Jasmine On Her Play Station

Jazzy has what we call a 'play station'. It is made out of a stainless steel frame for a small side table, which used to have a glass surface on it before Jazzy appropriated it for her station. Attached to the top of this frame is the ladder-perch-set that came with her cage. It used to be on the top of the cage, but this seemed a bit high for everyday use; not for Jasmine of course, but for us! This unit is then placed on a table.

She has a great time going up and down it and it gives her a really good workout.





She climbs up the ladder to the very top and onto the wooden perch. From there she can get food and drink.









Jazzy's philosophy seems to be that any activity can be enhanced by having a snack.

When she's refueled she goes off again at high speed. You can just about see the blur there in the photo as she goes down the ladder. I don't use the flash to take photos of Jasmine because it can cause damage to the eyes, so sometimes these photos are a little dark and out of focus. Clicking on a photo will show an enlargement of it.She loves to stretch herself as far as she can; she's practicing for the role of elastagirl in The Incredibles!Then she's off again doing a fireman slide down the frame.









She comes out every day for at least several hours to play around the house. Usually she is free to come and go from her cage as she wishes, and this is one of the places she likes to hang out.

What Is Multiple Chemical Sensitivity?

An article in the BBC News today reports that exposure to pesticides increases the risk of contracting Parkinson's Disease. Parkinson's Disease is a progressive, degenerative neurological condition. Many pesticides are neurotoxic and there have been other studies that have found associations with exposure to pesticides and various chronic neurological diseases.

Neurotoxic chemicals are prevalent in our society today. For example, we are exposed to solvents and pesticides almost every day, in our working environment or on our way to work, very often at home, and even in our food. Gasoline, diesel and the products of combustion are something we are regularly exposed to when we're on the road, and also when traffic passes close to where we live or work. These frequent and common exposures put us at risk of developing chemical sensitivities. This is even more relevant for children.
Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, MCS, has been defined in a number of ways. It is difficult to define precisely because the mechanism of injury is not known and the specific symptoms can be very varied from one individual to another, and also varied in the same individual over time.

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity often begins with one high-dose exposure to a chemical which is toxic in large doses, but it may also develop with long-term exposure to low levels of a chemical, or chemicals. The significance of 'low level' used here refers to the fact that this level of such a chemical is generally held to be non-toxic to the human body at this concentration. However, for many of the chemicals that we are exposed to, conclusive tests, taking into account reactions inside the body with other chemicals we are exposed to, and/or the interaction of many 'low level' concentrations of chemicals forming further chemical products before they enter the body, have not been performed.

A few examples of the ways in which people who develop MCS are commonly exposed are: working in industrial employment; living or working in a poorly ventilated building; living in conditions of high air or water pollution. Chemicals most often associated with MCS include: formaldehyde, pesticides, solvents, petrochemical fuels, waxes, detergents, cleaning products, latex, tobacco smoke, perfumes and fragrances, artificial colors, flavors and preservatives.

Products that often precipitate symptoms of MCS are: air fresheners, aerosol deodorant, asphalt, after-shave lotion, colognes, perfumes, diesel, dry-cleaning fluid, furniture polish, gasoline products, hair spray, insect repellant, insecticide, many laundry detergents, marker pens, nail polish and remover, oil-based paint and associated products, many creams and cosmetics, many hair shampoos, gels, and dyes, public restroom deodorizers, many modern cleaning products, tar, varnish, creosote, paint products, chipboard, treated lumber, many treated leathers (depending on process used), soft plastics, mold, cotton and fabrics treated with pesticides and/or antibacterial agents, antibacterial soap, fabric softeners, rubber. This may seem like a phenomenal list, and there may be other items that can cause a problem that through oversight have not been mentioned here. But this gives a good idea of how difficult it is to avoid regular exposure to 'low level' harmful agents once chemical sensitivities have been triggered in an individual.
MCS symptoms can manifest in any or all organ systems including respiratory, neurological, endocrine, urinary, cardiovascular, immune. Some of the symptoms experienced, in any combination and in differing strengths at any given time, by someone with chemical sensitivities can be: fatigue, difficulty concentrating, memory loss, depression, anxiety, slow response, weakness, dizziness, tingling in fingers and/or toes, headaches, heat intolerance, irritability, numbness, burning sensation on the skin, itching skin, itching scalp, noise sensitivity, congestion, sore throat, hoarseness, shortness of breath, chest pain, cough, difficulty thinking and making decisions, stomach pains and cramps, insomnia, clumsiness, inability to gauge distance, coordination problems, muscle cramps, joint pain, trembling, faintness, nausea, vomiting, rapid increase in heartbeat, increased frequency in urination, diarrhea, confusion, blurred vision, eye irritation, rashes.

