#PetKid Pals: Push-Push

Hi everyone.  This is Lilie the Westie.

 

I have a new friend for you to meet today.  So, let’s see who it is, shall we?

 

Hello new friend.  What’s your name? If you have an unusual name, or there’s an interesting story behind it, I’d love to hear about it, and am sure others would too, so please share.

 

“Hello, my name is Push-Push. I was originally going to be called daiquiri, after my friend Robbie’s favourite drink, but my Dad changed it to Push-Push. He gave me that name because when I was a small kitten, I used to roll onto my back under the couch and used my claws to pull myself along underneath it. My Dad thought that was very funny and changed my name. I didn’t mind because I was only six weeks old at the time.”

 

That’s an interesting name, and thanks for sharing how you got it.  So, Push-Push, what species and breed(s) are you?

 

“My Dad says I am a ‘pavement special’. My Mom and Dad got me from a shelter. I was born in a box in the parking lot outside a Kentucky Fried Chicken Drive-thru. My brothers and sisters were all rescued, and I was only in the shelter for a few days when I was chosen my Mom and went to live at my forever home.

 

Mom and Dad live in a small house down the garden path from a bigger house where my friends, Robbie and Terence, and their two sons live.”

 

That’s great that you found your forever home before you’d been in the shelter for long.  I love your setup... Must be great to have so many people looking out for you.  Describe your appearance for us, please.

 

“I am a tortoise shell cat with a very pretty coat in four different colours: mustard, orange, white and black. I have a sister, Smudge. She is a short-legged tortoise shell cat.”

 

You sound very pretty.  In fact,I know you are, because here's a photo Robbie sent us of you:

 

Anyway, Push-Push, I know you said something about a sister and two houses, but can you explain for us... Where do you live? What sort of place do you live in? Who do you share it with? Do any other animals live with you? Or is it just you and your humans?

 

“As I mentioned earlier, I have my sleeping home with Mom and Dad and my visiting home. I like to spend time lying on the Persian carpet in the lounge while Robbie works. Sometimes I scratch the carpet and then Robbie sprays it with a nasty smelling stuff, so I don’t want to scratch there anymore. More of the time, I’m happy to just lie and doze in the sun.

 

I have a big garden to play in and I’m allowed to hunt rats and lizards. My Mom hates lizards. I am not allowed to hunt birds as Robbie is very fond of birds.

 

There are lots of fruit trees in our garden: a fig tree, a peach tree, a blackberry bush, two plum trees and a lemon tree, so you can just imagine how many bird visitors we get. The Loerie birds were so fat after eating all the plums, Robbie was worried they wouldn’t be able to fly away from me, but they did.

 

We also have four Hadeda birds that live in our garden. These birds are big, so my sister and I only stalk them for play. The also have loud voices. In the mornings, they sometimes sit on the roof and sing for us.”

 

That sounds great.  But what’s your favourite thing to do?

 

“I really like to sleep. I lie in the sun and sleep as much as possible. In the early evening, Smudge and I like to stalk the birds and at night we sometimes catch lizards and rats and leave them as gifts for our Dad. One time, we left our lizard gift in Mom’s shoe and she didn’t find it until she looked for something she said was ‘smelly’. She wasn’t as grateful as I would have expected when she found that gift. It had been there for a few weeks, but still, a thank you would have been nice.”

 

I agree.  These humans just don’t appreciate things properly, do they? By the way, do you like toys? If so, do you have a favourite toy? If yes, what is it?

 

“Smudge and I aren’t very interested in toys. We have a scratching post which we like to use and that is all. Sometimes when Mom and Dad’s other daughters come for a visit and bring their children, they try to interest us in toys. We only oblige them for a short while to be nice and then we run away and hide in Robbie’s lounge.”

 

Fair enough.  How about food? What’s your favourite food?

 

“We only eat special cat pellets our Dad buys for us at the vet. Robbie let me sniff some of her gingerbread at Christmas time but, yuck, what a strong and horrible smell. I didn’t even stay long enough for her to take a proper picture of me.”

