|
Post by Learner on Apr 16, 2019 1:52:00 GMT
I am, at last, finally winging by... It has been such a long time that I forgot my password and had to re-new it!! I am delighted to see the forum still flying high and hope to drop by and perch for a while just as soon as I manage to sort out the links and set-up on my new laptop. I am still keep budgies but not bred any for a while. The Meeps moved in and have multiplied (there's a surprise). Once there were two and now…. (if only the little blighters would stay still long enough to be counted) there are 6 or 8... I think it's 6. They are living in the aviary at the opposite end to the budgies where they have a small flight of their own. Boy do they make a mess!! Shredded paper all over the place every morning... and, NO, they are not having another nest-box for quite sometime. Other than that... the world here continues to spin - life is good and the bird seed affordable so I'm content. Hoping to catch up with old friends on here asp... and again, please accept my apologies for the long silence (perhaps you have benefitted from the lack of chirping from me LOL)… But I will be back.
|
|
Mar 29, 2024 15:47:54 GMT
Deleted
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 16, 2019 4:56:34 GMT
It’s good to hear from you Learner. I sure skysmum can empathise with the mess the meeps make as she has some as well. My Nan kept a couple when I was a child and I remember being fascinated by their constant flitting around the cage; they never stopped moving 😆
|
|
|
Post by jellybean on Apr 16, 2019 7:17:58 GMT
It's great to have you back Learner, hope you stick around, I love your funny stories, glad ALL your birdies are doing well.
|
|
|
Post by Hezz on Apr 16, 2019 9:34:33 GMT
Always welcome, and great to hear that every thing is chugging along just fine.
|
|
|
Post by ffiscool on Apr 16, 2019 9:52:38 GMT
hey.. good to see you
|
|
|
Post by Marianne Marlow on Apr 18, 2019 8:43:55 GMT
Welcome back!
I'm glad that the multiplying meeps are keeping you on your toes!
|
|
|
Post by Learner on Apr 18, 2019 11:28:59 GMT
Nice to be back too and thank you for all of your responses... I'm not entirely sure what I have been doing for the last (seems) ever-so-long. Life has settled, if ever it does that sort of thing, and we are all ok. The budgies continue to gnaw at every available piece of wood-work. They have become, accustomed to me and my odd ways. I say "Go on in" when I am ready to close the outside flight for the night and now they oblige almost instantly. Makes it useful as I don't have to wait for them to decide it's time. They flit in one at a time like parachutists in reverse. The Meeps (a flock of little zebra finches) are hopeless. Always keen to bounce out into the outside flight in the morning but only go in when they want to. On the other hand "cleaning out" time is easy - as soon as they see me reach for the hoover they belt into their outside flight out of the way - I then drop the outer flight door and have the inside to myself. Impatient little blighters - they pull the cord outside to rattle the pop-hole door to let me know I have been too long and they want to get back in to make a mess all over again! News from the home-front: (maybe of interest to anyone who knows the story so far) - My mum's Will finally settled - my parents bungalow now sold to my son and daughter-in-law at a (lower than market value) so they have the home they needed... consequently they moved out of the bungalow opposite us.
- My daughter now living in the bungalow opposite us so she has a home of her own too and we have our home to ourselves after many years. The little bungalow has been completely redecorated top to bottom so that was a task that kept us very busy for a long time.
- I have repaid my cousin the money he loaned to me to enable me to buy the bungalow opposite in the first place so my parents could be close and I could care for them and be near my wife. There was a good chunk of interest for him so his kindness has been rightly been returned. Without his financial support I am not sure how I would have been able to act as carer for 6 years solid. (Of course I miss my parents greatly but I did my best for them as they did for me).
- At the end of December 2018 my son became a dad when his wife gave birth to twins!!! (Hence the need for a bigger home - they moved before the babies arrived). SO... we are now proud grand-parents to one girl and one boy. That has been another big change in the family's life history. (I so wish my mum and dad had been around to see their great-grandchildren)
- We decided to try to protect the value of the remaining assets arising from my mum's will. - We are in the process of buying a flat along the coast. Early days but offer was accepted - if all goes well the place is near the beach so we will use it for holiday breaks and offer it to family & friends for them to do the same - that's the plan anyway all the time we can afford the monthly costs of up-keep. After that we may let it out.