This may sound even more incredible than the number of products that can cause a problem, but people with chemical sensitivities experience many, if not all, of these symptoms at some time or another in varying intensities. However, more commonly, many people experience some level of these symptoms without necessarily understanding the cause.

When such symptoms occur at low intensity they are easy to dismiss, without realizing their significance, because they become an expected part of our ordinary daily life. Eliminating the use of some of these products and items mentioned above that are not essential to our existence can provide a way to investigate whether we actually feel better without them. If an individual is genetically predisposed to succumbing to chemical sensitivity then with every greater load we place on the body's toxic clearing mechanisms, the closer we get to triggering chemical sensitivities.

There is controversy in the professional medical field about chemical sensitivities and related syndromes. It is not a topic of research readily financed by commercially successful businesses manufacturing these products. The organized removal or alteration of the multitude of products that permeate almost every aspect of our daily lives would require a huge change in economics. Ultimately, consumer choice dictates largely what products are available on the market, and that is where each individual can make a difference in what is in our daily environments. Many of the products available today not only cause damage in human beings, but they also harm our environment and the ecosystem around us.

MCS is medically a poorly understood phenomenon; there is no known cure for it as yet. However, it is possible to make very significant improvements in a person's health and daily functionality by reducing regular exposures. And it is possible to decrease an individual's reaction to previously problematic products and chemical agents by reducing the overall load experienced by that individual. It is better, however, to reduce the load before really noticeable chemical sensitivities even occur.

Tackling a Difficult Task

Have you ever stalled when you’ve had lots of things to do, knowing that one of these tasks needs to be done before the others? This can be more of a problem if that particular task is more difficult to accomplish than many of the others on the list. The temptation is to get on with all the other things that need doing, hoping that something will occur to you about how to make a start on the first one. Sometimes this is helpful, but very often it simply puts off the moment of attack to accomplish the deed.

Before long it is no longer even possible to do the other things that are on the list because it is clear that something ought to be done about the first. This dilemma can feel a bit like being frozen in the headlights of some big truck, time ticking away, pressure building up, and the mind a complete void of thought about how to go about starting. Enough of this and fog builds up in the brain and soon nothing gets done.It is, of course, much easier to just get on and do the thing! But that’s often the real problem: waiting for inspiration about where to start. A good way to jump start the mind is to brainstorm. If it is a one-person task this can be done very effectively by writing down ideas.

The action of actually writing something, no matter how ridiculous it might seem, triggers more ideas and starts the creative juices flowing. Once that happens, it is much more likely that a solution will present itself, and much more quickly than simply waiting for an idea to pop out of the blue, or the truck headlights.

An effective way to trigger some thoughts is to ask some questions and write down the answers: What exactly needs to be done? Why? What is important about the way it gets done? What is the long-term and/or short-term goal of doing it? Why is it important to you to do it?

Before long, ideas will be flowing. After the main flurry of questions and answers, it is then possible to arrange and order them according to task flow and relevance. This can be done by creating a list of activities based on the brainstorming results, or, if the task is more complicated, it can be beneficial to create a diagram showing visually the relation of items to one another.

Often the hardest part of doing anything is starting it, jumping into the seemingly unknown and trying to move forward. Pushing a pen or pressing the keys on a keyboard to get those thoughts going, often clears the path and shows we really do know how. When I remember it, approaching things this way can save me a tremendous amount of time and hassle.

My Yamaha Xeno Trumpet

I’m learning to play the trumpet. I rented one for a while to see how I liked it, and I love it! Now I own a Yamaha Professional Bb Xeno, YTR-8335RGS. This is used by many artists in top-level concert and jazz bands.

This might sound like a contradiction to be a beginner and own a professional standard trumpet. But I wanted to have my own trumpet, and since I only expect to buy one, I wanted to have one that would be good quality and be suited to the type of music I enjoy, which is most especially Jazz.

I settled on the Xeno because Yamaha is known to manufacture trumpets that are reliably consistent in their sound and quality from one trumpet to the next. There are other manufacturers that make trumpets for a similar price that perhaps surpass the Yamaha in their sound quality, but often this quality can vary from one trumpet to another. This means that such an instrument may have the potential for greater individuality and quality of sound, but it requires that you play well enough to be able judge and discriminate between the nuances of the specific instruments you try in the shop before buying.

