The Wisdom of Birds: their songs, their sex life...and us

When I walk up Leicester Street in Carlton from Victoria Street, before one reaches the Green Building there are terraced units. One of these has a postage stamp of a 'garden' with a lot happening in it.

Usually, I am walking up there to a meeting in the early evening. Yesterday, I walked up Leicester Street en route to a conference in Queensberry Streeet just before 10 am. The 'garden' was a hive of activity because of visitors - sparrows going to and fro. Reason? To greet other members of their species in aviaries on the front patio. Trees, birds, chatter. In spite, of the imprisonment of some, the whole scene was - to this member of a foreign species - quite joyful.

This provides my intro to this charming encounter arising from a Tweet by my desert blogging buddy, Robbo:

and here it is:

Make up your mind whether you would like

a bullfinch, a nightingale, a well-equipped male bird,

or even Professor Tim Birkhead himself.

Shabby Vintage Junk Extravaganza ! 13 and 14 August 2010 - #2

Yesterday, dear Trad Padders, 

I told you about the Shabby Vintage Junk Extravaganza.  

Well, to-day was move-in day. 

Don't ask me if Tamara (who is organising all this) and her dearly beloved Matt slept last night.  I know that Herself was over there until well after midnight helping put up wonderful white tissue paper balls on the rafters of the Ashburton Scout Hut in High Street Road, Ashburton.  The Scout Hut is still a Scout Hut but now it is a Scout Hut with pizzaz and quite a large helping of swish.

To-day, I saw wonderful stuff being unpacked and displayed.

There are ten stalls but a cornucopia of variety.

Shabby is there in spades

with all that would gladden Rachel Ashwell's heart.

Vintage and retro is there in all shapes and colours.

Wonderful linens and handcrafted stuff -

that would delight not only the modern woman

but her mum and grandma - are all over.

And junk is there as its glorious self

and re-jigged in marvellously creative ways.

Talk about re-jig, re-use, recycle.

And for those of you who love your food,

I have singled out for special attention

Mrs Beeton's Cookbook

which comes complete with

handwritten recipes and etcetereas.

Just look...

So please come to-morrow and Saturday.

8am until 5pm Friday

8am until about 3pm or so on Saturday.

There are not many opportunities like this to purchase

from a multiplicy of specialist stall holders.

Please ecourage the efforts of 

Tamara, Alicia, Sam,

Shelley, Andrea, Robyn,

Callee, Jane & Kaz

See you when you are shabby shopping 

at the Shabby Vintage Junk Extravaganza