Patricia's 2008 Update

For Patricia the year got off to a bumpy start with Bert being out of work initially and uncertainty about what the future might hold. From the middle of January Bert was working again on a six-month contract and arriving home every evening with Garth on the train. At least during this period Garth's hours were a bit more regular as he caught the same train home with Bert most nights.

In between the odd hospital visit to try to get to the cause of long-standing problems Patricia spent much time looking after the garden, doing hand crafts, and keeping in touch with other people. Patrica has many visitors every day as here feathered fiends (sic) come calling to beg for food.

Mostly the visitors are Rainbow Lorikeets and Noisy Miners with the occassional Magpie family - particularly in the Spring when they bring their gangly offspring (technically know as 'dorks') around. However, we have also been getting a number of Sulphur Crested Cockatoos around.

Sulphur Crested Cockatoo just outside kitchen window.

She has to watch these large birds because they can be quite destructive when they get bored (which is often). A news item recently reported on a Victorian family who had $50,000 worth of damage to their house due to bored Cockatoos.

Patricia has also noticed, during the winter particularly, an increasing number of older or deformed birds. It seems that word has got around the bird world that the Lancaster's place is a good spot for the aged and infirm to score some nosh. For instance this Lorikeet has a deformed beak and one deformed (broken?) claw.

Deformed Rainbow Lorikeet

This little bird has grown so accustomed to Patricia that it comes and sits on the kitchen window-sill and begs for food with chirps and 'tongueing' the glass.

From mid-July Patricia's caring skills were called into play when Bert had a cycling accident. Initially he could only eat meals that were substantially liquid due to his facial damage but gradually was able to go back onto solid foods over a period of several weeks.

Since Bert has been working from home since late July Patricia's daily routine has had to change due to him always being around the house except for Thursday mornings when he goes out for a meeting.