the MegaLoad

The jumbotron flashed black, blue and brown on its vibrating round screen. The timer flashed 23 minutes. What a way to spend a Sunday afternoon but with hot sun in the weather forecast for the rest of the week it seemed like a good time to do laundry.

Brighton has a bright and clean laundromat with a variety of machines to chose from. We chose the easy way: stuff all clothes, sheets and towels into the giant maw of the MegaLoad.

We stepped out into bright sunshine. Having lunch and getting our laundry put away made us hot enough for a swim - the water was wonderful. We'd thought the several days of wind and waves would have brought the cold water from the depths of the lake but we were pleasantly surprised :-)

I have another parrot memory to write about today.

By the time Zack, our blue and gold macaw, was a year old we had decided to make a contribution to the domestic parrot trade by breeding our lovely pets. Finding a mate for Zack was no easy task but we eventually found Bubbers who was just an hours drive away. We went to see her and decided on the spot that she would be the one. We could only hope that Zack would feel the same way. Parrots generally mate for life and chose their partners carefully so BubbersZena (her new name) was not a sure thing.

Instead of putting her directly with Zack in his big cage we setup two large dog crates next to each other so they could get to know each other before we risked fowl and feather when we put them together. When we brought her into the room Zack let out a big OHHHHHBOYYYYY. It was clear from the beginning that they were a good match. They'd sit on adjacent perches in their separate cages, looking at each other with googly eyes.

We didn't wait many days before letting them out of their cages together. Zack climbed to the top of his cage and when he saw BubbersZena ascend he started running around, shouting "oh boy, oh boy, yummy…" with the energy and excitement that only a macaw can conjure. She had the same level of enthusiasm, but didn't yet have the words to express herself. They devoted themselves to each other from the day they met, eventually producing many fat chicks.

I think it was love at first sight.

                                                                                ~

The weather forecast for the next week is pure summer!