Wednesday, September 29, 2010

MORE ABOUT OUR FEATHERED FRIENDS

I wrote last Saturday about the 28 parrots and galahs that seemed to be sharing a large gum tree near our Post Office. The first week it was the 28s and the second week the galahs were in residence.

Today we parked in the same place and to my surprise it wasn't a galah feeding her young but once again a 28 parrot. Her partner wasn't to be seen and neither were either of the galahs.

This is becoming quite a mystery to me. Are they taking it in turns? Of course not but are they perhaps sharing the same nest in the hollow of this tree. I can't believe that possibe either but in nature one never knows.

I am looking forward to the next time we park our car in that spot. Will it be a 28 or a galah or perhaps neither. I can only hope they are doing OK and that any babies of either kind will grow up safely.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

HOW I KNOW I AM GETTING OLD

Sitting here and typing this blog I feel little difference, in my mind, to when I was say 25, 35 or 45 but there are things that have happened lately that make me realise I know very little about this modern world in which we live.

I use Facebook a lot and there are a couple of games I really enjoy playing and I have no problem with them at all which is good. I can use Google (and often do) and send and receive emails OK. What I am finding lately however is that certain applications that used to be simple to use, ie iPhoto, have suddenly to me become really complicated. I therefore no longer attempt to use it although my daughter says it is working properly. It just doesn't want to work for me apparently. Why change it all the time? It worked perfectly well before so......

Months ago we realised our old mobile telephone (which we only take if we go out or MOH takes with him if he is going on his own) needed replacing so off we went to buy a new one, a nice simple one we told the man that you could use as a phone and perhaps send the odd text message. We bought one and I virtually have not used it since. There were no actual instructions on how to use the phone as a phone but heaps of instructions about everything else this phone can apparently do. We do not want to take photos with it or any of the seemingly endless uses it has. MOH finds the buttons far too small but he does manage to ring me if he needs to when he is out. I am not sure if he ever gets a wrong number but wouldn't blame him if he did. I don't ask him as I know he would feel badly. There are never many calls on our a/c so probably not. I don't check the numbers but recognise most of the half dozen or so.

We decided recently to buy a combination VCR/DVD player and the remote control also has tiny buttons. I was a whiz with VCRs and never had a problem programming them or playing them back but I've not even used this one at all. Far too complicated and difficult for my arthritic fingers too. MOH has not yet mastered the art of programming the machine as the instructions are just so complicated. At least he can use it to play tapes or DVDs which is something.

I hear people talk about iPods, iPads etc etc and realise I have no idea what they are talking about although I believe one plays recorded music but I'm not sure. Nobody explains their use and I wouldn't know how to download music anyway nor would I really want to as I have an adequate supply of CDs from reasonably modern to classical to listen to.

All the above may sound a little strange to the young and I wonder if my folks had a similar problem as they aged. I don't think they really did because things back then didn't progress so rapidly. It's as though manufactures of these items are racing to outdo each other and not worrying about people who are being left behind.

I know mum and dad weren't keen on modern music - crooners and such - so I had my own gramophone to play my records in my room. Yes a wind-up gramophone...oh boy, does that age me. I actually still have it here and it still works and even have needles for it as well.

The world has certanly changed in the past 50 years but much more so as far as technology is concerned in the past 10-15 years. It has left me behind and even though at times I feel left out I am not sure I want to be bothered with it. I prefer simple things and there don't seem to be many about now.

OUR FEATHERED FRIENDS

Every Wednesday after MOH and I have been to our exercise group we park in the street near our post office while MOH checks for mail.

In this area there is a large liquor store, an hotel, a service station and various shops. There are also some very, very large eucalypt trees and I always enjoy looking at them and watching out for various birds that often frequent them.

Two weeks back on the tree nearest the footpath I noticed two 28 (Port Lincoln) parrots. I wondered what they were doing and then realised the smaller one (obviously the mum) appeared to be feeding a young one which was in a large hollow quite high up in the truck of the tree. Dad was a little lower down keeping watch. They were a delight to see and seemed to be very safe where they were

The following week we parked in the same spot and on the same tree, using the same nesting site, were a pair of pink and grey galahs. I did see a 28 nearby that seemed to be anxious about what was happening but then it disappeared.

The female galah also appeared to be feeding a chick with dad keeping watch. Had the
baby 28 matured enough to leave the nest or had the galahs just taken over. Were they perhaps looking after a 28 chick as well as their own? One can only hope that all was well with all of them.

An elderly man on his gopher came down the hill, stopped, took out a small tin and proceeded to throw bird seed at the base of the tree. I spoke to him about the birds and he said he remembered when this area was just bush and as he was 90 years old I feel he had lived thereabouts for many years...maybe from when he was married. He said there were hundreds of birds living there at that time as well as the area having lots of wildflowers. He remembered when the hotel was built and eventually the surrounding shops etc.

