Remembering Phineas: A cursory interest in kale

I found this draft post that I wrote some time ago in 2015, in the Cagney/Bezukhov/Phineas era.  I thought it would be nice to publish it under ‘Remembering Phineas‘….

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Off & on, I have offered the Toyboys & Phineas kale.  Nice, curly, green kale.

Cagney & Bezukhov initially showed interest as it is green & leafy.  They would even go as far as to nibble it so the smell clearly did not put them off (unlike mint).  However, a little nibble is all they would partake of before apathy set in & it was completely ignored.

Phineas has also shown an interest in the curly green vegetable.  He also has a nibble but his nibble is larger & more sustained than the Toyboys, almost to the point that I have wondered if he actually likes it.

Something worth trying…

Hmm… not bad

Kale with holes in

(Click on photos to enlarge)

 

 

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Memories of the Manor

Atilla & Raspy on the Manor door

Last May, I posted about letting the manor go.  Although it was just an inanimate object, it was bound up in a multitude of memories, which I would like to indulge in here.

Atilla & Raspy were the first occupants of the Manor & moved into it in June 2009 from the Ferplast Rekord 6.  The Manor was bigger, with the dome/loft area being the significant bonus space, which also opened up.  The other main differences were the large central door & the useful & handy landing platform.

The video below shows them during their first moments inside the Manor:

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Here they are on the landing platform, chewing on a large vine ball.  If you watch to the end, you will see a typical bit of Raspy in action:

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The next phase of the Manor was when the Toyboys moved in.  Their first face-to-face meeting, i.e., not through bars, happened in the grounds of the Manor, more specifically, on the landing platform.  The following video captures this momentous occasion.  You can see that Cagney already had enormous self-belief that he was charming & therefore anyone would be happy to be in his company.  Bezukhov was off-camera, keeping a thoughtful & respectful distance.  Raspy & Atilla both asserted themselves by attempting to bite/grab Cagney’s tail.

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Despite Atilla & Raspy’s ‘gentle’ reminder that they were in charge, they very quickly & graciously allowed those beautiful Toyboys to enter the Manor & explore.

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It was not long before they could all rest harmoniously in the loft area together:

Clockwise: Raspy, Atilla, Cagney & Bezukhov resting in loft area of Manor

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Nothing ever stays the same though, & after Raspy & Atilla departed to Rainbow Bridge, Cagney & Bezukhov were the sole occupants.  They retained sole occupancy even with the addition of friends Phineas & Thomas.  It was not until the loss of Cagney that Bezukhov felt compelled to move out.  When he moved into the Ferplast with Phineas, it was the beginning of the end for the Manor.

New friends: Bezukhov, Cagney, Thomas & Phineas

Bezukhov & Cagney

Dalai & Lennie

Perry & Bezukhov

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Although the Manor was still in use as a play, eating & general chill-out area, its importance was severely diminished.  With Bezukhov living in the Silver Villa with his friend Dalai, & their new friends Perry & Lennie requiring an equivalent home post-quarantine, the Manor was sadly retired.  Though it is gone, it is not forgotten, along with all the memories & precious hearts it housed, entertained & generously sheltered.

Thank you, Manor.

 

 

Remembering Phineas: Pillow complete

Over a year ago, I posted that I had prepared the inner pillow for Phinny’s remains (click here).  I am pleased to say that I have finally completed the outer sleeve.  It has been on my mind all this time.

Because Phineas was very fluffy, I decided to use soft grey fleece for the main fabric.  For a change, I invested in some variegated thread that changes colour as you machine, with the idea that this will represent a rainbow.  Some blue hearts completed the look, along with my customary wonky embroidery.

He sits on the shelf, alongside Atilla, Raspy, Thomas & Cagney, but I like to think they are all together someplace wonderful, that is filled with millet, fun & love.

Completed pillow (front)

Completed pillow (back)

All together

 

 

Remembering Phineas on his adoption day

Phineas came into our home on this day, 5 years ago.  Here is a video of him, my finger & some preening:

 

Missing you, our little man.

Always in our thoughts.

♥♥♥

 

Remembering Phineas: One year on

One year ago today, our wonderful Phineas made his way to rainbow bridge.

It is hard to believe that a whole year has passed.  There have been many changes since his passing but his home, the Silver Villa, is very much the same.  I can still visualise him sitting at each seed pot, chewing the iodine block & sitting on the perch in the doorway.  His pink swing is still in use, though not as a bedtime position as he used it.

Phineas

 

Always in our thoughts.

Love you my lovely boy.

(I still hope you can forgive me).

xxx

 

Remembering Phineas: The unanswered question

This post is a slight departure from my usual posts.

Phineas

Phineas

I have an overriding question, that I have been unable to get a firm or satisfactory answer to, & that is, “Did Phineas get adequate care during his overnight stay at the veterinary hospital?”

Why can I not get an answer?  It is my word against the hospital’s.  All I need to know is what actually happened whilst Phineas was waiting for his delayed operation.  Was he eating?  Did he eat enough?  Was he stressed or did he settle down?  Was he being attended to?  Did anybody care?

