jmgoyder

wings and things

Down the rabbit hole

Yesterday, in the early evening after all the birds were safely in their yards, I decided to take some photos of the rabbits. Oh yes, haven’t I mentioned them before? We have hundreds of rabbits – well, perhaps not quite hundreds, but lots and lots – so many, in fact, that a friend from Perth asked if I was breeding them. No, I am not breeding them; they are doing that extraordinarily well all by themselves.

In other words, we have a rabbit plague.

They are everywhere! At any time of the day or evening, I can look through any window, or go outside, and I will see not just one or two rabbits, but entire families scampering around, here there and everywhere, in amongst the peacocks and guinneas and geese and ducks and chickens and turkeys. The scene resembles something rather heavenly except it is not heavenly because those rabbits are digging up the foundations of every building on the farm – that is five sheds and this house! I keep expecting the house to suddenly tip over. After all, it’s a very old house.

So last evening I sat outside, camera ready and waited. And waited. And waited. And I didn’t see one rabbit – not even a bunny! It was as if, like Alice in Wonderland, I had fallen down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world – this one devoid of rabbits. I wish.

Anyway, I thought I better take a picture of something, so I took one of the feathers on the lawn. In a previous post I mentioned that, with all the birds molting, it looks a bit like it has been snowing. Then I took a picture of King peacock’s final feather. As I said in another previous post he’s been hanging onto that last symbol of his former glory for ages. Now, having shed that final tail feather he will have to wait several months for them to all grow back. Poor guy seems a bit lost now.

I was still waiting for a rabbit or two to appear so I took another couple of photos of feathers that had blown into a blossom tree. I say a blossom tree because I’ve forgotten what kind of tree this is and Husband isn’t here to enlighten me (I’m ashamed to say that after nearly 20 years of marriage and living here, I still don’t know what many of these trees and flowers are!)

Actually, I’m not comfortable with the little white lie I just told about the feathers in the tree. They were in the tree earlier in the day but had blown onto the ground again, so I put them back in the tree to take the photos. Is that false photography? Interesting concept!

I am not, however, white-lying about the rabbits. The weird thing is that I haven’t seen any today either, so far.

Perhaps I’ve magicked them away somehow. On the other hand, the house does feel a little tilted today!

Or maybe I’m just stuck inside a ‘Julie in Wonderland’ rabbit hole.

When I go in to see Husband today, I will ask him what the blossom tree is called. He will know.

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Blogging bonding

One of the things I have found so interesting and wonderful in the world of blogging is the relationships and commonalites between bloggers, and that magic bonding thing that happpens between the like-minded and like-hearted.

I have now subscribed to, and follow, many blogs (not just wordpress blogs!) and one of my favourites is Victoria Slotto’s, not only because she is interesting and versatile, but also because her novel was published just before Christmas and it sounds wonderful (as I live in the boondocks down here in the southwest of WA, Australia, I haven’t been able to obtain VS’s book yet but I have ordered it.)

Here is her website:

http://victoriacslotto.com/

Go for it!

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Fixing the moon

Son was less than two years old when Husband had his first bout of illness and had to go to hospital to undergo numerous tests and biopies, all of which produced mysterious results (it wasn’t until later that kidney cancer was diagnosed).

During one of our visits to the hospital, Son experienced his first full-blown asthma attack (long story and all is good now). Anyway, hours later, once we had said goodnight to Husband and left the hospital, equipped with ventolin and a nebuliser, Son, breathing properly again, looked out of the car window and became transfixed with the half moon that seemed to follow us all the way home.

“Moon bwoken,” he said, seriously.

When we got home, Son insisted that we go outside to look at the moon. After a few moments, he asked me, “Daddy can fixit?”

“Yes,” I said, holding back my tears.

A week or so later, with Husband home again, Son took both of our hands and toddler-rushed us outside where we all looked up to see a beautiful, full moon wrapped in a dark, cloudless sky.

Son then threw his chubby little arms around Husband’s neck and whispered, “Fank you, Daddy, you’re a vewy good boy!”

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About birds, wings and other things

I have just altered the tagline (subtitle) to my blog fromfeeding the birds’ (I think that’s what it was!) to about birds, wings and other things’.

Apart from the fact that this little tagline rhymes, I thought it might better describe why my subject matter has transmogrified (sorry, I love that word!) into mini-articles/stories that are sometimes about things other than birds….

For example, in my cramped little office at the end of the enclosed veranda that Wantok dominated for a time, there is a wasp hovering around my head wanting very much to sting me, and, in a couple of hours, I will see the mouse I’ve been trying to trap for several days nibbling at my pile of papers.

Also, despite the comfort and beauty of our birds, Husband’s illness and Son’s adolescence have begun to preoccupy me much more than the birds. And another ‘also’: now that I’ve discovered so many fantastic blogs and bloggers, I would like to be able to ‘reblog’ (if I can figure out how!) etc. I guess I’m still on P-plates!

In other words – and I don’t particularly like cliches, but this one is apt – the sky is the limit!

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An abundance of blue wrens!

I wish I could say I took this photo but, no, instead I took it from a free photo-image site on the internet. The blue wrens around here don’t stay still enough!

They are everywhere at the moment – many, many more than we’ve ever seen before, due to the presence (I assume) of our other birds, and an abundance of bird seed sprinklings here and there around the house block.

Like many other bird breeds, blue wren males are much more beautiful (human pov) than their female counterparts who, despite blue streaks, are mostly grey in colour.

