Diary > Saturday 19th September

[Roobarb]

Felt better today. Cloudy morning when I woke but the sun got out later. Had a chat with a friend but unfortunately had to cut the conversation shorter than I would have liked as I needed to have something to eat before I went for my flu jab at lunchtime. Hope we'll be able to talk again soon.

When I went out NN was cutting her front lawn.
Drove down to the surgery,  parked in the car park opposite. I was five minutes early so sat in the car as the instructions were to go as near as possible to the appointment time. There were two men outside the front door wearing masks and visors,  they waved me in.  Everyone inside was wearing masks, a nurse asked if I had any Covid symptoms, took my temperature and gave me a squirt of hand sanitiser. Someone else pointed me down the corridor, a nurse further down beckoned me in. Name and dob taken, jab done and out by the side door.

Back home, NN still on the front talking to a neighbour. Had a cup of tea and read for a short time, NN still out there so decided to do some work in the back garden rather than go for my walk yet as I knew I'd get some peace and quiet. It was pleasantly warm. After a while I had another look, I really didn't want to pass her, she was still there minutely examining all of her shrubs that are alongside my drive. Carried on in the back garden, inside for another cuppa, she seemed to have gone so when I finished I went for my usual walk. Was about to come back, spotted her out there again. Was she waiting to have a go at me for trimming the overhang of the shrubs? Couldn't be doing with any confrontation so walked round the other way - although I wouldn't pass her she would still see me. Luckily when I came back she was talking to another neighbour.

More gardening, spent ages digging out roots from the Lysimachia that spreads everywhere. Put some more bulbs in a pot with coloured heathers on top. The cosmos plants are still flowering their little hearts out. I had never bought them previously, only did so this year as there wasn't much choice left when I plucked up courage to go and buy bedding plants but another one I'll definitely buy again.

Salmon for tea, I'm not keen on the frozen stuff but don't want to order fresh as I was unwell the next day after I ate it last time. Had a couple of glasses of wine too. More changes to Tesco order for tomorrow.

Hope it's been a good day for everyone despite the bad news all around us.

[carol80]

Yesterday was great for me. The sun was streaming onto my back deck, so that's where I was for most of the day. Manged to read 2 books. It was great to see kids out on their bikes riding up and down the road. People out, putting in plants and tidying the gardens. The men of the house (and some ladies too) mowing lawns. Everything and everyone seemed to come alive. It's amazing what a bit of sunshine can do.
At about 4pm as the sun went down behind the hills, I retreated inside knowing that I had well and truly topped up my vitamin D.
Finished the last of the soup for tea, then watched T.V. Off to bed at about 2.00am ready to start a new day.
Carol

Glad your flu jab went ok Roobarb.

[Mowsehowse]

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.

[Mowsehowse]

Sounds like your surgery is well managed Roobarb. Hope you have no ill effects from the vaccination.
Carol, how nice to sit in the sun reading and being able to see lots going on.
Hope everyone has a little sunshine in their life today.

[Viktoria]

