Well Saturday will remain in the memory for a while I imagine.....
H decided on an excursion, but I needed to go to the health food shop first, so we walked into town and I purchased the necessary, and then back before lunch.
We were on the point of leaving when H spotted a green budgie on the balcony railing!
We stood there looking at the budgie for a while, then I sidled over and quietly opened the balcony door, stepped outside and started stroking the budgie's chest.
Putting my other hand behind it I picked it off the railing.
We popped him into a box, while considering our next move.
We left our visitor with some quinoa and water, and were driving over to Totnes when I remembered I have the number of an RSPCA volunteer, who knows a lot about most things, so I had a chat with her.
Turns out budgies can't/won't eat or drink in the dark, and they die in around 48 hours if they haven't had any sustenance.
Panicking now!!
Put out a Whatsapp message to a couple of local groups begging for the loan of a bird cage, and went into every charity shop in Totnes asking, but none available.
A message comes through; one of my circle has an unused bird cage in the shed I can borrow or keep if I wish!! What are the chances of that?
We go to pick up the cage.
Budgie is released from the box into the cage, with fresh water, quinoa, some slices of apple, a few raisins and a couple of chopped blueberries.
Budgie gobbles all the quinoa and has some water.
I realise that Budgie is ringed, and put mug shots on "NextDoor" and facebook, tagging to reach as many people as I can.
A man gets in touch to claim the bird. Says he lost 3 last week from his aviary because his dog died.
Says he has no idea what the number on the ring might be. He peppers me with messages wanting the bird "returned" till I get fed up and turn off my phone.
H and I discuss, and decide we will take the budgie to the aviary if no-one else claims it before Sunday lunchtime. Even if Budgie does not belong to claimer, it will be better off in an aviary flock than solitary in a cage.
This morning Budgie is bright and chirpy and I am thinking he wouldn't have avoided our local falcon for long.
I do hope there isn't a child or lonely person somewhere, grieving for their pet.