Another advantage to the Yamaha consistency in manufacture is that if you need to replace your instrument for some reason, it is possible to buy a new trumpet and find very little variation, compared to what you are used to, in the sound and response of the instrument.

I haven’t been at all disappointed by my choice. The Yamaha Xeno is so easy to play, the notes flow from it effortlessly compared to the student rental trumpet I used before. The whole instrument vibrates and resonates even with a very soft blow into it. It is heavyweight, giving it tremendous power and rich sound. And yet it is also possible to play quietly. The mouthpiece that comes with it is weighted to match the instrument very nicely and the pistons move amazingly fluidly and never stick.

And perhaps not so importantly, but very satisfyingly, with it's silver-plated finish and gold mouthpiece it’s beautiful to look at!

Color, Vision, and Our Perception of Art

There was an article in The Times about Claude Monet's loss of color vision due to the development of cataracts in his eyes. He told a friend: "I no longer saw colors with the same intensity. The reds seemed muddy to me, the pinks insipid and the intermediate colors and lower tones escaped me completely." The style that he developed at this time in his life appears to have been largely influenced by this change, according to recent studies illustrating how he most likely would have seen. This incites discussion as to whether Monet really intended to paint in a more abstract manner, bringing an innovative style of painting to the world, or if this style was mainly a product of the deterioration of his sight.
In addition to our visual ability, what we feel about a color also influences how we perceive that color. Children are more attracted by color than form, and childhood memories are often flavored with color, and even when we're not aware of it, these associated feelings about specific colors affect how we perceive them in adulthood.

Our cultural backgrounds and upbringing may also affect our response to colors. For example, the color of mourning in China is white, while in many other cultures it is black; although in recent times these particular stereotypes have become less predominant. Culture, popular fads, and trends can dictate or suggest symbolic meanings to us.

Approximately twenty percent of the visual signals leaving the eye go to the pituitary gland; this is an endocrine gland that secretes hormones regulating homeostasis (the maintenance of a stable, constant condition of the body's internal environment), and also hormones for sexual drive. The color red is a very good example of the direct influence of color; a chemical message is sent to the adrenal medulla, releasing the hormone epinephrine. This causes an alteration in body chemistry, causing more rapid breathing, increase in blood pressure, pulse rate, heartbeat, flow of adrenaline and perspiration. This is a physiological effect on the body, resulting in the persuasion of the human mind to associate the color red with excitement and high energy.

The blend of all these factors is unique to each individual, and it is interesting to consider just how this affects a person's reaction to a work of art. Perception of color can be almost instantaneous in its conveyance of meaning and feeling. If the color of a work of art is appealing to an individual it may influence them to like it, with less importance being placed on its form or subject. Likewise, if the color is unappealing, no matter how well executed a work of art might be, it may still be considered unattractive by the viewer. These differences in perception, happily, allow for great variety in the world of art and its popularity.

Jasmine Plays Football

Jazzy loves to play football, or soccer, the name and particulars depend on which country the game is being played in, but she's not too fussy about the details. The arena is the top of her cage.She can be quite concentrated and serious about going after the ball. And it's best not to get in her way when she's trying for a touchdown.



She's very good at dribbling too.






Sometimes she stops for a sidestep to overturn a yellow food-cup that has become a toy. But it doesn't roll like the ball, so she moves on.Ooops, a foul. But this can still be fun, because she can shoot it back and forth along the back edge of the cage.
And here she is running to get the ball, and then she follows it through...












...over it goes...and then comes that most satisfying hollow click of the ball bouncing on the hardwood floor. A goal! One more to Jazzy!

A visit to Beuil, France, Part II

Walking amongst the houses, there are many passageways, some with large, brightly lit arches across them, and others narrow and somewhat dimly lit during daylight.
Even many of the doors are interesting. Our friends told us that the ground floor of a home was often used in the past to house the family's livestock; for example, cows, horses, chickens, goats -- the old-time equivalent of our garage for the car these days. Other doors, by contrast, are very artistically made with beautiful stonework to frame them.

In the close proximity of the walkway the houses appear to reach high.There are some very ancient lines of family history in the village. With great fondness for their roots to this amazing place, the older families vie with each other, playfully quoting records to show that they have been there the longest. It's reminiscent of the flavor of Tolkein's books in which the Hobbits know their ancestry inside out, spelling out each generation and taking great pride in their origins.