 

That’s a shame.  Hey, with all those humans some of them have to do things you love.  So, what’s the one thing any – or all - of your humans do that you love most?

 

“My Mom lets me sleep on her couch when she rests during the day and Robbie lets me sleep on her best carpet. Dad looks after us nicely and washes all our blankets and gives us our food.

 

I like to visit Robbie in the morning for cuddles, but I only stay for about 15 minutes. I don’t want to spoil her.

 

My sister is a one cat girl. She loves Dad and follows him around like a dog. She lies on the floor in his office or in the patch of sunshine just outside his office. When he isn’t there she cries until he comes home. I’ve told her she is silly to behave like a dog instead of a cat, but she ignores me.”

 

That all sounds really great.  And your sister sounds like my brother, Logan.  There are other humans in the world... Some animals just don’t get that though, and insist on sticking like glue to the one human.  Anyway, how about things you don’t like? What’s the one thing any – or all - of your humans do that you hate most?

 

“I live with lovely humans and have a beautiful home. I can’t think of anything they do that I hate. Sometimes the grandchildren are a bit noisy and boisterous, but when I’ve had enough I just disappear for a while.”

 

I’m really pleased to hear that.  OK, so... I happen to know one of your humans is a writer/blogger.  Has she written anything about you? If yes, can you tell us about it? If no, do you think she will in the future?

 

“Robbie is a blogger, but she doesn’t write about us often. I have done two guest posts for other bloggers, actually, that is why she wanted the gingerbread picture. Oh well, I can’t please her all the time.

 

Robbie likes to write about animals she models from fondant. She has made a lot of cats and wrote a story called the Dinah in Wonderland, the fondant cat parade. If you would like to see her fondant cats, you can download the story for free here: https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/dinah-in-wonderland-fondant-cat-parade/”

 

Oh, yes, I met one of her fondant cats once.  In fact, you can read my interview with the fondant Siamese cat by clicking here.  Back to you though, Push-Push.  And, I’m curious, what do you do while your human writes/works on blog posts?

 

“I sleep, of course. That’s what we cats do best.”

 

Ah, of course.  I might have known.  Well, I should probably let you get another catnap in.  Before you go though, is there anything else you’d like people to know about you?

 

“I am clever and I wind my humans around my paw. I am proud of my intelligence and good looks.

 

Thank you for inviting me to come and chat with you. It’s been such fun.”

 

I can see you’re a very clever kitty.  And, you’re very welcome.  Thanks for visiting.

 

***~~~***

 

Author CV – Roberta/Robbie Cheadle

Robbie Cheadle has published nine books for children and one poetry book. She has branched into writing for adults and young adults and, in order to clearly separate her children's books from her adult books, is writing for older readers under the name Roberta Eaton Cheadle.

Robbie Cheadle's Sir Chocolate children's picture books are written in sweet, short rhymes which are easy for young children to follow and are illustrated with pictures of delicious cakes and cake decorations. Each book also includes simple recipes or biscuit art directions which children can make under adult supervision. Her books for older children also incorporate recipes that are relevant to the storylines.

Roberta Eaton Cheadle's supernatural stories combine fabulous paranormal elements with fascinating historical facts.

Children's picture books - available as a square book and an A5 book (co-authored with Michael Cheadle):
Sir Chocolate and the strawberry cream story and cookbook
Sir Chocolate and the baby cookie monster story and cookbook
Sir Chocolate and the sugar dough bees story and cookbook
Sir Chocolate and the Condensed Milk River story and cookbook
Sir Chocolate and the Sugar Crystal Caves story and cookbook
Sir Chocolate and the Fondant Five story and cookbook
Sir Chocolate and the Ice Cream Rainbow Fairies story and cookbook

Middle school books:
Silly Willy Goes to Cape Town (includes five fun party cake ideas)
While the Bombs Fell (co-authored with Elsie Hancy Eaton)

Poetry book:
Open a new door (co-authored with Kim Blades)

