Sadly, I have to let you all know - Bibs got crankier and crankier because he became less well and less well - and fell of his perch more and more often and could not get back up easily, would not accept help. After watching him, and antibiotics int he early stages, and consultation witht he vet, we agreed it was better for Bibs to leave this world. That happened Australia Day, about 10.30am 26th Jan 2010. We took him down to the vet that day as bibs had fallen off his perch about 15 hours earleir and slept the night sadly on the floor of his cage, most sadly. He is now with Dog Angela, and two other dogs and a cat, in the garden bed that has become a little cemetary. Bibs has a good spot under an overhanging lavender bush.

Dog Angela got cancer in her shoulder and could not walk - at 45kg, about 100lb, she was too big to carry about even though for the time being we had the pain under control. She had had a good life and was at the end of the normal time span for a dog of her size, anbd seemed very ready to go. The vet came to the house late August so she slipped away peacefully, sleeping first thanks to the sedative, on my bed looking out the window where she spent much of her days as she got older and older. It was very peaceful.

Dog Barnaby arrived 19 days later, fresh from the RSPCA dog home - about 18 months old and he came without a thing, not even a name. He is 8kg, white with coffee and greyish patches here and there, a Maltese Shih-tzu cross. A dear little fellow but as yet we do not know what each other is thinking as did Angela and I.

We have now five chooks - chickens.. lovely birds, who keep sneaking in and eating the dog and cat food. I even found one on my bed, quite content. It was hot this week -so one got a bath.

So - this blog will probably not be updated.. sorry it was so long between posts at the end...

Thank you Joonie and all others for your concern. The weather is indeed dreadful, top temperature for all over state since records kept starting 1850s. fires all over, some only ten fifteen minutes drive from me - Healesville, Chum Creek (Mum and family used to live there) Toolangi, Yarra Glen, King Lake a bit further up (north). Power cuts have not so far affected here which is an answer to prayer..

Hannah under the table again, Lucy Cat and Dog Angela made to stay in and their exit door bl;ocked, air conditioners going in bedroom and kitchen - too small really but made a difference. Iced water for us - I got two ice cubes in my drinking dish! Sort of Brother stayed in too. People were told to stay home and not go out. We didn't.

Have a look at googlemaps, these places are almost Melbourne suburbs out to the east - I live at Croydon which is a suburb a bit closer to Melbourne than the suburb (was a separate town about 40 years back) of Lilydale is. Almost on Maroondah Hwy I am, just by Croydon Rd. I am a lucky boy but my wild brethren and koalas and everything else will be having it tough if not killed by heat or fires..

Newpapers here are The HeraldSun and The Age - website for it is theage.comm.au and the abc website, like England;s BBC - google abc melbourne radio 774 and you will get links to it .. good luck and thank you for your concern everyone

Bibs.

Sad news in the heat

It is very hot here and has been for several days. This is the third day about 44deg C, that is over 110F, and sadly Henrietta Houdan-Hen died in the heat yesterday despite having been given the run of the garden and when last seen alive was under the shade of a tree and pumpkin vines and in fact so cool Mum thought she would go and join them. Both chooks = chickens were given cool showers and iced water with ice cubes in, too. But still Henrietta died. Hannah is now in a temporary house rigged up under the kitchen table so she shares the air conditioning with me - and has an old rug on the tiled floor so she can walk. Apparently lots of chooks are in bathrooms and so on during the heatwave. People have been on talk back radio.. Hannah had two cool baths yesterday too, like many other chooks.

Now Hannah is lonely and Mum is trying to get another friend for her. In a couple of weeks she might get a sister from the same flock as Hannah but the owner is away... and anyway the new hens are not yet old enough to be sorted into hens and roosters.

Let us hope the electricty stays on here - it has so far, but with links to other states to get more electricity failing there has been compulsory two hour blackouts to make sure the whole grid did not collapse in addition to the unintentional ones taking out tens of thousands at times. This added to the problems by cutting out traffic lights and train lines in the areas. Train tracks were buckling, and over 200 trains cancelled due to heat stress on trains, air conditioning, electricity, and so on - they shut down two shorter routes totally and put buses on so they could use those trains on the rest of the lines. Police manned major intersections with the road surface melting and no shade - must have been round 60C = about 140F in the sun for those police. And there are bush fires, lots of them - the firemen are working all round the clock. That must be even hotter. Mum says the fridge is full of food so she hopes the power stays ON. So do I - it is comparatively cool inside with my air conditioner!

Someone checked out the old "fry an egg on the footpath" bit and it worked, only it took 25 minutes.

Bibs.

nice apple

I enjoy all fruit. Especially fresh from "my" garden!

Dog Angela and garden

See my sexy leg! The apple peel I am eating is from an apple from the tree in our back yard and has not had anything sprayed on it. Yum!!!

Don't you think I have more feathers?


I like a kiss and cuddle from Mum.. and guess what? I trust her, so figure that black box thing she points at me sometimes will not hurt me. I remember I used to be scared of it.

Handsome me. I feel like a judge sometimes - and wise, like an owl.

A good boy! ME!!

Hello all

I have had a good time these last few days. Some photos will be coming and three videos too. I look back over the two years almost I have lived here and how I have changed! I now demand, and get, most things I fancy. And instead of just wanting bread and maybe wafer thin apple, I just love apple in chunks, banana, carrot, peaches, eggs in all forms, lettuce, broccoli, celery and all such things. Over Christmas I had a little taste of Christmas pudding and custard and sort of brother gave me nuts too.

And, I think I am wearing more clothes for sure. More fluff in the feather department! I now have something to preen. If you wanted to pop me in the oven you would have to do a bit of feather removal first., Still not much, I know, but I am proud of me growing a few, At this rate, I should be fully feathered again in about 500 years!

Those chooks in the back yard ate lots of apple scraps too. I got some peel and actual apple pieces. OK I had better translate for those non-Australians - chickens, hens, whatever. they lay eggs which Mum likes. So do I! there is I think a short video of them coming soon.

My beak is quite long in these video clips and photos to come - I have another appointment with the vet mMonday. I got some practice in tody when I fell off my perch to the bottom of my cage and my wing became entangled with my food dish. My lound screams brought Mum running but I would not let her help - I screamed louder when she opened my door and tried to help! Gave me quite a turn, that did. A big boy like me falling off my perch indeed. Obviously my balance is not good - I need more feathers so I can fly, at least a little bit.

Dog Angela is very old and grey now, can't take very long walks and spends a lot of the time sleeping. Cat Lucy is no longer a kitten, more like a late teenager, and Henrietta and Hannah Houdan Hen are doing well too. they all send their best wishes.

goodnight

Bibs

Santa and the dogs at the Christmas party