In some places the mountain rock juts right out of the house walls.

And the construction of some of the walls is fascinating and beautiful to look at.

The variety of colors and shapes of the rock and materials used to construct the houses combine to form a unique mosaic effect.




These houses near the edge of the village have a clear view of the valley.The walkway leads to the limits of the front end of town, and turning left onto a road, leads the way round the side and back of the village to an open hillside. From there you can see this beautiful view. On clear days, before general pollution levels reached what they are today, Mont Blanc could also be seen in this view.
With or without Mont Blanc, however, this is a wonderful place to visit!

A visit to Beuil, France

Beuil is a small village in the Maritime Alps of France, 77 km north of Nice, dating from at least the thirteenth century. We were invited by some very dear friends to visit for a weekend and we had a really special and memorable time.
There are two main routes up the mountains to Beuil; one is via a steep and breathtaking gorge, and the other is by a more gentle road up through neighbouring towns.

Along the main road entering the village there is a gravel car park which serves much of the town since the homes within the village are packed tightly close together, into and against the mountain, and are mostly not routinely accessible by car.

Continuing up the tree-lined road there is a very nice hotel and restaurant, and before our departure on Sunday we all went there for a meal. It is a popular place, with veranda as well as indoor tables, and so it is good to reserve beforehand.


Walking downhill from there into the village there are a couple of small shops.

Walking a few paces further, the church square comes into view. It is a 17th century church with a Romanesque bell tower.Going farther into the heart of the village homes, the scenes are beautiful.Our friends told us that during their youth everyone nearby used to come to the wells to get water and do their laundry.
Downhill from the wells are more homes overlooking the valley.
The view is fabulous and there are small plots of garden area below the houses. Unfortunately many of the young people need to move to the larger towns and cities to get jobs and, increasingly, the gardens are untended.

It was incredibly special to stay for the weekend visiting in such a beautiful place. There are yet more interesting views of Beuil to come, so stay tuned for another post to continue this article!

Some tips for reducing common house allergens

There are some straightforward things that can be done to reduce allergens in the environment that can help to relieve both allergy and asthma symptoms.

Laundry Care
An article in the BBC news says that scientists have found that washing laundry at low temperatures of 30-40 degrees, regardless of the brand of laundry detergent used, doesn't get rid of some of the most common allergens that cause allergy attacks. They say it is much more effective to use a 60 degree water temperature in order to remove all or most of these allergens.
Unfortunately, switching from a 40 degree to a 60 degree wash generally uses a third more energy, and the switch from a 30 degree to a 40 degree wash uses a further 40% in energy cost. They found that rinsing laundry in cold water several times after washing at a 30 degree temperature produced results comparable with the hot water washes.

Selecting the laundry items that an allergy sufferer is likely to have in close and frequent contact, and adjusting laundry cycles for optimum removal of allergens in these items, while leaving other less important items at cooler washes or using less rinses, is a means of judiciously using energy and water resources while dealing effectively with the allergens.

Carpets












Carpets harbor allergens that are virtually impossible to remove. The best approach, if possible, is to remove carpets and replace them with a bare, hard surface, such as ceramic tiling or hardwood floor. Small cotton throw-rugs can be used in places for warmth and comfort.House Furniture
It is also very difficult to remove allergens from cloth furniture, especially furniture with soft cushioning. It is better to have furniture with less porous surfaces, such as those made with leather or some inert synthetic material. These can be wiped to remove dust from the surface and they provide some barrier to the cushioning beneath them, which inevitably accumulates allergens over time and use.Mattress and Pillow Covers
A significant portion of every 24 hours is spent sleeping in bed. So it is important to reduce the exposure to dust mite and other allergens that build up in mattresses and pillows. By encasing them in barrier covers, either made of synthetic material or very tightly woven cotton, it is possible to seal the allergens away from the person.

Curtains
It is good to have curtains that are easily machine washable so that it is possible to remove allergens from them frequently.

Dusting and Vacuuming
It is very important to dust frequently. The number of times will depend very much on the environment and time of year, but in some places it would be necessary even to dust once a day, depending on the severity of the allergies experienced. A minimum of once a week would be essential. A very effective way to dust, causing minimum exposure to the person dusting, is to use a damp cloth to wipe surfaces, so that dust particles are contained and do not fly around the room to settle elsewhere.