Husband has always loved the blue wrens and today, when I brought him home for the afternoon, he noticed how many were here and turned to me and said, his joy skewed, “This is MY farm.”

I know that and, since taking Husband back to his too-narrow bed, the nurses, and a lukewarm meal, I haven’t seen a single blue wren.

I will recharge my camera and try again tomorrow.

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Emu update

I just wrote this exhilaratingly, amazingly fascinating post about our emus and it’s disappeared! Not only have the brilliant words disappeared but so have the incredible photos! I will try again tomorrow – sorry.

(For new readers, I am being tongue-in-cheek!)

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Unblinking

Some people think that birds don’t blink so I have just done some extensive research (two minutes of googling) to discover that, in fact, they do blink, but only every few minutes or so. As I now have several birding readers, I’m hoping to become more enlightened here.

 Look at Phoenix 2’s eye!

 Check out Whitey’s eye!

Several years ago, Husband began to seem very grumpy all the time and it wasn’t until he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease that I learned that one of the many symptoms can include the inability to blink. Until I found that out, I just thought he was becoming a bad-tempered old grouch. Unblinking can give the appearance of permanent displeasure or sternness. Here is a sample conversation before I realised any of this:

Me: Why are you always so moody? (shouting)

Husband: I’m not – I’m fine (said with expressionless face)

Me: Are you mad at me or something? (teary)

Husband: Of course not. What’s wrong? Why are you so upset? (said with expressionless face)

Me: It’s just that you always look daggers at me.

Husband: I don’t mean to, Jules, honestly. I’m fine.

Me: So why don’t you show it? Why don’t you smile anymore? (shouting again).

The very day Husband and I had this conversation (luckily Son was at school), Husband happened to have a doctor’s appointment anyway, to check on his diabetes. Since I was already in an argumentative mood, the trip in to the closest town wasn’t pleasant:

Me: Why do you always want me to drive these days? Why can’t you drive yourself? (shouting again)

Husband: I just like your company (said with attempted smile).

Long story short – within a week it was discovered that Husband had Parkinson’s disease and the specialist who our doctor referred us to said that unblinking was a symptom, and so was unsmiling, because the muscles in the face could stop working.

‘My bad’ is an understatement of how I felt when we were told this, and all of the heartache that followed this diagnosis is best left unsaid.

Suffice it to say, however, that I now ‘get’ that the unblinking appearance of birds does not mean that they don’t feel:

love

loss

courage

fear

generosity

greed

peace

conflict

love

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Happy 18th birthday!

Duckling: What’s going on?

Turkey chick: It’s the kid’s 18th birthday.

Duckling: So?

Turkey chick: Yeah, these humans are very strange. When my dad turned 18 he was magnificent. The kid doesn’t even have his feathers yet. He has to put fake ones on.

Duckling: On his head you mean?

Turkey chick: Yeah, those, and when he puts them on he can’t balance properly so his buddies have to hold him up.

Duckling: So where’s the old chap?

Turkey chick: He’s not very well so the woman and the kid had to take him to hospital.

Duckling: I miss snoozing near his socks.

Turkey chick: So do I! Actually I miss nibbling those socks too.

Duckling: So what will they do for the kid’s birthday?

Turkey chick: I heard the woman say that they’ll pick up the old chap and go to a restaurant.

Duckling: What’s a restaurant?

Turkey chick: It’s a place where humans eat roast duck and turkey.

Duckling: I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but your jokes are awful. They’re not even funny.

Turkey chick: Shut up – here he comes!

Duckling: Why does he like cuddling you and not me?

Turkey chick: He has good taste? You’re harder to pick up because of your big feet? I’m cuter? Probably a number of reasons.

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A prelude to grief

 

A musty eiderdown

A broken rose tree

An unkept house

Even the golden pheasant seems forlorn

Tomorrow morning will be the first of fourteen:

How are you, dearie?

Good man, that’s the way.

We’ll just go to the toilet now.

Didn’t you bring any soap?

Cup of tea, darlin’?

Yes, she just rang and she’s coming in soon.

You’ve just had a little fall – everything is fine now.

Your son? Yes, he’ll be here soon too.

The bathroom is just over there.

Ring this bell if you need us.

Yes, they’re coming in to see you soon ….

A dry-cleaned eiderdown

A new rose tree

A clean house

A longed-for homecoming

Improbable

Unlikely

A wrenched, beating-too-fast heart

A bird hit by a car going too fast

A flock of crows

A bitten lip

A screaming child

Sunglasses keep fogging up in the car and I can’t see properly

Broken wings now an inadequate metaphor

I can’t see

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Lean on me

                                                                           [Photo taken at Husband’s 75th last Feb.]

When I was a kid, one of my favourite songs was Lean on Me by Bill Withers. It’s still one of my favourite songs.

Today our little family will be experiencing a transition of sorts as Husband ‘tests out’ the place that isn’t a hospital and that isn’t a home – our home I mean.

During my many conversations with Husband over the last week, I have, without realising it, been leaning on him, and his wide shoulders have borne the weight of my distress unflinchingly. This leaning thing has been reciprocal, and contagious, as Son is now leaning on me and I am leaning on him.

And, since Wantok has gone, Buttons is also doing quite a bit of leaning, which is all very sweet except that she keeps pooping on my shoulder!

I think that is taking the leaning-on-me thing way too far, don’t you?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPoTGyWT0Cg

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