Yeah I traded laughs/in for chartsengrafs

The Tombolablog weekend

Feathers fall around you, and show you the way to go

It was a warm, sunny Spring day on Monday so I went for a wander at lunchtime and explored Lambeth Cemetery, which is just behind where I work. It was bigger than I had expected and a pleasant area of calm away from the fairly manic streets of Tooting and Colliers Wood. While there I spotted three jays, a squirrel, and a couple of parakeets, as well as hearing the call of a green woodpecker. I also got to hear some gospel music from a sizeable funeral taking place at the other side of the cemetery.

On returning to the office I told two colleagues I'd been for a walk and mentioned seeing two parakeets.
"What?".
"Parakeets?".
They looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language. "You know, green, noisy...parrots!"
"What, like escaped pets?"*
"No, there's loads of them all over the place."
They continued to stare, disbelievingly, at me, one asking if I'd maybe seen a tiger as well. It was only when I got on the internet and showed them a story from the BBC about London's booming parakeet population that they realised I wasn't a mental. I know that I have often gone out of my way to look for birds, but I was still genuinely surprised that they were completely unaware that these creatures existed in such close proximity to them. They're bright green! They're noisy! There are 30,000 of them in London! Of course not every one is going to be interested in them and other wildlife, but to have no idea that they existed really did stun me.

I guess that this is a piece about keeping your eyes/ears open really. Just looking around - there's loads of amazing stuff, even in the city (I saw a kingfisher not far from South Wimbledon at the weekend). I'd like to take this opportunity to link to the site of my friend David Lindo, the Urban Birder. Last year, David generously introduced me to Kensal Green cemetery and showed me where to spot green woodpeckers. Since then I've seen/heard them at three more locations around the city. The Urban Birding mantra is spot on: anything can turn up anywhere, anytime.

_____

I originally wrote this on Monday but just hadn't got around to posting it. As a post script, this lunchtime I ended up leading a bit of an expedition (four workmates) to Lambeth cemetery to spot parakeets (probably cementing my status among my colleagues as a geek). Predictably, they were not to be seen, so they probably still think I'm making it up. We did see a few jays and a green woodpecker though, which for me was more exciting.



*There are various stories about how the parakeets got to London, with my favourite being that, back in the 60s, Jimi Hendrix released a couple of them on Carnaby Street and the rest have descended from there.

Pink eye for the old guy

Tombolablog's recent N.Ireland break included a very enjoyable stopover in Carlingford. We ended up taking part in a village quiz, raising funds for the local community. CP and I were all set to enter as a 2-man team, when we were approached by an elderly gentleman who was in need of a team. We were happy to welcome him aboard (figuring that he could fill in the massive gaps in our knowledge of Ulster current affairs). We didn't win (despite full marks in the music round, get in!) and our hopes of having the Irish bases covered didn't come to fruition either (it was me, not our Irish teammate, that spotted Bertie Aherne in the picture round). However, we had a brilliant time chatting with our new friend, Paddy Small. He was great! He told us lots of stories about the village, his life, his family, and the history of the old watchtower that he lives in, and he very kindly invited us to take a look the following morning. We took him up on the offer and it was a pretty amazing place: several hundred years old with super thick stone walls containing slots for firing arrows.

Here's to Paddy. Sláinte!


Eagle-eyed readers might spot that Brer Smalls is an albino. He specifically asked that I switch off the red-eye reduction when taking that photo, as using it would make him go blind.

Ha ha this a-way

While enjoying my lunch I noticed that my tasty Blackcurrant yoghourt looked very much like the character Squidgy Bog from Paul Daniels' 80s children's TV vehicle, Wizbit.



After much searching, I only managed to find one picture to allow a comparison. Perhaps I shouldn't have bothered.


What I did find during my searching though, is that Wizbit is making a comeback as an animated TV series. Bizarrely, here's the all-new Squidgy Bog talking gibberish.

Gaz usually likes this sort of thing

Had to stop and take a pic of this hair cuttery I spotted in Bushmills, N. Ireland:

















If at the end they offer you any 'product' for your hair, just say no.

Things that make you go hmm

Just a couple of questions to ponder over the weekend:

1. How come all pizza delivery people are Learner drivers?

2. This one frightens me: how do TV news presenters always know where I am? I thought I must have beaten them last week, being in the outer reaches of Ulster. But no, George Alagiah came out with the usual line, 'Now, the news from where you are' and they bloody got me again! It's Big Brother!

What's new, pussycat?

I was saddened to realise yesterday that March 2008 was the first month with no new entries since Tombolablog was conceived. I'll have to make amends in April.

So what better possible way to return, than with a video of a rabbit pooning a kitten?




The cameraman on that intrepid piece of nature reportage? Yours truly, while on hols in Ireland last week. When we looked out of our chalet and saw the two animals approaching each other we wondered if they might have a fight or something. The result was truly unexpected. Gonna give you some sweet lordosis, baby.

The holiday was great and, just like that big, eager rabbit, I fully enjoyed the craic!

Pip pip!

PS
If you can hear the sound on that clip you my have noticed what appears to be a cheeky parp a few seconds in. I honestly don't know if it is me trumping or not. It could well be the sound of the door as an appalled CP goes back inside.