We spoke about the suburban sprawl and how it is depriving so many native birds and animals of their habitats and now the birds have to try and live with us and in spite of us. We agreed that progress is not always good for every creature in this world and I wondered how many others had noticed first the 28 parrots and then the galahs. I am sure there are many people that do not see these things as they busily go about their everyday tasks and, some of them, even if they did notice them....would they care?

We are told we must not feed native birds but I doubt this old man was doing very much harm just throwing them a handful of seed each day. From the way he spoke I think he also puts some on his lawn where he lives. As long as the birds do not become dependent on him as after all he IS 90 and one wonders how many more years he will be around performing these acts of kindness.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

OUR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY THIS WEEK

It will be 43 years on Thursday since MOH and I were married in Trinity Church in Perth and he is going to desert me for the day!! Am I mad about it? No, I am not because he is once again going to the University (UWA) to talk to the medical and dental students about diabetes. We both used to go until I became a little too decrepit to get around much and it often involved lots of walking from one lecture theatre to another which I found a little too much to deal with.

We both enjoyed being able to talk about our diabetes so that the students had some concept of what they would be dealing with once they began doctoring for real. Now, my MOH tells me, they even have the students test their blood sugar, eat something sweet and test again so they know a little something of what diabetes entails for the individual sufferer.

When the invitation came a couple of weeks back for MOH to go to UWA on the 16th I knew he wanted to go so badly and I of course told him it would be quite all right for him to do so. I will feel a little lonelier that day without him being here but it is such a good thing he does that I would never dream of stopping him and I know, at 80, it is good for him to feel that way.

He will make it up to me in some small way I know although, after all these years, that is not really necessary. I am so glad he is who he is and during the past weeks, when I have been really down and out, he has been marvellous. He has begun playing golf again (he has recovered from the pulled muscle in his leg) which I am so glad about and I think he deserves a break away from me for a day so he goes to UWA with my love and gratitude.

Monday, September 6, 2010

AN OUTING WITH THE FAMILY

Saturday was eldest grand-daughter's 14th birthday and her mum invited MOH and me to join the family for dinner at the Hog's Breath Cafe in Rockingham. She knows how much we enjoy these rare outings and I am grateful to her for making a point of including us in the group.

We were lucky to find nearby parking which we later learned was only for 30 minutes so dear daughter grabbed our car keys and found a nearby Acrod parking bay for our little car. Those spots are quite few and far between so we were fortunate there was a vacant one. I get so mad when I see people park in these bays that don't qualify (no sticker displayed on their dashboard) and often feel like reporting them but I am not a dobber by nature so let it ride.

We had some delicious appetisers, followed by the main meal and really great sweets. I noticed that it seemed more a venue for younger people altho' there were several middle-aged folk there too. Perhaps, being a Saturday, more young people go out but don't quote me on that. It was certainly very crowded and a trifle noisy too so why oh why did they have to have music playing as well. You couldn't actually hear the music properly and I don't think anyone would have minded had they turned it off.

I didn't think the seating was marvellous and glad I had a chair to sit on instead of the bench and my daughter said the same thing to me afterwards. We both sat on chairs athough I must admit that my back complained quite loudly about it the next day. MOH gave me a good rub with Voltaren Gel which helped somewhat.

The highlight of the night was when g.g.daughter's sweets arrived. An absolutely huge bowl of sundae with two sparklers sparkling away on top and two waitresses singing Happy Birthday and of course we all joined in as well. I don't think that any of us believed that g.g.d would get through all that sundae but get through it she did without blinking an eye.

It wasn't a late night which was good for we oldies and we had a great drive home without a hitch. We just hope that C had a wonderful day with more to follow on the Sunday when she was going to a ten pin bowling party with some of her friends.

My sincere thanks to my #2 granddaughter for her invite. Last month we joined the family for son-in-law's birthday breakfast in King's Park and next Sunday I have been told we are all going to get together once again to celebrate Father's Day which of course was really yesterday. It just seemed a good idea to split the two occasions and I'm happy about it 'cos it means we get to be with the family once again. Fantastic.

Friday, September 3, 2010

WHAT RIGHT DO I HAVE TO COMPLAIN?

Last night on TV I glimpsed sight of two little girls (perhaps about age 8 or thereabouts) and both of them had only one leg each. They were playing games, one was riding a horse, and I thought to myself what right do I have to complain about having shingles or my arthritis etc? At 78 I still have both my legs and arms and can still walk, albeit sometimes very slowly and a little painfully.

It is when you feel really down though that you become the centre of your own world for a while and I guess self preservation may be a part of this feeling; of that I am not sure. You look for sympathy from those that are pretty fit and empathy perhaps from those who also have problems such as yours.

There is always someone worse off than I am (millions in fact)so I offer thanks that my mental factulties are still sound (some may dispute that *_*) and hopefully I still have a few good years left. The may not be very productive years but I will still try and pull my weight and do those things I am still capable of doing.

What I am really saying is: forgive me when I have a grizzle. It's just that my pain is my own and I am the only one that feels it and when it gets on top of me I just have to have an outlet and I am understand that is one things blogs can be useful for.