Woke up to a strange noise yesterday. It took a while to work out what it was - it was rain! The first rain we've had for ages - but probably not as long as in previous years. It was quite nice for a change!
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Larry toys
We've been making toys for larry! We used bits of card tube and a card cone filled with dry banana. We've also attached his sticks back in his cage - which is giving him plenty to play with. He seems to be having a lot of fun with his new toys and has worked out that if he sticks his head into the card cone he echoes nicely, which adds to his repertoire of noises.
When we looked at parrot toys they were surprisingly expensive, and seeing that he will enjoy nothing more than shredding them it made sense to make our own. They are supposed to like toys that have a challenge, so Larry is supposed to try to lift up his cone from the toilet rolls to get some banana out of the bottom of the cone. However he has decided that nibbling the cone down from the top is the best way to get to it - or picking the cone up and shaking it around so the banana falls on the floor.
His antics are still keeping Rosie fixated.She is rarely more than a couple of feet from his cage.
When we looked at parrot toys they were surprisingly expensive, and seeing that he will enjoy nothing more than shredding them it made sense to make our own. They are supposed to like toys that have a challenge, so Larry is supposed to try to lift up his cone from the toilet rolls to get some banana out of the bottom of the cone. However he has decided that nibbling the cone down from the top is the best way to get to it - or picking the cone up and shaking it around so the banana falls on the floor.
His antics are still keeping Rosie fixated.She is rarely more than a couple of feet from his cage.
Time Flies
Looking at the photo, I think Kate did quite a good job of hiding her horror at this revelation.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
The Only Way to Travel!
Alfie came out for another walk this morning - only his second since joining us. We tried him on our usual morning walk which is a bit longer than the first walk we took him on. When we thought he might be feeling it a bit, we tried him out in the sling that Kate had bought for Herbie. It turns out that he was born to be carried around in a sling. He was utterly at home and is looking forward to future long walks in the country now.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Siberia
Being nothing, if not consistently inconsistent, having said we'd stay here for at least 10 years, and then deciding that we loved it so much we'd stay here for ever, we've now introduced a new plan which is to put the house on the market in the reasonably near future and try to sell.
We want to put some money in the bank so, after much deliberation we decided that the best way to do this was to sell the house and look for somewhere cheaper - and probably smaller. Given that there are rooms we just don't go into and barns we don't go into from one month to the next it won't be too much of a hardship. So the plan is to sell here and look for somewhere smaller and cheaper.
We're still in planning stage, so really anywhere in Spain could be our next stop, however we're currently thinking we'd like to stay in Extremadura, to the east, which is a comarca called Siberia. We could probably buy a street or two on the Costas, however we're still not attracted by ex-pat communities, and we like Extremadura so we'd like to stay here, but look for something a little different. Siberia is an area which is very sparsely populated and has a lot of reservoirs. The scenery is very rugged and reminds us of the Lake District, but with a fraction of the people.
We'll need to get our house on the market first before we can make any proper plans, however at the moment we'd love to think we could stay in Extremadura as we like the area a lot and feel very at home with the people and the area as a whole.
Here's some information about La Siberia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Siberia
We don't really know this area of Extremadura at all, and this are photos we found on the Internet which I thought might be interesting:
This is the landscape which made us think of the lake district (although different trees and much less people).
A bridge over the embalse
And this has put me off any idea what so ever of swimming - or indeed going within fish-pouncing distance - of the embalse.
Of course, this time next week we could be heading in a completely (mega-fish free) direction, however at the moment we're thinking that sunny Siberia could be our next stop!
We want to put some money in the bank so, after much deliberation we decided that the best way to do this was to sell the house and look for somewhere cheaper - and probably smaller. Given that there are rooms we just don't go into and barns we don't go into from one month to the next it won't be too much of a hardship. So the plan is to sell here and look for somewhere smaller and cheaper.
We're still in planning stage, so really anywhere in Spain could be our next stop, however we're currently thinking we'd like to stay in Extremadura, to the east, which is a comarca called Siberia. We could probably buy a street or two on the Costas, however we're still not attracted by ex-pat communities, and we like Extremadura so we'd like to stay here, but look for something a little different. Siberia is an area which is very sparsely populated and has a lot of reservoirs. The scenery is very rugged and reminds us of the Lake District, but with a fraction of the people.