Supernatural fantasy YA novel:
Through the Nethergate

 

Supernatural historical adult novel:

A Ghost and His Gold

Horror Anthologies (edited by Dan Alatorre):
Spellbound
Nightmareland
Dark Visions

Wings & Fire

Paranormal Anthologies (edited by Kaye Lynne Booth):
Spirits of the West
Whispers of the Past

Murder mystery Anthology (edited by Stephen Bentley)
Death Among Us

 

 

Robbie Cheadle’s books

Sir Chocolate books

Sir Chocolate and the strawberry cream berries story and cookbook

The adventures of Sir Chocolate and Lady Sweet in poetry form. Michael came up with the idea of Sir Chocolate and Lady Sweet and many of the characters contained in the books, when he was ten years old. His ideas were such fun that Robbie decided to turn them into little verse books for his entertainment. The book contains recipes for children to make with adult assistance.

Sir Chocolate and the baby cookie monster story and cookbook

Book 2 of the Sir Chocolate series: Sir Chocolate and Lady Sweet find a lost baby cookie monster. Join them on an adventure to return the baby to its mother and learn how to make some of their delicious recipes at the same time.

Sir Chocolate and the sugar dough bees story and cookbook

A greedy snail damages the flower fields and the fondant bees are in danger of starving. Join Sir Chocolate on an adventure to find the fruit drop fairies who have magic healing powers and discover how to make some of his favourite foods on the way.

Sir Chocolate and the Condensed Milk River story and cookbook

The Condensed Milk River where Sir Chocolate goes fishing has stopped flowing. The water creatures are losing their homes. Can Sir Chocolate and Lady Sweet solve this problem? Five lovely new recipes are also included.

Sir Chocolate and the Sugar Crystal Caves story and cookbook

The Condensed Milk River where Sir Chocolate goes fishing has stopped flowing. The water creatures are losing their homes. Can Sir Chocolate and Lady Sweet solve this problem? Five lovely new recipes are also included.

Sir Chocolate and the Fondant Five Story and Cookbook

Number 6 in the Sir Chocolate series: Five zoo animals go missing and Sir Chocolate needs to find them. Includes five lovely new recipes.

Sir Chocolate and the Ice cream Rainbow Fairies Story and Cookbook

Join Sir Chocolate and Lady Sweet on a fun adventure to discover why the milkshake rain is pale and white.

Silly Willy goes to Cape Town

When the George family go on holiday to Cape Town, Cautious Craig cannot believe what he has to endure at the hands of his naughty and wilful younger brother, Silly Willy. Willy throws tantrums at the most embarrassing and inappropriate times, causes a commotion on the aeroplane and tries to steal a chameleon from Butterfly World. What is a poor older brother expected to do in these situations?

While the Bombs Fell

What was it like for children growing up in rural Suffolk during World War 2?

Elsie and her family live in a small double-storey cottage in Bungay, Suffolk. Every night she lies awake listening anxiously for the sound of the German bomber planes. Often they come and the air raid siren sounds signalling that the family must leave their beds and venture out to the air raid shelter in the garden.

Despite the war raging across the English channel, daily life continues with its highlights, such as Christmas and the traditional Boxing Day fox hunt, and its wary moments when Elsie learns the stories of Jack Frost and the ghostly and terrifying Black Shuck that haunts the coastline and countryside of East Anglia.

Includes some authentic World War 2 recipes.

Open a new door

Open a New Door is a poetic peep into the lives of the poets, Kim Blades and Robbie Cheadle, both of whom live in South Africa.

 

The book is divided into four categories: God bless Africa, God bless my family and friends, God bless me and God bless corporates and work. Each part is sub-divided into the good, the bad and the ugly of the two poets’ experiences, presented in rhyming verse, free-style, haiku and tanka, in each of these categories and include colourful depictions of their thoughts and emotions.

 

The purpose of this book of poetry is encapsulated in the following tanka and haiku poems:

What drives me to write?

