Ribh's D'Coopage

[BY Bob]

I travelled up the highway with my oldest girl yesterday to do one of the Cunningham's Gap walks. We did the Box Forest Track. It's only an hour in & another out but very pretty rainforest & mostly easy walking.

We picnicked beside the stream.
View attachment 3062961
And for the non ~Aussies who think all our wildlife screams & is out to eat you, these are bellbirds. They are tiny & high in the canopy so you can't see them but their bell like chiming filled the forest. You might need headphones to hear them really well as part of the track runs beside the highway.

Looks like it was a lovely drive and hike. I heard the bellbirds, quite charming. I must say though I kept expecting a Drop Bear to attack as I listened for them.

 

[BY Bob]

Yes, it always amazes me how little bird there actually is with a frizzle. They really are all feathers.

They look very large though. I wonder if it is confusing to the other chickens?

I noticed yesterday that I see much more of Betty's face than Phyllis'. I think that Betty uses her neck more to see better. Phyllis always looking down but Betty seems to look more straight ahead. Hence that face shows up more.

 

[BY Bob]

They don't. It's because @BY Bob always thinks all our wildlife is out to kill everyone. This is to prove 'tis not so.

I don't know if I trust you. I was certain something was going to attack while I watched that video. I was on edge the entire time. There had to be a killer magpie somewhere around there. Those cheeky magpies were attacking the formula 1 race cars last weekend!

 

[BY Bob]

My girls are acting odd. I'm not sure what's gone on exactly but I heard Luna going berserk yesterday morning so I went out to see what was going on. Luna was standing semi sheltered screaming & everyone else was deep under the Murraya. I had a look round. There was a biggish bird in the trees ~ not, I don't think,~ a hawk but it had obviously shown some interest in the chickens. I had to go out so I wasn't around to see if the bird came back or hung around but when I let the girls out in the morning they usually fan across the lawn racing to see if any treats have mysteriously appeared overnight. Not this morning. The less savvy raced across to the patio in a tight huddle. That included Olivia, Beatha, the Vorwerks & Portia. The rest sheltered in the doorway of the shed obviously reluctant to cross open ground. Ha'penny was making a low, soft growling noise & standing very alert. The Japs wouldn't leave the shed & there was a bunch of chickens around my feet. Eventually I moved into the open & scanned the skies. The girls bunched up & raced across the lawn to the patio to join the rest & they then moved as a big huddle to the edge of the patio to hop down & under the awning @ the side of the house. They then moved to the strip of garden using it as shelter to make a quick dash for the Murraya. This early they are usually spread out foraging. Not this morning. I'll have to keep an eye out for what's spooked them.

This is the kind of behavior I see after a hawk attack. Successful or otherwise. Something from the sky has frightened them greatly. I'm reading on but I'm concerned what I may find as I do. I sincerely hope it was a one time event.

 

[BY Bob]

Bellbird poops weigh a tonne.

There it is. I knew it!

 

[BY Bob]

She made it overnight but I lost her early in the morning, just after I got up. It was quick but I'm sad about it. She was very sweet. On this block I really should have no more than 12 chickens & I'm nearly @ that. Then I will look @ replacing.

I'm so very sorry. I know she had a good life with you and good friends. So it hurts.

Another one gone to soon.

 

[BY Bob]

They make a big difference to my mental attitude. Now that the temperature has picked up for spring sitting chatting to the chickens is a lot more pleasant.

It has finally improved here as well. The tribe and I are back at it sharing tea every morning. It is wonderful and I know that my mood has improved greatly. It is very hard to enjoy time together in the winter.

 

[BY Bob]

I sometimes think I'm too sensitive and should be more resilient wrt the impossibilities my employer asks of me but then I recall the disciplining/curtailing/punishing characteristics of things like workload models and that's when I realise needing a quiet hour or two with the hens is beyond reasonable and really it's amazing I don't have an unhealthier habit.

I truly believe that chickens kept me from being an alcoholic at my last job.

 

[BY Bob]

The Spanish are much the same. It made planning a day almost impossible.
Strange though, they can get their transport systems to run on time which is more than the British manage
I have a lot, or rather had in the past, problems with unpunctual people.
For me being on time is in part to show respect for the other person and their time. It also promises some degree of organisation which, for the work I used to do was important.

Good grief. I sound terribly old fashioned.

I don't know if you saw but I posted this story on my thread the other day.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-25591692

I mention it here as a lead in to this. My daughter carries my German genes in her personality. One of those things requires her to be on time with everything. One of the reasons she was upset at the toll both is that we were running late. The rental car place in the Milan Airport was a disaster.

So we arrived at the first venue 20 minutes late and she was apoplectic that we would miss the wedding planner. We'll you guessed it. About 10 minutes later the wedding planner showed up.

This repeated itself everywhere we went. Hence Italian time. It drove her up a wall. Having been married to her mother for all over 30 years I guess my genes have adapted and it did not bother me all that much. I got used to it.

One question kept running through my head though. How did the Germans ever work with these people in WWII? What must have been going through the heads of all those German officers who had to work with the Italians?

 

[BY Bob]

social contact at their workplace that made the job bearable

This is an interesting observation. I think we underestimate the power of that social interaction. For many people who they work with is sometimes more important than what they do. I do beleive that you are right and many people are now looking for their passion or at least something they will enjoy doing.

As someone who has worked remote from the office for over 30 years, that is no issue for me. However, I do miss interacting with customers in-person. I loved meeting new people and working with them to achieve some goal. I am a firm believer that when you are going to enter the trenches together to take on a problem, it is easier if you have a personal relationship. I don't think that doing it over the Webcam will ever supercede or even equal that.

I never liked all the travel. I liked the people at the other end.
I have now switched jobs so I don't have the customer interactions like I used to and therefore I don't think I miss them as much.

Tax......