We'll need to get our house on the market first before we can make any proper plans, however at the moment we'd love to think we could stay in Extremadura as we like the area a lot and feel very at home with the people and the area as a whole.
Here's some information about La Siberia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Siberia
This is a map of Extremadura. We're roughly by the red arrow now, and the green area is La Siberia. This opens up Madrid as a realistic airport option.
Photos
We don't really know this area of Extremadura at all, and this are photos we found on the Internet which I thought might be interesting:
This is a village that borders one of the embalse (reservoir)
This is the landscape which made us think of the lake district (although different trees and much less people).
A bridge over the embalse
Many rivers, lakes and embalses have artificial beaches. Here's an example from one of the embalse in La Siberia.
we do have our eyes open to the negatives. Here's a photo we found of a Siberian Corpus Christi celebration with los diablos - the devils - leading the procession. We think that the pipe and drum band of Llerena is the work of the devil - however this appears to take it up a notch!
And this has put me off any idea what so ever of swimming - or indeed going within fish-pouncing distance - of the embalse.
Of course, this time next week we could be heading in a completely (mega-fish free) direction, however at the moment we're thinking that sunny Siberia could be our next stop!
Friday, July 19, 2013
Odd Parrot
Having no prior experience of parrots, we don't know whether Larry is any odder than other parrots. However he really does seem an odd little thing. Now he is at eye level with us we are seeing a lot more about what he does in an average day, and that largely seems to be based around attacking his pine cone, attacking his perch and throwing pipa shells back in his food bowl. He also spends quite a lot of time rearranging his cage (or palace as he likes to think of it), however in true Larry style, this entails a lot of squarking and loud maneuvering of his sticks.
When his cage was on the wall, above Ian, Larry used to love nothing more than bathing in his water bowl, which used to result in Ian having an impromptu shower as Larry splashed around with gay abandon. So we put a bigger water container in his cage which he could have a good old splash in - which he has ignored. Instead, he's literally been doing head stands getting his head into his water bowl and ignoring his lovely bath. We can only think that splashing around doens't have the appeal if Ian's head isn't immediately beneath it. He's quite cat like. His very favourite thing ever one day appears rarely to be the same the next day.
It is also quite funny watching Larry when he snoozes on his perch. He looks very precarious balanced there, but as far as we know he hasn't fallen off yet. When he sleeps on the floor of the cage he rests his head on his pine cone, which makes us think that perhaps he secretly loves his pine cone, despite how his constant attacking may appear. It's nice having him at eye level and he is quite a source of entertainment and I think he is enjoying it too, but his 'I'm Happy' squark appears much the same as his 'I'm Unhappy' squark.
At least he is still keeping Rosie entertained, and happily she has given up pointing at the house next door and has spent the last two weeks pointing at Larry. Admittedly, she has lost her pointer-hunting dog stance and is now lies pointing at him.
Watching Larry climb around his cage is very funny. He uses his beak to help him climb, but he slides down the bars too.
We took Alfie for his first walk - or hop, outside the house today. He did really well, hopping all the way. Although he does walk on his stumpy leg, when he is walking or running he just uses three legs. He didn't seem worried and was quite happy, but perhaps his leg is a little stiff now as he's not leaping on/off things with his normal devil-may-care attitude. We're getting used to a low-flying yorkie propelling himself into roughly the direction he wants to go and without too much fear as to where he's going to land. I don't think he has too much control over how strong he propells himself on his one good back leg which is why he's a little random!
When his cage was on the wall, above Ian, Larry used to love nothing more than bathing in his water bowl, which used to result in Ian having an impromptu shower as Larry splashed around with gay abandon. So we put a bigger water container in his cage which he could have a good old splash in - which he has ignored. Instead, he's literally been doing head stands getting his head into his water bowl and ignoring his lovely bath. We can only think that splashing around doens't have the appeal if Ian's head isn't immediately beneath it. He's quite cat like. His very favourite thing ever one day appears rarely to be the same the next day.