To share my innermost thoughts

The answer is clear

It’s my personal attempt

To make some sense of this world.

 

Inspiration blossoms

Like the unfurling petals

Of the Desert Rose

 

~

 

Buy Robbie’s books from...

Purchase links:

Amazon US

https://www.amazon.com/Robbie-Cheadle/e/B01N9J62GQ

Amazon UK

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Robbie-Cheadle/e/B01N9J62GQ

TSL Publications

https://tslbooks.uk/robbie-cheadle/

 

~

 

Follow Robbie Cheadle at:

Website

https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/

Blog

https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15584446.Robbie_Cheadle

Twitter

https://twitter.com/bakeandwrite

 

***~~~***

 

Thanks for coming over to meet Push-Push, and hear about her and all her humans.  I hope you enjoyed getting to know her.  If so, please consider leaving a comment, sharing this post around, or both.

 

Also, if you’re a bird, cat, chinchilla, degu, dog, fish, gerbil, guinea pig, hamster, rabbit, rat, tortoise, or any other non-human animal, you share your home with a human who calls themselves a writer – yes, blogging counts – and you’d like to become a PetKid Pal yourself, don’t hesitate to get in touch.  You can do so via the “PetKid Pals” page, where you can also meet all the others we’ve had as guests in the past.  We love meeting new friends, so hope to hear from you soon.

 

Lots of licks,

Lilie

#Baking + #StDavidsDay + #AmWatching + #Knitting And #Crochet Projects + #Lockdown Exit Plans

Mam and I made some vegan rice pudding last weekend.

 

I haven't had a decent bowl of rice pudding in years, and definitely not since becoming vegan.  But between Mam making herself some recently, and a friend talking about it, I ended up really wanting some.  So we made some using coconut milk and coconut cream.  Here's a photo of a bowl of it, just because.

~

We also made some flapjacks, because I've got a lot of oats and Mam fancied making some.  Plus, I do love flapjacks.  We decided to put some chocolate on top, and tried to be lazy with putting a chocolate coating on the top by just sprinkling the vegan chocolate drops on top rather than properly melting them first, which didn't work quite as planned, so some parts of the chocolate are melted better than others.  But here's a photo of it still in the pan - before we cut it in to squares:

*~*~*

March 1st was St David's Day (Dydd Gwyl Dewi).  St David, for those who don't know, is the patron saint of Wales.  To celebrate, Mam and I made Welsh cakes.  This was our first time making vegan versions.  Here's a photo of them:

And here are the daffodils featured in that photo a couple of days later, once they'd opened up properly:

~

We also did a St David's Day pet photo shoot with Lilie, Izabel, Logan, and Artemis.

 

Mollie would have been included in the photos too, but she doesn't do photoshoots, and decided there was no way she was even coming out of her bed with all three dogs in the house.  Not that I blame her.  Besides, it was daytime, and she's never enthusiastic about getting up for anything in the day at the best of times.  Chinchillas are nocturnal, after all.

 

Anyway, here are the photos:

 

 

The shawl Lilie and Izabel are wearing was a baby shawl Mam brought, which is aesigned for a baby or toddler to have as part of the traditional Welsh costume.  Their bonnet was made by my Mam... It's the closest we could do to the bonnet or hat a little girl would wear while allowing for dog head shapes being different, and their ears needing space.  Logan's bowtie is a red hairbow.

Oh, and - for the benifit of anyone who knows tortoises shouldn't eat daffodils - I want to assure you that Artemis wasn't allowed to get any closer than she was in the photo to the daffodils, and was only out of my hands on that spot for long enough for my Mam to snap the picture (I literally let go long enough for the shot when Mam told me she was ready to take it, and then scooped up the tortoise).

*~*~*

I watched a movie called "Flora And Ulysses" recently.  It was very entertaining, but with a really sweet ending.  Only one thing spoiled it for me: William.

