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

RAIN

I have been lying low these last few days. It is colder out now – I don’t even want to think about going outside! Mum lights the fire in the stove near me most mornings and keeps it going all day. I get covers, nice and thick, on my little house at night, and I stay warm and snug inside.

Yesterday and today it looked very gray outside and there was funny wet stuff coming down from the sky. Mum said maybe I didn’t know it was called rain – it has not rained for so long, perhaps I hatched since the last good downpour. Whatever it was, it made a nice sound on the roof – and it can stay well away from me! Mum is pleased about the rain – seems there has been a drought here for years and there may not be enough water.. well all I need is a nice bowl of water to drink from. There is some in a bigger dish called a bath in my big cage but ooh no, not for me!

I keep cleaning my beak and trying to pick it clean but it does not work. And I think I am growing another feather on my other wing – that means one big feather and one short one, and some down on the back of my neck. Whoohoo – I am getting clothes!

Angela Dog comes to check up on me if she thinks something strange is going on. The last time was when someone came to say hello to me and tried to get me to stand on his hand and come out to see him. I strongly disapproved and told him so in no uncertain terms!! Angela Dog came running out to protect me.

Spinach remains my favourite. I have other things put on my kebab but mostly I ignore them. I told it off a few days back – how dare it swing to and fro and bump me!

It was nice to hear from two new people as well as the news of some old friends when I visited their blogs recently..

Bye for a bit

Bibbie

news on bibby's blog visitors

'SOS' here (aka "sort of sister" as Bibbie apparently has christened me).

I thought I'd share some news about your popularity, Bibbie. This picture shows a summary of visitors to your blog (click to view it bigger).


In April you had 45 visitors, of whom in that time around three quarters were new. That means you had around 30 'unique' people coming to read your news during April. Dear Bibster, I bet you didn't think you'd have so many friends!

And, if you look at the map you can see they're coming from all over Europe and the US. It's very nice of your bird blogging friends to have linked to you, they've sent quite a few folk your way.

We need some more news Bibby, if you keep going like this, you'll be a star. :-)

photos from Bibbie's escapade

Here are some photos of Bibbie's unexpected expedition to the kitchen floor.

OH MY GOODNESS!

Big news today! I am a very lucky boy! Brave too!

Mum went off early today, middle of the night, and when she came back at a decent hour, she had "sort of sister" with her! I hissed at her. She said she liked me silently screeching. Well, not quite the reaction I wanted - I thought I looked fierce!

After a bit, they went out again. For a long time. About 6 hours. And during that time, SOMETHING happened. What exactly is my secret, but Humpty Dumpty comes to mind.

When Mum came home with "s o s" Angela Dog greeted them then ran into the kitchen. They came after her with, as it turned out, presents for me. But I screeched and screeched and Mum called out "Oh no Bibbie is out walking on the floor -he must have fallen out of his cage - and he has screeched to keep Angie away!" S o S said I looked OK and she could see where I had been and it had been for some time too. Rude I thought. Such a fall, about four foot or so and I can't fly, scared the s*** out of me and of course it was on the floor!

I sat by the stove, cuddling up to a rather strange bald looking bird that seems to live a shadowy existence in the oven, whilst my little "security blanket" cage was cleaned (by Mum) and the big one too (by S o S) and then, when presented with it, all new "perched" and washed, I climbed inside my transporter safe cage with a huge sigh of relief. I am back in my big cage, with a fruit skewer and new fruit dish and a swing from S o S installed. I ended up called out Hello Cocky an hour or two later, but really, I am still recovering from my adventure. Mum said she is glad she keeps the door shut when the fire is going in the heater - and will keep it shut all the time now till I get my ladder out. (I heard them talking about roasted and fried bird - quite insulting, really.) At least I did not hear the words "clumsy" or "Klutz" being bandied about, but probably I should have stayed up there, climbing about!

Well, all up it gave me great excitement.

I posed for several photos - as well as with "oven bird" which I would have preferred were dispensed with actually - I would have got back to my safe house faster!

You might get photos to see soon.

Love

Bibbie the non flying bird.

Me Me Me in the spotlight

I don't like having photos taken much. A big black machine thing comes close and makes odd noises. But I do like the result... look at me!

These photos are from a few weeks ago but the blog-photo-helper-person has been slack. I will certainly be giving them a piece of my mind when they visit.

But, I hope you agree, it was worth the wait. Look at me, shaking my leg!!! And my smile and a thing that my live-in person helper says is a parsons nose.

Undignified me

My new short beak is causing me problems – I want to climb the walls of my cage and keep falling off! My hook extension is missing!

Well, let’s start at the beginning of today - I went to see Dr Peter again.

Oh the indignity. I refused as always to step onto a hand, so he put his hand into my cage with a towel in it. He grabbed me with the towel and didn’t let go even though I tried to bite him. Out I came against my will – and he wrapped me in another towel. I struggled and got myself onto my back – still they held me. Mum too! A pair of clippers came towards me, all gleaming silver. And suddenly – my beak was much shorter. It bled a bit – Dr Peter soon stopped that by pushing on it, putting a cotton bud on it and then putting some stuff on the cotton bud and putting it on my beak end. It stopped bleeding immediately. I was then put back into my cage – it was hard to get untangled from the towel then, but I managed it. Climbed the walls of course, and fell off as above. Took me a few times to work out what was happening. So, I stood still and danced – which Dr Peter liked. I would not talk to him though. No way. He said when I was leaving, he’d see me about the end of April. Hope not! I licked my short beak end whilst Mum was paying – gee it is strange. Takes a few days to get used to it each time it is shortened.

I sulked inside my little cage when I got home. All day! But it is warm and cosy in here now with the fire stove lit, and nice dinner smells, and the TV on. Life is not so bad – and Mum just gave me some spinach. I forgive all!

Bibbie – the shorter beaked bird!