It is also quite funny watching Larry when he snoozes on his perch. He looks very precarious balanced there, but as far as we know he hasn't fallen off yet. When he sleeps on the floor of the cage he rests his head on his pine cone, which makes us think that perhaps he secretly loves his pine cone, despite how his constant attacking may appear. It's nice having him at eye level and he is quite a source of entertainment and I think he is enjoying it too, but his 'I'm Happy' squark appears much the same as his 'I'm Unhappy' squark.
At least he is still keeping Rosie entertained, and happily she has given up pointing at the house next door and has spent the last two weeks pointing at Larry. Admittedly, she has lost her pointer-hunting dog stance and is now lies pointing at him.
Watching Larry climb around his cage is very funny. He uses his beak to help him climb, but he slides down the bars too.
We took Alfie for his first walk - or hop, outside the house today. He did really well, hopping all the way. Although he does walk on his stumpy leg, when he is walking or running he just uses three legs. He didn't seem worried and was quite happy, but perhaps his leg is a little stiff now as he's not leaping on/off things with his normal devil-may-care attitude. We're getting used to a low-flying yorkie propelling himself into roughly the direction he wants to go and without too much fear as to where he's going to land. I don't think he has too much control over how strong he propells himself on his one good back leg which is why he's a little random!
Alfie Goes for a Walk
For this morning's pre breakfast walk, we took Alfie with us. It's the first time that we've taken him out since he arrived and we didn't know how he'd get on. To play safe we did a different route that we could cut short if necessary. We needn't have worried as he quite happily hopped along, though he was looking a little tired by the end.
Henry on Piratas cat tree
Henry has taken over from Bob cat tree duties. However he's not the only one. Look at Alfie in the box undermeath.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
No More Mrs Nice Guy
This year I'm taking a hard line with students who misbehave or don't come to classes without telling me first. I've so far sent texts to two parents about bad behaviour of students (super-bad behaviour, the students were fighting each other and it transpires there's a ongoing problem between them and they are separated at school - which, given that the class size is 8 at the school, keeping them separate will prove to be a challenge!) and I've sent Ian out with a note to a parent whose child didn't attend for two weeks without telling me. It wasn't so bad when I was only doing a few classes a week, however it is now very difficult to prepare if I don't know who is coming to class.
We're looking for ways that I can stop doing classes as they are becoming an increasing chore - however they account for so much of our income I can't just stop doing them. It's a chore for Ian too, as he can't go out when I have classes as I don't like being alone when I have the very young ones here in case there is ever an emergency, and even things like answering the door and leaving two of the little ones unattended can result in ensuing havoc.
We'd let the chickens go broody, however after about 6 weeks we realized that they were probably just lazy rather than broody and that it looks as though Limpy may be infertile. Silkies are supposed to be good brooders, however I do think that they use it to their advantage when they want to have a lie down for a few weeks.
In case anyone is wondering about the photos that keep appearing, we've worked out how to take photos with our phones and post them straight to the blog. However on mine, you need to click on the image to see it full size. Ian's, of course, are perfect!
We're looking for ways that I can stop doing classes as they are becoming an increasing chore - however they account for so much of our income I can't just stop doing them. It's a chore for Ian too, as he can't go out when I have classes as I don't like being alone when I have the very young ones here in case there is ever an emergency, and even things like answering the door and leaving two of the little ones unattended can result in ensuing havoc.
We'd let the chickens go broody, however after about 6 weeks we realized that they were probably just lazy rather than broody and that it looks as though Limpy may be infertile. Silkies are supposed to be good brooders, however I do think that they use it to their advantage when they want to have a lie down for a few weeks.
In case anyone is wondering about the photos that keep appearing, we've worked out how to take photos with our phones and post them straight to the blog. However on mine, you need to click on the image to see it full size. Ian's, of course, are perfect!
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Fibre!
Here's what a kilo of cashmere and silk looks like! We got it from Germany from a wholesale place and I was able to buy a lot more with my money.
This was with my birthday money and i think it will take another decade to spin it all!
What's the Point?
Rosie really does understand dedication to duty, though has some difficulty recognising parrots. Since moving into his new cage, Larry's been stared at almost constantly by Rosie who's taken great pains to remind us that she's a pointer. However, Rosie has also been looking for the parrot that used to live on the wall, not to mention the parrot who only appeared for a few nights, living in the bedroom.