William is a blind character in the movie.  He's suffering from temporary blindness caused by stress.  Now, I don't know if they intentionally took all the myths about blind people and tried to make a joke out of them, or if they genuinely didn't have a clue that the myths about blindness are generally a load of rubbish.  Either way, how they did William's character was not only not funny, but it spoiled the movie for me.  Seriously people, if you're going to include a character with a certain disability, talk to someone with experience with the disability first, get your facts right, and learn what's appropriate to use for comedic material as regards that disability and the person's struggles because of it.

 

I loved everything else about it - there was even one scene with William I actually found funny - but because of how they portrayed William's character, it barely scrapes a four out of five stars from me.  And the only reason it gets four is that loving the rest of the movie means I can't bring myself to lower the rating to three stars.  It's a shame when something like that spoils an otherwise awesome movie.

~

I've also been watching the "A Series Of Unfortunate Events" series, which I'm loving.  It's different to the books - which I'm a big enough fan of that I've read them multiple times - in that some of the stuff we learn later in the books was going on behind the scenes is shown to the audience as it's happening in the show, but otherwise follows the books much more closely than the movie.  I struggle to only watch a single episode of it at a time, so am already almost done with the whole thing, even though I only started watching it on the weekend.  This show definitely gets five out of five stars from me.

*~*~*

 

I finally finished my tea cosy!

It wouldn't have taken me so long if I was spending more time each week working on crafts.  But it's done now anyhow, and here's a photo for anyone who'd like to see it:

~

Now I'm making a knitted toy I plan to gift someone, and working on finishing my crochet scarf.  Officially the crochet scarf is meant to be the main project now, but since I knit a whole lot quicker than I crochet, the knitted toy is coming together more quickly, and already about half done (the scarf is maybe about a quarter done - if that - at this point).

*~*~*

We're sort of still in lockdown here, but they're working on taking us out of lockdown slowly.  Numbers have been relatively low as regards infection and death rates from the virus (here in Wales especially) so the hope is that a slow end to lockdown will mean this really is an end to lockdown.

Of course, the whole of the UK still can't agree on things entirely, so how the process will be working naturally differs depending on where in the UK you live.  It's also subject to change if anyone in charge decides it's not working (in other words, if numbers start rising again).  The situation is to be evaluated at each stage to see how things are going.  But, wherever you are in the UK, the plan is basically to have all restrictions lifted by the Summer.  The Prime Minister gave a date in June, but since his dates apply spacifically to England, and I can't find a dated "roadmap" for Wales, I can't be sure what the Welsh government's date deadline is.  To be honest, I think they're hesitant to give one in case they can't stick to it, which is sensible.

~

I have to admit, I don't envy them the job of attempting to balance the needs of the economy with the threat of the virus.  Things like this are why I'd never want to be in charge.  Sure, making the rules might sound fun, but - as is often said - "With great power comes great responsibility."  And I don't think I'd like to be the one with that kind of responsibility resting on my shoulders.

 

Mind you, though I don't envy those in charge the task of figuring all this out, that doesn't mean I like or agree with certain decisions they've made.  I'm just not convinced I could do better, and wouldn't like to try.

#PetKid Pals: Monkey

 

Hi everyone.  This is Lilie the Westie.

 

I have a new friend for you to meet today.  So, let’s see who it is, shall we?

 

Hello, new friend.  What’s your name? If you have an unusual name, or there’s an interesting story behind it, I’d love to hear about it, and am sure others would too, so please share.

 

“My name is Monkey! Charlie, one of the people I live with, named me that. He and Sue kept trying different names out for the first few days of me living with them, but Monkey just stuck.”

 

That’s an interesting name, but how you got it makes sense.  So, Monkey, what species and breed(s) are you?

 

“Just a basic kitty. Not really sure.”

 

Fair enough.  Well, describe your appearance.  I know you and your human sent a photo – which I’ll be showing everyone in a moment – but please describe yourself too, for the benefit of those who can’t see the photo.

 

“I weigh about 7 or 8 pounds. My grey fur has black stripes throughout, especially on my tail. I’m not thin, but I am what you might call svelte. And yes, I’m all that!”

