Had it not been for the news from a Mali, I’d have said it has been a pretty good day. Domestic, but good. Even before I was out of my pyjamas, MasterB and I were glued – metaphorically of course; I would never be that cruel to my cat and masochism holds no attractions for me – to the bedroom window.
Here’s why:
And all at the same time in the same tree. I know a lot of people don’t like crows, but I do. The way they swagger; their loud communal living; their curiosity. I prefer black crows to magpies, whose glossy plumage makes them look like self-satisfied bankers, not a look that appeals to me greatly, but never mind that.
A couple of weeks ago, I thought I saw a flash of green feathers above the garden, but this morning was my first proof that parakeets have colonised this patch of south east London.
It was the squirrel that caught my attention first of all, mainly because although I see squirrels fairly frequently, by which I mean every day, in the garden, and they give MasterB a very good work out, this is the first time I have seen one in the tree on the same level of my window.
MasterB chattered, and I grabbed my camera.
Watching the news about Mali, I was struck by what a beautiful country it seems. I know the news item wasn’t supposed to be a travelogue, and reservations for holidays in Mali are likely to fall, which seems a pity and a success for the terrorists. Apparently ticket sales for music events in Paris have droppped by eighty per cent.
My love affair with the dishwasher continues. My storage jars are slowly taking their turns and reappearing in the cupboards all shiny and lovely.
But the big moment today was rediscovering the sitting room floor from under all the boxes and crap that was in my old kitchen. I dusted polished and vacuumed. By the end the room was clean and I was filthy. I got so carried away I even washed the sofa covers which dried in the stiff breeze outside and were back in place by teatime. There’s still all the other crap, but that’s another story.
Oh and I have a very cool Joseph Joseph sink protector, soon to be joined by an equally cool Joseph Joseph Flume drainer mat. These are helping me to come to terms with the fact that modern sinks are too woossy to be used au naturel, though I still find it very odd.
It’s been really mild, and I am warm and cosy tonight but everyone says it’s going it be very cold tomorrow, so I am going to put the heating on at last. You might wonder why I don’t wait until morning, but I have storage heaters, and the downside of this otherwise effective form of heating is that you have to be proactive about the weather.
Isobel (and Cat)'s Blog 
Have you many parakeet colonies in London? We have gangs of red- and blue-headed conures in the area, most famously the subject of the documentary, The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill.
But my goodness there are so many European corvids! We are crow-slackers here with just the dominant American model. (typical) And Ravens, we do have those.
Does anyone know what is it about squirrels that cause cats to do the false teeth clacking chatter?
Yes, and outside London too. They are now listed as a native bird.
I was about to type that MasterB chatters at the sight of any prey, as Cat did, then I realised that size must play a part, as flies, moths etc do not elicit this reaction. The first time Cat did it, I wondered what was wrong. And it seems such a giveaway of their presence.
Mali has long been on my bucket list, I’d love to go to Djenne, Mopti and Tombouctou. I doubt I’ll get that lucky.
I thought it looked stunning. What skies.
Let me tell you, Mali is my favorite place on earth. I was enchanted with the people I met there — I found them unbelievably soulful and warm and real — and the music, which is out of this world. I visited a genius puppetmaster there. A sprite of a man who attracted kids around him, in the streets around his house, like Pied Piper. Never mind kids; me too. Did you know that Mali has a grand puppetry tradition? Puppets and masks. Grand and deep and beautiful. Mali is a strange sort of heaven. I want to go there when I die. Again in this life? maybe, I hope so — I was heartbroken and appalled at the latest news. We knew there were violent extremists in the northern part of the country, from Libya we believed, and we had heard about vicious wreckage done to irreplacable relics in Tomboktu. But to think that sort are now in Bamako is chilling beyond belief. Sometimes I hate this world.
I think you had a wonderful morning view! Happy you are still enthralled with the dishwasher. It’s cold here too with a chance of light snow later in the day. I am going to google your sink protector. Last week I had to buy new sink protectors and I am not liking them as much as the old ones. Glad you have your sitting room back! Enjoy your afternoon and evening, Isobel!
Here’s the draining board protector I am going to get http://www.josephjoseph.com/en-gb/search/index/?s=flume and here is the sink protector i already have http://www.josephjoseph.com/en-gb/product/sink-saver If the links don’t work let me know and I’ll try again.
Your sink protector looks similar to the one I purchased… http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/oxo-good-grips-reg-silicone-sink-mat/3256090?Keyword=kitchen+sink+protectors I would have loved to have had the green but all that was available was the gray.
I actually chose the grey! I like the way it un clips and clips together to suit the position of the plug hole. It is rigid, and stands on little feet. Off to work now to earn the cash to pay for these extras!
Have a good day, Isobel!
I got a different one, and now not sure I made the right decision…
We recently saw two parakeets perched on a tree in the park. This is Colorado, but at least it was a warm day. They’d escaped when their 84-year-old owner was cleaning their cage in the garage, and of course they flew out the open door. It was so sweet to see the reunion when her son brought her to the park to reunite with her parakeets.