09 July 2006
Felting the Shed Roof and Catching Rambo!
Well, I did it, eventually. I woke up, got dressed in my old togs and did all the usual jobs, bird feeding etc. Then I carried up the roll of felt (it says it weighs 25kilos but it feels more like 50 to me) I got my staple gun, tape measure, the scissors, the paint brush and tin of black adhesive, a screwdriver to open same, and was ready for action. So I peel off the paper round the roll of felt, unravel and look in horror, about 5 feet down there is a jagged tear in the felt! Oh shit. Oh well maybe I can get away with cutting that bit off, may not need it all (I needed three lengths of 106 inches, but don't ask me what that is in metres, I have a 10metre roll of shed felt here) So I unravel a bit more, and this jagged tear is repeated about every four feet throughout the entire length! To say I was livid was an understatement. Why me? Out of about 50 rolls to choose from in Focus, I have to pick a bloody faulty one. There was no way I wanted to go all the way back down there at 10 oclock on a Saturday morning, and I had no idea if I still had the receipt anyway. So I went to the local builders merchants and got another roll, which was a lot dearer, but it feels better quality. That was the tale of woe anyway, but actually doing the job was okay, apart from making a couple of stupid errors, like not wearing gloves, I cut my hands on the gravelly stuff on the felt, and I got literally plastered in the black shit. Thank christ I had some white spirit to clean up with after. Sadly that won't work on my jeans. Okay, they weren't a particularly great pair, but I do wear them a lot and they were presentable . Now they have lots of black splodges and streaks on them where I was crawling about on the shed roof, and although I tried to be careful, drips went here and there, mainly on my jeans. When will I learn to wear overalls or put on some really old gear when I do a job? It took about two hours in all, the black shit was the hardest part. You're supposed to let it get tacky and then it will stick after about 15 minutes. Hum. More like an hour. I had to go back up there again about 4 oclock and press all along the three seams again. I am dreading looking when I get up today after the horrendous wind and rain we had here last night ..... I will maybe have to resort to a few staples, but I really don't want to do that. I don't want any leaks on my poor birdies, they have put up with it for a few months now. That shed has got to last at least another 10 years I reckon.
Okay, that was the boring bit. Now onto the exciting bit of my day. I was watching the Ladies final at Wimbledon, which I'd recorded the last set of because Emma was pestering to go out, so took her down the park. The phone rang, it was a mobile number, didn't recognise it, but answered and it was a lad asking about the Lovebird. It was his! He lived in the village, they'd lost it just over a week ago. He was a bit down when I explained that I hadn't caught it, that it was just hanging around the garden, but I said he'd be welcome to come round, I was hoping that it would recognise him and come down, but he said unlikely, it wasn't very tame. He said could he come tomorrow. I was a bit surprised, but still. Anyway, the phone rang again in a few minutes, and he said could they come now, so I said of course. Him and his girlfriend arrived with the lovebirds little friend in a cage and we set up this in my safety porch with the door propped open with a stick and a length of string. The loose lovebird is named Rambo! It was so touching to see his little friend calling with excitement. Rambo was pretty excited too, but sadly despite once coming very close to going down to the cage, he was having none. After standing around in the rain for an hour or so, we had to give up, and the young couple went off, and we said we'd have another go tomorrow. I was wet and frozen.
Came in and did the teas, by then the weather had worsened, and I kept looking at him up there in the hawthorn tree, he came down to eat with the sparrows, but then just went back into the tree.
At 9.45, it was starting to get dark, and he was still there. I'd already shut in my other birds, and the chickens, and come back in. I couldn't bear to see him there in that tree, I'd already tried to scare him off to roost somewhere safer, he was wet, fluffed up and hanging on with difficulty to the branch he was perched on, getting a real buffeting. I don't know why he didn't go off last night, like he usually did. Maybe he thought I still had his friend inside the aviary, I had left the porch door open most of the evening hoping he'd go in. I came indoors very upset. I then thought I'd have a go a netting him, even if it were to make him go off somewhere so I couldn't see his plight. My net only has about a 4 feet reach, so I taped it to my broom! I went out, and he looked down at me. I moved the net up slowly so it was level with him, and thought this is it, he'll be off. So I swiped, and I got!
Quite one of the highest feelings of elation I have ever had, lol!
I rushed down to the house, clutching the net tightly, got the shed door open with one hand and got my carry box out. Took him in the kitchen, and transferred him. Phoned the boy and he came straight round.
Sad in a way because he was enjoying his freedom, but it would have ended sooner or later with his demise I feel. And his little friend will be relieved, the excitement this afternoon when he/she saw and heard Rambo was so touching. It had been very quiet all week apparently.