 

 

 

Such a handsome kitty.  Anyway, Monkey, where do you live? What sort of place do you live in? Who do you share it with? Do any other animals live with you? Or is it just you and your human?

 

“I live in a house with Noodle (the other kitty), Sue and Charlie. They claim the house belongs to them, but I know without a doubt that it’s mine.”

 

Yeah, humans are always trying to insist things belong to them.  Silly humans.  Also, I remember Noodle... Logan interviewed him a couple of months ago.  Back to you though, Monkey.  So, what’s your favourite thing to do?

 

“It’s really a toss-up. I have a number of things that I enjoy like scaling up the kitty seat thing in the family room, stalking Noodle when he’s not looking, pouncing on Sue’s feet when she’s trying to walk, playing fetch with tiny things I find, and watching Sue go to the bathroom.”

 

Sounds like you keep very busy.  That last thing is a very important job – humans should never be allowed to go to the bathroom unsupervised.  You mentioned playing fetch... Do you like toys? If so, do you have a favourite toy? If yes, what is it?

 

“I’m not too big into toys, except a dangly thing on a wire. That’s LOTS of fun to bat at. And I suppose a random mousey that I come across can be exciting.”

 

Oh, I see.  How about food? What’s your favourite food?

 

“I don’t eat any people food, so I would just say the Iams stuff that Noodle and I get.”

 

Shame you don’t eat people food – they have some great stuff.  But, hey, as long as you enjoy your Iams stuff, that’s fine.  Speaking of human stuff, what’s the one thing your human does that you love most?

 

“When Charlie lets me lay on him and put my face in his hand.”

 

Oh, that does sound nice.  I bet there’s things they do you don’t enjoy though, so... What’s the one thing your human does that you hate most?

 

“Cut my claws. I don’t like it!”

 

I totally don’t blame you for that! I hate nail trimming time too.  I mean, how can they expect us to stand there calmly when they’re bringing sharp things so close to our paws? *shudders*

 

OK, let’s talk about something else.  Hey, Monkey, I happen to know your human is a writer.  Well, one of them is.  Has she written anything about you? If yes, can you tell us about it? If no, do you think she will in the future?

 

“I don’t believe that she has, and no, I don’t think I’ll show up in any future books. That’s okay, though.”

 

Well, as long as you don’t mind.  So, what do you do while your human writes/works on blog posts?

 

“Try to sit in her lap and press computer keys.”

 

That sounds fun! Hey, if she can do it, why not you, right?

 

Anyway, Monkey, we should probably finish up here so you can get back to your day, especially since your list of favourite things to do makes it clear you have a very busy schedule.  First though, is there anything else you’d like people to know about you?

 

“That I’m adorable (and I know it). And that I can be really sweet. Oh! And I love company! (but not now, while Covid is going on)”

 

Ah, yes, Avirus has made things really tough for those of us who love company and making new friends.  Well, at least you have Sue, Charlie, and Noodle.  Hopefully soon Avirus will go away, and you can have other company too.  In the meantime, thanks for visiting.  At least things like this can be done while observing those new rules put in place to keep the humans safe.

 

***~~~***

 

About the human

Sue is an indie suspense/horror author who has been writing since 2012. She currently has three novels and two collections of short stories – all which can be found on Amazon OR purchased through her website (https://suerovens.com). She is working on Rage, novel #4, and plans on having it available sometime in 2021.

Aside from writing, Sue is two months shy of retiring from Illinois State University and is looking forward to spending her free time learning to play French horn, keeping up on exercise, reading, spending quality time with her husband, Charlie, and hopefully getting to do some traveling.

 

~

 

Track 9

 

After a catastrophic railway accident leaves a trail of carnage and devastation in its wake, the small train station in Rain, Germany is shuttered.

Six months later, Gary and Grace Wolf, returning home after their belated honeymoon, find themselves trapped inside the now defunct terminal. What they discover within its walls leads them to make harrowing decisions. What they learn about each other pushes them to the brink of disaster.

