The lurking evil….

At the moment the boys and I are locked in battle with a group of neighbourhood menaces.

No, we aren’t being harassed by a gang of destructive teenagers, we have a group of Sulphur Crested Cockatoos who are trying to muscle in on the cushy ride our regular backyard parrots are getting.

If the cockies were happy to share the bounty we wouldn’t have a problem  with them, but polite isn’t really their thing. They rudely flap in, sending the regulars dashing for cover and freaking out the chooks. They then eat everything in sight and retire to the trees waiting for the next course to be delivered while keeping everyone else at bay.

Although they are regular visitors to the street we haven’t had a problem with them before. They are usually well-catered for across the road but unfortunately for us the lady of the house has gone overseas for a few weeks and clearly the man of the house isn’t supplying the usual menu!

Cockies are lovely looking birds. They are large and intelligent and very animated, but having big, strong, smart birds with huge beaks around is a bit like giving a small child a pair of pliers and expecting them not to damage anything. It can only end in tears.

They eat the seed we put out, then they eat my plants then have a bite of anything else that might look tasty regardless of what it is made of. Aaargh! We had to get rid of them.

After spending days running out of the back door and flailing our arms about like maniacs each time they showed up the kids and I have finally trained them. If we see them in the backyard now all we have to do is step outside and they grumpily clear off.

The other birds have worked out what is going on too and instead of flying away in a panic will just keep their heads down until the menace has been removed then resume feeding as if nothing happened.

Hopefully the diner across the road will reopen soon, then they can go back to eating at their normal dinner table and leave us alone!!

On the washing line, just waiting….

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Clearly I am not the only one hating Telstra and their intermittent internet coverage at the moment. Over the weekend a nearby resident was outside the local shop, the busiest place in town of a weekend, collecting signatures on a petition that could easily have been titled “Fix our damn internet Telstra!!”

Of course the Man and I were both quick to sign. I doubt anything will come of it, but if they listen maybe one day I will be able to catch up on my blog reading. 😦