All is quiet in the village now as the Milways departed at 3AM this morning for deepest, darkest Africa (Uganda, to be specific) and I am now King of the Castle, Lord of the Manor and Keeper of the Dreaded Parrot! Parry is a very talented African Grey who long ago decided that we were never to be friends and as he gets to enjoy some freedom each morning in the kitchen, he reminds me daily of his lack of regard for my well being. It is a kind of pitched battle of wills that I have no chance of winning. Still, his/her singing and vocalizing is amazing, from the Scots brogue of Georgie’s dad to the sounds of bottles being opened to pour a drink and all the whistles and coughs that emanate from his powerful beak. He is another of the colorful characters that play a part in my life here in rural England. You will see from the photo that he has his very own parrot-sized mug and he does like his tea…with milk, please!
I plan to visit some of my old friends this week and start throwing some pots in between my caretaking responsibilities. A nice rain today means the garden won’t need watering, but there is always something to do to help keep this beautiful spot so lovely.
I’m looking forward to meeting Matt Grimmit at the Royal Oak at Gretton on Wednesday for a real ale or two. The Oak was one of my ‘locals’ when I lived here. Matt is a descendant of Elijah Comfort, who worked with Michael Cardew at Winchcombe for many years in the first half of the 20th century. Matt works in nearby Evesham. If your in the area, you’re welcome to join us!
I’m still struggling with blog writing from a PC instead of my lovely Apple computer, but I plan to do some catching up on all the events of the past three weeks very soon.