There we go - time slipped by - I am gradually finding my feet again and wondering what the future holds... I was a volunteer for MIND helping provide respite for family carers of people with dementia - I thoroughly enjoyed helping but, unfortunately, our local County Council cut backs have resulted in withdrawal of funding so the group closed at the end of March... Sad for the "clients" and their family carers. I intend to continue with voluntary work - presently waiting to hear back from a couple of places... I get a lot in return. I made some good friends and enjoyed the company of the people attending the dementia respite group - they were great fun and wonderful characters - sad not to be seeing them each week. So that's about it... Here's hoping life has been treating you all well and the budgies continue to be chirpful too.
|
|
|
Post by ffiscool on Apr 18, 2019 13:14:45 GMT
well, no wonder you have been busy.
congrats on becoming a grandparent and yes, it would have been nice if your parents had known them, but they may well be watching.
I think it also gives you another nice reason to be busy. it may have all not worked out had it all been happening at the same time. I do think things happen when they do for a reason.
lovely of your cousin and such a close family.. it is lovely. Now you can enjoy it all and be close and see the little ones grow up :-)
|
|
|
Post by suesbird on Apr 18, 2019 19:43:02 GMT
Hello again from me, madam Jo and Pip.
|
|
Mar 29, 2024 15:47:54 GMT
Deleted
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2019 21:26:57 GMT
Wow you have been busy Learner!! Sorry to read about your mum but congratulations on the birth of your grandchild. They will certainly keep you on your toes 😊
|
|
|
Post by Learner on Apr 21, 2019 1:31:05 GMT
Easter Week-end
The sunshine today was lovely - a chance to bully the compost heaps into action (we needed another one so that was built) - cleaned out my son's koi carp pond (he built a 10' square one and then moved!!), the aviary door was flung open wide as the temperatures climbed and the budgies sat inside... always a sign that the day will be dry.
Not an Easter egg in sight but the Meeps seem to be producing their own again. A nest-box or no nest-box? That is the question.
I am not sure about it - if there are to be baby Meeps again I think the parents will need to be moved to a private suite for the duration or there will be so much feather pulling and squabbling - two original parents in a flight with their now grown-up off-spring - they will flight like mad about who gets to build a nest so... a flight cage it will have to be.
I am also considering searching for a small group of Bengalese - gorgeous little peaceful birds that come in many shades of brown chocolate, fawn and white. Has anyone else kept them?
PS - Many thanks for all the replies - great to hear from you all.
|
|
|
Post by Learner on May 9, 2019 1:56:39 GMT
Stay outs!! Suddenly there were two Meeps missing from the inside flight one late evening. BUT I found them nestled in the outside flight on a tiny ledge near the window settled down for the night they were! They should have been inside with their first lot off-spring and behaving. No chance!! Instead they had used a few shreds of newspaper to make a very rudimental "nest" and plonked and egg in it. Sorry Meeps but this was not planned and.... well, they were shooed inside where it was warmer and safe for the night... not only that the egg had slid off the ledge and disappeared behind the wire mesh as it really was not a suitable nest site. The following morning I made a new meshed frame and screwed it in place to prevent another failed attempt at exploding the population.. the ledge was now inaccessible to them. I felt mean but there are only so many Meeps that you can fit comfortably into a 6' flight and a a 3' inner flight without the squabble level becoming a concern. Needless to say the budgies just look on in surprise from the flight at the other end...these little flit-abouts have such strange and busy behaviours. I dare say they will try something else the minute my back is turned - nesting in the water pot wasn't the brightest move either!
|
|
|
Post by Shirls on May 9, 2019 9:02:51 GMT
Nice to hear from you again Learner and my what a busy life you lead, no wonder you had no time for the forum!! I think you will find, from skysmum's experience that meeps will breed regardless of what they have, they will shred anything they can lay their little beaks on and make nests!
|
|
|
Post by Learner on May 9, 2019 18:47:33 GMT
Great to be back.. and I am doing my best to remain in the same time frame as everyone else and avoid long late nights / mornings awake. Hopefully everyone is doing well... I will gradually get round to flitting through the posts and the forum as a whole. Lots of exploring and catching up to do.. Looking forward to a bit of natter now and then too.
|
|
|
Post by skysmum on May 9, 2019 20:38:42 GMT
Good to hear from you Learner, you written that book yet Ohhhhh the joy's of owning Meeps aye, they can turn a clean cage or aviary into something that resembles the council tip in the shake of a stick My 4 in the aviary are currently stealing the seeding grass away from the Budgies and trying to weave it into the wire mesh, what they can possibly achieve with this, only a Meep must know
|
|