Also, parrots! Parrots are amazing

[st_aurafina]

My finger is healing! I'm trying to keep it dry. It's very strange and oddly clinical to shower with a glove on. Having a bandage on is an interesting experience for socially awkward me - it's kind of nice to have something to talk about, actually.


Apparently LJ has an AMAZING new bug where one user might be able to view the locked and private posts of another. Eep. unfunny business has a round up.

(I have two Dreamwidth codes, by the way, if anyone would like one.)


I'm calling the back yard renovation "Project Wasteland." It's a YA dystopian landscape out there. The crows have moved in; the back yard is filled with portent. We have currawongs, they're too fucking smart. They're way smarter than me. They watch me through the glass sometimes.



Landscaping Man spent a week eradicating agapanthus; this involved diesel fuel and a flamethrower. I am not surprised at this. Agapanthus is evil.



I'm a bit worried about the maple - it should be in full leaf now, and about to turn red for summer, but there's just one spray of leaves. It's an old tree, but I'd hate to lose it. Especially as it's the biggest remaining tree.

As a guilty gesture of compensation for destroying most of the trees in the back yard, we've been putting out a seed bell for the birds. This means parrots:



We get mostly get rosellas (the red kind) and lorikeets (the green or unripe kind), but we've had a lime green kind with a peachy-yellow belly. The cats are fascinated. Not that they'd ever be able to get one, because they're inside cats.



And also, in what has obviously become a wildlife journal, there's a family of ducks living on the lawn out the back of the shop. There's a creek nearby, I assume that's their base of operations? We didn't get to see the fuzzy duckling stage, but the awkward leggy teenage duckling stage is also adorable. They graze in the grass in the morning, then take a nap under the picnic table in the afternoon. Watching them is the perfect balm for stress in the workplace. I should pay them a stipend in grubs or bread crusts.



Thoughts on this week's The Good Wife:

While it's been lovely to see Lisa Edelstein on my TV again - *hearts Cuddy wherever she fled to* - Celeste's storyline has been sadly lacking in nuance, until this episode where she and Alicia sat in a bar getting drunk together. God, god, it is so clear to me: the next thing that happens between them is sex. I mean, how else could that scene have panned out?

Also, Kalinda is breaking my heart, with her remorseless doing of good for Alicia's sake, and her long, sad glances at Alicia through the cold glass of the office wall. *sobs* She is mercilessly doing her penance with no expectation of any reward, and it's so fucking noble I cannot bear it.



This show makes some clanging errors sometimes, and the storylines are often really ham-fisted, but I will always forgive it for the dynamics between the female characters.

Comments

[saturnofthemoon]

Argh, this sort of explains why LJ kept logging me out last night. I haven't actually locked anything meaningful in ages (my journals are pretty much just fangirling) but this is still a pain in the neck.

[st_aurafina]

Me either - I think I've made maybe five locked posts ever? But I know plenty of people who are locked for security reasons, and I feel for them. That is scary.

(But Dreamwidth came back! It was only down for an hour in the end!)

[saturnofthemoon]

Yes, I find it ironic that Dreamwidth came back for an hour and the maintenance comm issued a big apology while livejournal hasn't even issued an official announcement over their latest shenanigans. I'm annoyed this happened right after I scraped together some money to renew my paid account.

[kindkit]

Any plant that can only be destroyed by a flamethrower is probably evil, yes. Your yard does look a bit post-apocalyptic at the moment, but I'm sure it'll be gorgeous when it's done.

Oh, I wanted to mention that I got the postcard you and lilacsigil sent me from your holiday. Don't know why it took a month to get here, but: thanks!

[st_aurafina]

Agapanthus are horrible alien plants. Burning is almost too good for them. *shudder* And it will be worth it, when we can build it all up again in a manageable state.

Wow, that postcard took some time. I wonder where it went?

[salinea]

I ♥ the Good Wife so much for that, yes.

[st_aurafina]

It shouldn't be such a rare thing, either. It should be in every show.

[tree]

i'm glad your finger is healing. and providing conversation material. :)

The crows have moved in; the back yard is filled with portent.

that should be the opening of your YA dystopian novel!

augh! noooo! not seeds! feeding birds that sort of seed is bad for them! if you want to provide them with food options, you could get some parrot crumble or millet sprays. a bit of spinach might be appreciated, too, though it depends on the bird.

[st_aurafina]

Really? It says "for wild birds" on the wrapper! Oh, god, I hope there aren't dead parrots on the other side of the fence!

ETA: Just done a bit of research, because I was worried. The Parrot Society of Australia and Parks Victoria recommend wild bird seed for Crimson Rosellas, and the ABC has a seed bell recipe that uses a wild bird seed mix. They say not to feed black sunflower seed, but we knew that already and our bells don't have black sunflower seed. Basically they say feed occasionally and irregularly, and it's best to do this in the breeding season, which is August to January.

Maybe there's a regional difference? You guys have Rainbow Lorikeets, maybe they have a different feeding requirement?

[tree]

sorry to alarm you! (also sorry for late reply. mum is visiting and it is All Action All the Time here at the moment.) it's not that seed = death, it's more that seed = not a good long-term dietary choice for your avian friends.

the key words here are "occasionally and irregularly". seeds aren't good as a sole dietary food (as with many people who keep caged birds) because they're very fatty. of course birds naturally eat seeds in the wild, but they don't make up the bulk of their diets. they're more like treats. little birdie mars bars, if you will. additionally, having seed always available for wild birds can make them less likely to look for food on their own, which limits their diet, thus making them less healthy. it also makes them more vulnerable to predators, and can become a problem if the humans providing the seed suddenly stop doing so (maybe they move, or someone dies, or they don't have money to buy more seed, or they just forget).

anyway! i'm sure it will all be fine.

[nomnivore]

Your parrots are so cute.

[st_aurafina]

They really are! And cheeky, too. They like to buzz the cats watching from the window - I think they can see the cats swelling up like puff balls in fury.

[lurkingcat]

Parrots! And ducklings and currawongs! You could start a bird sanctuary :) Although that might be cruel to the cats - all those tasty avians and no way of getting to them...

I hope your maple survives. Maybe it's just feeling sorry for itself because of all the garden upheaval?

[st_aurafina]

I hope your maple survives. Maybe it's just feeling sorry for itself because of all the garden upheaval?

I hope so? The rest of the tree is budding, but it's been budding for a few weeks now and no leaves have come. I'm hopeful though.

[syntaxofthings]

Whoa, wait, wild parrots? I have not thought of such a thing before. Makes me want to visit where you live. ;)

[st_aurafina]

Yes, we have wild parrots. But I know how you feel - I had the same reaction when I found out that goldfish actually exist in the wild, too. Goldfish!

Probably hamsters do too, IDEK.

[vass]

Rosellas! I'm guessing you guys don't need an alarm clock right now, and that sunset is not a nice, quiet time to have drinks on the verandah.

We have lorikeets here - nearly as rife as the possums[*]. I also saw a sulfur-crested cockie a few days ago.

[*] I swear there are more ringtails and brushtails here in Melbourne than there are out in the country.

[st_aurafina]

I'm guessing you guys don't need an alarm clock right now, and that sunset is not a nice, quiet time to have drinks on the verandah.

You guess right - those little guys are loud and screechy. Also, there's possum poo on the verandah. I, uh, need to sweep that up.