There are vacuum cleaners available that include HEPA filters to reduce the exhaust of dust and allergens. Unfortunately these are more expensive than ordinary vacuum cleaners. I own a Miele HEPA vacuum cleaner and consider the purchasing of such a vacuum cleaner an investment for future benefit.

Air Filters
Air filters are a great way to eliminate, depending on the type of air filter used, particulates and even chemicals from the air. This is a subject worthy of an article entirely in itself. From personal experience, I can highly recommend the AllerAir brand of filters.

Choosing whatever seems to be most relevant to a person's situation and moving forward one step at a time makes it possible to keep track of what has the most beneficial effect. Within whatever means available, even implementing one or two methods to reduce exposure to allergens may help relieve symptoms.

Jasmine Hamming Around

Today I've spent all day setting up web hosting and re-directing the blog to the web server and tackling all the details involved with such things. And since it's so late in the day, Jazzy offered to help out by hamming it up for some photos. First, she wanted to display some fancy footwork on the top of her cage.
And then she decided to goof off in front of the camera when she was on her playstation.

And she was really clowning around in her travel cage yesterday when we went out for a drive and a walk in the fields.


Jazzy behind bars, having a great time surrounded by clear blue sky, grass and poppies.

DIY Bird

Jazzy is very mechanically minded. She loves to undo nuts and bolts and will happily spend hours doing so. She has a large, and growing, set of stainless steel nuts and bolts, washers, and loops with screw fastening pins. She has become so proficient at undoing them quickly that it has forced us to be quite imaginative about some of the configurations of these metal bits.In this setup she has a straight bolt with a nut on the end and threaded through it are two wooden stars with a loop bolt sandwiched in the middle.

In order to undo the screw pin, Jazzy first of all grips the pin in her beak and twists with some force to loosen it.

Then she uses her tongue to rotate the loosened pin until it is free.

Since she manipulates the metal parts in her mouth, it's extremely important that all of them be made of stainless steel so that she doesn't get metal poisoning over time.

After she has removed the pin, her most favorite entertainment is to rotate it and twirl it a bit like a baton in her foot, back and forth, feeling every contour and screw thread with her tongue.
And finally comes the piece de resistance: she leans over the edge of the table and drops it to the bare floor with a very satisfying clang.

Choices

It sometimes happens that just when you think you have a plan, something gets in the way.
It's like walking round the corner of your house and discovering that the road and view you are used to, have been completely replaced by something startlingly different and unknown.

At first it might seem scary, with everything familiar having been wiped away unexpectedly. Then it could become very frustrating when you realise that what you wanted to do, or where you wanted to go, no longer appears in front of you. No matter that there is now expanse, beauty and freedom instead; that may not seem relevant in the circumstances. You might freeze, unsure what to do next. You might start running, in panic about what has happened. And if you don't understand it and think you can't, you might become disheartened and give up, sitting down right where you are, hoping that someone will either wake you from a bad dream or come to tell you what is going on. But what if they don't?

Sitting there, you might close your eyes and start imagining that you are hemmed in, and are too frightened to pass through the darkness of it; or you might even start thinking that there is no road left to you at all and that you are in imminent danger with no future left to you.

But most of the time it is simply an opportunity to look at things in a novel way. Whether the change is inherently beneficial or not, it is a good time to check out the initial goal again, the original path being followed to get to it, and assess the choices available at this point. Very often, on closer inspection, there is another way to get to the goal, and sometimes it turns out to be a stepping stone to an even better solution than the old one.
Once a decision is made and a path forward chosen, the situation is often resolved. The familiar road may even reappear and, on closer inspection, may contain greater advantages than it did before.

Expression

Sometimes thoughts don't flow easily, or can't express the full scope of perception. Colors and textures in images often convey feeling that can only be partially described in words. Impressions can be even more lasting and influential than accurate detail.

Textures can give rise to memories of similar objects or experiences which may provide a stimulus to our imaginations and even trigger sensations of smell, touch and sounds in our minds.

Using repetitive patterns and colors can produce a very atmospheric and abstract effect, giving rise to a greater response in mood than intellectual judgement.

Playing with shapes and perspectives can give some fun angles on things.



In combination with a soft diffuse light and pastel colors, repetitive patterns and textures can give an impression of gentle tranquility and warmth.

Common Senses

Spring is my favorite time of year. With color bursting out everywhere, it feels as though everything has a new bright sheen to it. Goals seem more attainable and a fresh outlook on life awakens. It just feels good to be alive.