When I lived in Belgium I had anEnglish friend who had a budgie.
She needed to go to England without any warning as her mother was very ill.
Put lots of extra food and water containers in the cage , went.
Got back abut four days later and budgie was dead.
Then she said she had closed the roller shutters on all the windows!
They keep out sun and intruders, but also light.
She was upset that she had not realised a captive bird won’t and/or can’t eat or drink in the dark.
I found a budgie on my step,on a house on a busy main road.
Went to the local pet shop and yes it belonged to a local budgie  breeder,in fact was his best hen.
So glad to have her back .
My friend who lived by at Ross on Wye ,her hubby bred them.
Champion stock.
I wanted a Lavender one, and we met half way at Shrewsbury for the handover.
We could not persuade our friends to accept payment or even petrol money as it was also a friends’ meet up too.
So we went to a lovely restaurant for lunch and we took the bill.
It  was expensive even in those days-1980’s.
My OH called him the most expensive budgie ever ,
But he lived 14 years ,so tame and a few words ,we made lots of recordings of grandchildren as you do and there he is chirping in the background .
Youngest son when about three /four wanted one for his birthday, the same friends
friends were breeding them back then,but lived nearby then.
We chose an Opaline Green.
Gosh it was funny.
Son wanted to call it Hercules ,I thought it unsuitable ( WHY!) suggested a short name the bird might learn more quickly ,son thought again,then said he would call it Samson,so that is what it was .
But when I think ,a very young child knowing about Hercules and Samson ?
That lived a long time and we took it to Belgium but it had to go in quarantine When we could pick it up we had gone to Brussels by train ,then realised animals were not allowed on trains.
So we smuggled it on with OH coat over the cage .
Ticket inspector coming and  the  bird had recognised our voices I imagine and was chattering under the coat.
We told the boys to talk loudly to each other ,but still  the  bird could be heard .
Nothing said ,how we got away with that I don’t know.
In his eagerness to  gave  his budgie talking son had been impatient so we got—- “ pretty boy pudding porgie boy pretty,hellosamson boyboyboy “etc
He was big, English budgies are ,stood very upright on the perch and had a big head,lovely birds.
I would have one but birds fluttering  and  thus blowing from their cage detritus,is not a good idea for old people.
Homes used to have them and residents enjoyed their chatter etc but not healthy in the warm conditions .
An aviary in a garden a few houses away,such chattering,must be budgies .
The first time we though t son’s budgie was tame enough to be allowed out of his cage ,made sure all was secure and opened the door.
A few moments and out he came,  flew round and son whose present it was got excited ( he was  quicksilver  anyway) so budgie landed on calm son’s head.
Bird’s owner went into meltdown ,naturally at 3/4.
He was so disappointed .
Samson!

Live was never boring then!
Viktoria.

[Mowsehowse]

Gosh, so many budgie memories!
A lavender one sounds very pretty.
I will look it up.

[louisa maud]

After being  told normal church service times will be back to normal in  2 weeks with social distancing in place,  there was also a suggestion we could be closed down for 2 weeks, so churchgoers  go from week to week not knowing

The budgie story is interesting, Viktoria you have led a really interesting life, sounds a lot of fun and still carries on now with your humour

Enjoy your day

Louisa Maud

[Roobarb]

Carol, how lovely for you to enjoy the sunshine and to have the summer to look forward to. Hope you get more of your vitamin D fix today. 

Moweshowse - Well!! What an experience with the budgie! I assume that by now you have either taken it to the phone pest for his aviary or someone else has come forward. As a matter of interest I had a look to see why a budgie would be ringed, apparently since 2000 breeders have ringed them, it helps them identify and keep track of their birds. More information on the website of The Budgerigar Society. Who would have known there was such a thing? 

https://www.budgerigarsociety.com/ring-speccolour/

A related tale - I have a friend who I often call Doctor Doolittle, she's always rescuing animals. She currently has a seagull in her back garden that she's looking after, she found it on one of the main roads through town and rescued it, it had an injured wing but seems to be getting better. She got pecked a couple of times for her trouble but that didn't deter her, the challenge now is to keep her cat out of its way!

I was very impressed with the way the surgery handled the vaccinations yesterday, so much so that I actually answered their subsequent text asking how my experience was. As for ill effects, I'm not sure. I had an ocular migraine this morning, I've only ever had two before and that was some years ago. Not accompanied by a headache and was soon over but it did leave me feeling a bit nauseous and with a fuzzy head. No idea whether it's related or whether that too is because I've been stressed lately. Thanks anyway. 

Louisa Maud, how frustrating to not know about your church services, hope the possible closure doesn't go ahead.

[Mowsehowse]

Ocular migraine sounds nasty Roobarb.... could the tiredness have been a precursor?
Hope you are feeling much chirpier now.

Still got Budgie because I want someone to check the ring number database before I hand her to text pest, but she laid an egg this afternoon, and has trashed her living quarters. Currently she is gobbling up all the seed she managed to get underneath the tray liner. 

My friends are now referring to me as The Budgie Whisperer!!