Tuesday, July 09, 2013
Larry's New Home
We finally got Larry's new home ordered on Sunday and it arrived this morning, sin his Happy Bone parrot toy. He wasn't in any great hurry to cross the threshold and we eventually had to resort to shooting him with a water pistol to force him into his new pad. Seemed like natural justice for all the times that he has showered me with water. He's been surprisingly relaxed about his move and has shown none of the histrionics that we'd expected. Pirata also stopped by to welcome him to the neighbourhood.
A Young Visitor
Storks are meant to bring good luck, so hopefully this one on the roof won't let us down. I was alerted by Rosie barking frantically and was in the process of telling her off for barking at the house next door when I noticed the young stork.
Sunday, July 07, 2013
Hot!
It's hot at the moment. For the last three days we've had a yellow alert for heat. We do have some shading to hang in the patio, however it's difficult to find time to do it when it's not too hot or dark!
I know it is hot - not just because of the yellow alert - but also because when it gets to a certain temperature the pups desert me and flop on the floor. At all other times of the year I am buried under a small pile of dogs, however they currently prefer spreading out on the cool-ish floor. In fact, we were so puppy-light last night Ian had to go and find them!
Alfie is suffering from the heat. He came from further north in Spain where it wouldn't have been so hot. He's a bit of a fidget at the best of times, but he really can't settle in this heat. We tried sitting him in front of the fan, but he didn't seem to like that either. Basil was the only dog who liked the fan, I think he liked the air blowing through his fur.
We went vine leaf scrumping again yesterday - well actually we went asparagus hunting because we'd found a few strands of asparagus earlier in the week - just enough for a small breakfast. We wondered if our old asparagus hunting ground would offer more - but it offered just a few dried stalks, so instead we decided to pick a few vines leaves and have stuffed vine leaves again for tea.
We visited Pepe's today which was the first time for ages. Today tapas included tortilla made with caugettes which we hadn't had before.
Ian has had his stitches out and the buttons removed. He was a little disappointed that they removed the buttons as he felt they gave him a certain something - and yes, a man with a yellow and red button on each side of his chin certainly did have a certain something...
I know it is hot - not just because of the yellow alert - but also because when it gets to a certain temperature the pups desert me and flop on the floor. At all other times of the year I am buried under a small pile of dogs, however they currently prefer spreading out on the cool-ish floor. In fact, we were so puppy-light last night Ian had to go and find them!
Alfie is suffering from the heat. He came from further north in Spain where it wouldn't have been so hot. He's a bit of a fidget at the best of times, but he really can't settle in this heat. We tried sitting him in front of the fan, but he didn't seem to like that either. Basil was the only dog who liked the fan, I think he liked the air blowing through his fur.
We went vine leaf scrumping again yesterday - well actually we went asparagus hunting because we'd found a few strands of asparagus earlier in the week - just enough for a small breakfast. We wondered if our old asparagus hunting ground would offer more - but it offered just a few dried stalks, so instead we decided to pick a few vines leaves and have stuffed vine leaves again for tea.
We visited Pepe's today which was the first time for ages. Today tapas included tortilla made with caugettes which we hadn't had before.
Ian has had his stitches out and the buttons removed. He was a little disappointed that they removed the buttons as he felt they gave him a certain something - and yes, a man with a yellow and red button on each side of his chin certainly did have a certain something...
Friday, July 05, 2013
It's been a sad week
without Bob. While I knew he was very ill, I just assumed he would get better and even when we were at the vets for the last time, part of me was expecting the vet to say he was getting better.
Here are two photos which are typical Bob. The first photo is when Bob was recovering from his torn ligament and had just been diagnosed as having a weak heart, two factors which were not going to stop him climbing the cat tree looking for cat food.
This second photo is of Bob on Pirata's cat tree. This was the day when Pirata first came to live with us. We bought him a small cat tree, which Pirata ignored, being much too small for him, but which Bob quickly adopted. We found out that the vet who we were going to in Zafra was also the vet who operated on Pirata's leg before he came to us.
Here are two photos which are typical Bob. The first photo is when Bob was recovering from his torn ligament and had just been diagnosed as having a weak heart, two factors which were not going to stop him climbing the cat tree looking for cat food.