But for some, it's a season of trial. Last week we were invited to dinner at a friend's house and one of the young boys of the family was suffering noticeably with swollen, teary eyes. His father explained that both his sons have severe allergies and that he was particularly concerned because his elder son regularly experiences difficulty breathing. He explained that they were both too young to take allergy medication and that he wanted to do something now to help them as much as possible.

With every passing year allergies, asthma and chemical sensitivities become more prevelant in society, and can range in effect from discomfort and inconvenience to serious threat to the health and well-being of a person. There are many hypotheses for the causes of this increase, and it is difficult to define absolute limits on exposures because individuals have varying thresholds and severity of reactions to trigger substances. This is exacerbated by the challenge of accurately quantifying and regulating the exposures an average individual receives in his or her normal daily environment. In addition, a given individual's response can also change over time to those trigger substances and their concentration levels. For people living in cities and valleys, pollution can build up rapidly. For those in the country there is often pollution extending from the cities, there are fields and hillsides full of grass and flowers, and also cultivated fields treated regularly with fertilizers and pesticides.

I have many years' experience dealing with and learning about such issues and have found that there are ways to reduce the symptoms without, or in addition to, taking medication for them. There are simple things that can be tried in order to determine if it helps the individual. The essence of this approach is to:

1. Eliminate many of the manufactured chemical agents and synthetic products which are regularly present in our surroundings.
2. Reduce exposure to known common allergens in our environment.
   
3. Try to live a balanced and healthy life with regular exercise.

The concept is simple, but our lives have become inundated with products that we take at face value as having been tested and shown not to adversely affect health. Unfortunately the parameters for defining meaningful tests of these products in relation to the human body is usually ill-defined. And often these tests do not take into consideration the context of mixing one product with others that we may regularly come into contact with. The cumulative effect of years of routinely using a variety of products containing many different chemical combinations has not been determined.

Consequently, knowing where to start in trying to improve our personal environment is not always obvious. A simple and often effective place to start is to stop using products containing strong fragrance; for example, perfumes and fabric softeners. Eliminating these from regular use can substantially alleviate allergy symptoms and asthma.

Capture

Capturing just the right shot to use as a photo reference for artwork is tonnes of fun. A friend and I often go places and take many photographs while we're enjoying the scenery. We also usually find it necessary to investigate the local culinary offerings for much needed sustenance along the way. On my friend's most recent visit we took over 700 photos in two weeks. Digital cameras have set us free to explore without worrying about the expense of having to print negatives in order to see how our experimentation worked.

One very nice place to visit that inspired me to do a number of paintings is the small, very old town of Yvoire along the Lac Leman in France. There is a walled entrance into the town.
A couple of views taken from the lakefront show some of the town profile and also the large castle that sits right at the tip of land that juts out into the lake.






Choosing the angle just right to catch the light and deciding which elements to include in the view are extremely important to the artistic appeal of a scene. I often find that once the images are displayed on a computer screen and are cropped in different ways, the alternate cuts can give completely different visual impacts. Taking photographs with these facets in mind and then experimenting with the images on the computer gives invaluable experience; this knowledge then further contributes to knowing what to look for when taking a photograph.

Sometimes things can get a bit twisted up and the photography doesn't go so well for a bit!

When everything gets back to normal more candidates for artwork are found. This is one of my watercolor paintings that was inspired by a photo-taking session in Yvoire.

Experimentation

Yesterday we took Jasmine, our African Grey parrot,on a four-hour hike with us into the mountains. This might sound somewhat surprising, but she gets just as stir crazy being indoors all the time as we do.

It's an unusual sight to see someone in hiking boots trekking out with a bird cage in their arms, and wherever we went people loved to see Jazzy in her clear perspex travel cage.

She's a very endearing little character, likes to chat and makes new friends very easily. She is the usual grey with the bright red tail of the Congo African Grey.

We all had a great time and enjoyed seeing Jazzy's antics and reactions to her surroundings. When she sees something new she often says "ooooh".

We had a picnic at the top of the climb and Jazzy's water dish had so much fruit in it that it seemed likely she would have a sangria mix soon and be punch drunk before long.

Walking through town again on the way home we didn't attract any attention at all, we were bedraggled and exhausted, and Jazzy's cage was so smeared and caked on the inside with the day's goings on, that anyone looking at it might see that something inside it was moving, but they probably wouldn't be able to recognise that it was a bird.

So we trapsed in quietly and unnoticed and as soon as we were all situated in the living room, Jazzy in her normal big cage and us on the couch next to her, we all fell happily fast asleep.