a chain saw. Well, it makes a difference to being a dog!

Bye for a bit – I am going to get SOS to sort this lot of photos and postings out for me now, as she does it so much better than Mum. Makes my blog look really smart, she does!

Bibbie xxxxx

(Sorry, no ooo – I hate hugs and being cuddled – it is usually done in a towel at the vet man!)

My new photo

This new photo of me peeping out of my cosy red igloo, is one I like. There might be a few more coming!

Back again!

Hello Friends

I have not been able to post for a bit – problems with incoming emails meant the internet connection here went slow till the first of the month. So, I have been unable to communicate with you all for a bit. Now it is the first of July, the first day of the new financial year here where I live in Australia, and HERE I AM!

Have you noticed I am talking as if I am a bit more educated than earlier postings? I have been watching TV and some programs on the ABC have been very uplifting. That’s the Australian Broadcasting commission, not the BBC or the American BC (the one 'sos' says is called PBS). I have enjoyed learning things. Mind you, the parliament is on occasionally, question time they call it – and if I acted like that I think Mum would spank my bottom!

Bye for the moment
Bibby

Fun!

I played a trick the other day.

There is a man who sometimes comes and chops wood at this house. I watch and supervise from my cosy warm house inside. The man looks up to make sure I am watching him occasionally.

Well normally I refuse to talk or have anything to do with him when he comes inside near me. He is used to me giving him a silent hiss and backing right away. And he refuses to believe I talk or do anything, let alone say hello Cocky.

This time, he sat down at the kitchen table with his back to me. I mean, how rude can you get? And then I thought, aha, here is my opportunity. I waited till he was nice and relaxed, having a bite of cake and a cup of coffee, till suddenly I let fly with my loudest voice HELLO COCKY.

It was worth giving up my secret, I tell you. Laugh! I nearly fell off my perch laughing. It was marvellous! The man rose up and then down in the same spot on his chair, spilt his coffee, and whipped around saying ‘THAT was hello cocky for sure, and so loud!!” He was laughing too.

Since then I have entertained Mum more and more, giving her kisses, songs and whistles.

Bibbie.

oven bird and me

This is a photo from my escapade to the floor, with my friend Oven Bird

Hello Cocky!

Hello Cocky!

It is my favourite saying.

It is COLD now, even in my nice warm internal cage with the cover on. Even with the fire going in the stove. Mum went outside at 7.30am this morning and said it was zero celsius. She put the gas heater on as well as lighting the fire and it still took time to warm up.

Dog Angela had her visit to Dr Peter yesterday and got stabbed in the scruff she said so she will not get nasties like parvo and other things. She got liver treats from Dr Peter and the nurses, and from Mum a pig's ear and a long walk as rewards. When she came home, Mum had to go out, and Angie got even. She could not get that fitted sheet style bedspread off the bed so she ate right through it and pulled a pillow out. Mum was VERY cross and I heard all about it. Dog Angela absented herself into the back garden. Now I would never do that - I just flap and screech and try to gently bite any hand trying to grab me!

One day soon I might be able to say "Give's a kiss" and "Pretty Boy". If Mum records me maybe SoS can work out a way to get it here so you can all hear me!

there are some photos that have not made it onto this blog so I will see if Mum can remember how to do it. I would, but my feet = hands don't work quite right for computers.

Bye for now

Bibbie

Nice and warm in the kitchen

Here is a photo of Dog Angela... made even better because you can see me in the corner too, in my cage!



It is a lovely warm kitchen for us all. The silver pot thing you see sitting on the black box thing.. that is a wood-burning stove. When that is going I am never cold. Dog Angela likes to sleep next to it too on the sofa even though she has still got her feathers.

New things for ME!

Hello Everyone!

I just have to tell you of the changes that appeared this afternoon!

First off, Mum made herself a tracksuit out of some green fleecy stuff. When she had finished, she got some bits of it and sewed them up, like a tassel she said, and then tied it in my little cage! I will investigate that tonight. Then she got some more of the same nice green soft cuddly stuff and made a sort of cape she suspended from the roof of my big cage. I have had lots of good looks at that, but it seems quite harmless and even friendly.

Then out came an old red quilted bedspread that used to go on her bed to keep Dog Angela from ruining the good stuff. Mum cut a big piece off, and doubled it up – and then sewed it into a shaped cover for my little cage! Now it is red and cosy both inside and outside and has a nice gap where my door is. The rest Mum sewed into a fitted sheet style so can still use it to cover her bed. Dog Angela likes to tear sheets if Mum goes out too much. This is apparently an attempt to stop her doing that.

It was then dark outside and getting cold – so the cover went on my house, and I went in. I said “hello cocky” a few times to Mum before sending her away to update my blog…

Goodnight Bibbie

News, and I answer your questions.

Since I have last talked to you my friends, I have been back to that vet man. I had more taken off my beak, and it hurt a little. But it does help me eat. It can go a little longer between snips now – Dr Peter said he thinks I am doing well, contrary to what his expectations were when he first saw me. However, I of course had to struggle and whilst doing it, sacrificed my half length feather. Took me so long to grow it too! I said a rude parrot word to Dr Peter when he said he would get the towel – which both he and Mum apparently understood. I did not speak in human language, just parrot, but they both said it was not complimentary. It certainly wasn’t – they were right about THAT.

I took your suggestion to have more photos seriously William, and after some thought, have agreed to allow more photos of me to be taken and the best of them published. I have “ordered” Mum to download the photos she took this afternoon onto the computer and upload them onto my blog. It will be the first time she has done that – if she can’t do it, it will have to be SOS again and she is very busy so it can take WEEKS. I suggested to Mum that there was a photo put on the blog of the sheet eater, Dog Angela, too. She took some photos of her, at least. (I will tell you a bit more about Angela and sheets in the next posting.)

Oh, you want to know where I live! (Just going through my mail, here.) It is in Melbourne Australia. Down the bottom right side sort of, of the map of Australia. That means it is not so warm as the top bits which are further north, so nearer the equator. I know people in the Northern Hemisphere do things differently, but here, south is colder and winter is in June July and August. We don’t have snow, and not many frosts even, but it is still quite cold. This house and most older houses do not have central heating, so people wear a jumper = sweater in winter, sometimes more than one if it is really cold. And they turn the heater on – or light the fire! God gave us birds feathers to keep warm, but something went wrong with me…

Bibbie

Hello Cocky

It is my favourite human speech. I am calling it out to get Mum to come and see me. I might start singing and whistling in a bit, just for a change.

It is very cold today and the fire is going. Mum put a blanket over my big cage between me and the glass window, and that made it warmer straight away. Later I will have my little cage covered too – I should be nice and cosy in there!

Yesterday I saw Dr Peter again and had my beak trimmed. I DO NOT LIKE IT! But it is easier to eat and climb with it shorter. Dr Peter said he was quite pleased with my beak as he had not been optimistic when he first saw me. One thing – in all the struggle, I dislodged my half grown new feather.

I am watching TV now – the news has just started. I like TV!

Hello Cocky!

Bibbie