I was on such a high after, and I kept waking up during the night with the noise of the wind and rain here, it's been awful and doesn't bear thinking about his condition if he'd been outside in that, although he had survived two worse nights this past week. I wish I could have seen his little friend's face when they put him back in the cage last night.
Well that's enough about my exciting day yesterday. I wonder what today has in store for me.... (grey sky and wind to start with, so not very promising) World Cup final later I suppose, whoopeeee.
Oh I nearly forgot, have to mention watching the last episode of Dr Who for a while - I never used to watch it, and have only done so this time because of David Tennant (swoon) The end of Rose Tyler/Billie Piper. And I sobbed my heart out, so very, very sad, never thought I could cry buckets over Dr Who! Great acting and great special effects. And what a twist at the end, Catherine Tate in a wedding dress, lol. Fan-bloody-tastic. :)
Taken on Friday, the closest he'd come to the house.
The last picture taken of little Rambo, just before he was taken home
Okay, that was the boring bit. Now onto the exciting bit of my day. I was watching the Ladies final at Wimbledon, which I'd recorded the last set of because Emma was pestering to go out, so took her down the park. The phone rang, it was a mobile number, didn't recognise it, but answered and it was a lad asking about the Lovebird. It was his! He lived in the village, they'd lost it just over a week ago. He was a bit down when I explained that I hadn't caught it, that it was just hanging around the garden, but I said he'd be welcome to come round, I was hoping that it would recognise him and come down, but he said unlikely, it wasn't very tame. He said could he come tomorrow. I was a bit surprised, but still. Anyway, the phone rang again in a few minutes, and he said could they come now, so I said of course. Him and his girlfriend arrived with the lovebirds little friend in a cage and we set up this in my safety porch with the door propped open with a stick and a length of string. The loose lovebird is named Rambo! It was so touching to see his little friend calling with excitement. Rambo was pretty excited too, but sadly despite once coming very close to going down to the cage, he was having none. After standing around in the rain for an hour or so, we had to give up, and the young couple went off, and we said we'd have another go tomorrow. I was wet and frozen.
Came in and did the teas, by then the weather had worsened, and I kept looking at him up there in the hawthorn tree, he came down to eat with the sparrows, but then just went back into the tree.
At 9.45, it was starting to get dark, and he was still there. I'd already shut in my other birds, and the chickens, and come back in. I couldn't bear to see him there in that tree, I'd already tried to scare him off to roost somewhere safer, he was wet, fluffed up and hanging on with difficulty to the branch he was perched on, getting a real buffeting. I don't know why he didn't go off last night, like he usually did. Maybe he thought I still had his friend inside the aviary, I had left the porch door open most of the evening hoping he'd go in. I came indoors very upset. I then thought I'd have a go a netting him, even if it were to make him go off somewhere so I couldn't see his plight. My net only has about a 4 feet reach, so I taped it to my broom! I went out, and he looked down at me. I moved the net up slowly so it was level with him, and thought this is it, he'll be off. So I swiped, and I got!
Quite one of the highest feelings of elation I have ever had, lol!
I rushed down to the house, clutching the net tightly, got the shed door open with one hand and got my carry box out. Took him in the kitchen, and transferred him. Phoned the boy and he came straight round.
Sad in a way because he was enjoying his freedom, but it would have ended sooner or later with his demise I feel. And his little friend will be relieved, the excitement this afternoon when he/she saw and heard Rambo was so touching. It had been very quiet all week apparently.
I was on such a high after, and I kept waking up during the night with the noise of the wind and rain here, it's been awful and doesn't bear thinking about his condition if he'd been outside in that, although he had survived two worse nights this past week. I wish I could have seen his little friend's face when they put him back in the cage last night.
Well that's enough about my exciting day yesterday. I wonder what today has in store for me.... (grey sky and wind to start with, so not very promising) World Cup final later I suppose, whoopeeee.
Oh I nearly forgot, have to mention watching the last episode of Dr Who for a while - I never used to watch it, and have only done so this time because of David Tennant (swoon) The end of Rose Tyler/Billie Piper. And I sobbed my heart out, so very, very sad, never thought I could cry buckets over Dr Who! Great acting and great special effects. And what a twist at the end, Catherine Tate in a wedding dress, lol. Fan-bloody-tastic. :)
Taken on Friday, the closest he'd come to the house.
The last picture taken of little Rambo, just before he was taken home# posted by flicker : 06:35
Comments:
<< Home
You must be sooooooo pleased with your self Jan, not an easy thing to do, and maybe luck was on your side, what a lucky bird, he may not have made it in all that wind and rain poor little bird, glad he s safe and warm back home with his friend.
Post a Comment
<< Home