Phineas went from being absolutely doted on & adored, to effectively being abandoned (by me) for 24 hours, whilst he stayed overnight at the veterinary hospital because the priority of his operation was downgraded, hence it being put off until the following day.  Personally, I will always regret not bringing him home as soon as I heard of the delay.  I understand that things were not clear cut (i.e., initially being told the operation would be the next morning, not the next afternoon) & that I was advised it would be disruptive to bring him home & then back again, particularly as he had (allegedly) settled.  Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Had I really thought about it…… how could Phinny have been remotely ‘settled’ in a strange place away from all that he knew & loved?

Would he have survived the operation had he not been so stressed leading up to it?

If anyone reading this is in (or will be in) a similar situation where their bird needs to be kept overnight, I urge you to do all you can to make sure you feel confident your bird is genuinely comfortable.  Do not just accept the words of a member of staff who is a stranger to the bird but question them until you are satisfied.

If any veterinarians or veterinarian staff are reading this, I would like to state, obvious though it seems, that birds require care and a skill set that is quite different from non-exotic pets, & the owner’s knowledge of their bird could help you greatly in administering the best care.

In memory of my beautiful friend, Phineas.  I am so sorry… I will always regret not bringing you home that evening.

 

2016 Review – A year of changes

Compared to other years, 2016 saw many changes in the flock.

The year began with just Bezukhov & Phineas, having lost Cagney a few months before.  Bezukhov & Phineas were unlikely friends, given their history; Phineas originally disliked Bezukhov because he was jealous he was Cagney’s buddy.  Probably due to Bezukhov’s patience & tolerance, he & Phineas gradually developed a good friendship.

In March, they were joined by Dalai.  We now had three very different personalities in the flock: Bezukhov the easy-going one, Phineas the ‘full-on’ one & Dalai the independent one.  They all found their own place in the flock & things were ticking over nicely.  Then we lost Phineas.

Bezukhov & Dalai struck up a friendship that I think had its grounds in both thinking Phineas was a little bit annoying.  With Phineas gone, they both gradually settled into a comfortable routine which I then upset by introducing two new & young blue birds to the flock.  At the time of writing, flock dynamics are still being sorted out.

So, we start 2017 in a very different place to when we started 2016.   We look forward to all the new (hopefully happy) happenings & challenges ahead of us, but will still occasionally stop & remember the memorable moments & marvellous characters that have brought us to this point.

Bezukhov and Phineas

Phineas sitting with Cagney

Bezukhov & Phineas

Snoozing together

Dalai chatting with Bezukhov

Blue birds

Happy New Year.

 

 

Remembering Phineas at Christmas

This time last year, I posted about our first Christmas without Cagney.  This year, we face Christmas without Phineas.

Phineas

 

In the photo above, the perch he is sitting on is still in the same place in the Villa, in the front doorway.  In fact all is how he left it, so I can easily picture him in all perching spots.  This particular spot reminds me of a specific occasion last summer.

I was out all day & came home after their bedtime.  Bezukhov, Phineas & Dalai were in bedtime positions in the Villa, but because my sitter was still there they were not locked up & their front door was still open.  When Phineas saw me, he sleepily got off his swing & made his way to that perch.  I approached & held my hand out to him.  He regurgitated to my finger.  It was only a quiet, brief session as he was tired, but it made me feel so loved, missed & needed.  That little action by my beautiful little grey man seemed to say, “Where have you been today?  I have missed you.  Here’s some regurgitated seed I have been saving for you.  Glad you are back home.  I’m going back to bed now I have seen you.”

So, this Christmas (& every day in fact) I am thinking of Phineas.  I am also thinking of Cagney & hoping they are having fun together over by rainbow bridge with Atilla, Raspy & Thomas.

 

 

 

Tumbleweeds in the Villa

When we lost Phineas, Bezukhov made it clear he considered the Silver Villa Phinny’s domain.  Though Bezukhov & Phineas originally moved into the Villa at the same time, its location was/is the same as the Ferplast, which was definitely Phinny’s home.  If you recall, when Phineas arrived, Cagney & Bezukhov did not want him to sleep overnight with them so Phineas had a cage all to himself, at least at bedtime.  So it seems that by location, Bezukhov regarded the Villa as Phinny’s.

Bezukhov found it difficult to go in the Villa without Phinny’s presence.  He quickly decided that bedtime would switch back to the Manor.  Dalai followed him there.

During the day, he avoided the inside of the Villa.  On top & around the outside of it was fine, but he was not comfortable going inside.  It took a couple of weeks for him to venture inside to drink the water or chew the iodine block but he generally just took what he needed & then got out – he did not linger.  Gradually, as Dalai spent time in the Villa, Bezukhov’s visits got longer & over the following weeks Bezukhov began to sit in the Villa & even eat in there.  He now appears quite relaxed in there, but bedtime is still in the Manor.

Phinny’s domain

Bezukhov & Dalai eating in the Villa again

Bezukhov & Dalai sitting on Villa feeder

 

Note: Check out the difference in feet colour between Bezukhov & Dalai.

 

 

Remembering Phineas: Preparing his new home

Phineas was cremated & his remains were returned on the 16^th September.

As with those before him (Raspy, Atilla, Thomas & Cagney), I am making a new home for him in the form of a pillow.  The inner pillow has been completed.  I liked the material with clouds that I used for Cagney’s pillow so I have used the same for Phineas, & added my customary wonky embroidery.  Just before I closed up the opening, I slipped in a little paper heart saying “Thank you my beautiful boy xxx“.

His remains now sit with the others, in particular next to Cagney.

Phineas

Phinny’s inner pillow

Phineas with the others