Back in Bloomington, Illinois, their best friends, Mike and Sarah Waverly, await their return. A few hours before the plane is scheduled to land, Mike becomes tormented by troubling premonitions concerning Gary and Grace. Driven to find out the truth, Mike finds himself battling mysterious and inexplicable obstacles that plunge him into his own personal hell.

Everyone’s fate hangs in a precarious balance as the clock runs out.

 

***~~~***

 

I hope you enjoyed meeting Monkey, and getting to know about him and his human, Sue.  Don’t hesitate to leave them a  comment, and please consider sharing this post around.  I know it will make me and Mummy very happy, and I’m sure it will make Monkey and Sue very happy too.

 

Also, we always love making new friends, so... If you’re a bird, cat, chinchilla, degu, dog, fish, gerbil, guinea pig, hamster, rabbit, rat, tortoise, or other non-human animal, you share your home with a human calling themselves a writer – yes, blogging counts – and you’d like to be our guest, feel free to get in touch.  Head over to the “PetKid Pals” page to learn how, as well as to meet all our previous guests.

 

In the meantime, thanks for popping over to meet our newest PetKid Pal!

 

Lots of licks,

Lilie

#PetKidPals: Thor

Hi everyone.  This is Mollie the chinchilla.

 

I have a new friend for you to meet today, so let’s see who it is, shall we?

 

Hello new friend, and what’s your name? If you have an unusual name, or there’s a story behind it, please share, because I’d love to hear it.

 

“Hello. Hello. Hello. My name is Thor. My human is an Avengers fan and, for some reason, loves the guy with the big hammer.

 

“I have a story I’d like to share quickly if that’s okay? I think it’s funny.”

 

Great name! And, yes, please do.  I love hearing stories!

 

“One day, my human’s son was getting me out of the aviary, and I got spooked and flew away. That afternoon a summer storm was brewing with thunder and lightning flashing through the sky. My human was so keen to find me; she was roaming the streets of her estate, calling loudly for the god of thunder. Ha, ha. That’s me. Get it? We share the same name. I’m sure the humans in the neighbourhood thought my human had lost a few marbles.”

 

Haha! That is funny.  I love it! So, Thor, what species and breed are you?

 

“I’m an Alexandrian Parrot. Our breed is named after Alexander the Great. We used to be royal pets, but these days almost anybody can be our favourite human. I live in Australia, but my species is native to Western India, South India, and Sri Lanka.”

 

 

That’s fascinating.  Thank you for sharing that parrot information with us.  It’s always fun to learn new things.  Now, please describe your appearance.  This post will include photos you sent me to share with everyone, of course, but please describe yourself too, for the benefit of those who can’t see the photos.

 

“I’m a medium-sized parrot. Our bodies are bigger than an Indian Ringneck and Lorikeets, plus I have two tail feathers that are incredibly long (about 35 cm), taking our length to as long as 62 cm. My body is pale green with a pale blue tinge with some parts, like my forehead, almost fluorescent green. My wings are a slightly darker green with a burgundy patch close to where my wings attach to my body. My two long tail feathers have a hint of pale blue, with a yellow underside, and I have a really big—almost red—beak, curved like a nose. Because I’m a male, I have a flat head and a beautiful pink and black ring around my neck. I had to wait until I was three years old to grow that ring. That’s a long time, but I should have another 27 - 47 years to show it off.

 

“Oh, by the way, the picture of the male Alexandrine Parrot on the wire isn’t me. My human wanted you to get a good look at our tail. The picture is taken by Dr. Raju Kasambe.”

 

 

Thanks for that.  What a glorious bird you are! Hey, Thor, you told us where your breed comes from, and that you live in Australia, but other than that what sort of place do you live in? Who do you share it with?

 

“I live in a large aviary with my friend, Angel. She’s the same breed as me and can be extremely noisy and demanding. I think she’s adorable, and her human loves her, but her favourite noise can drive the humans crazy at times. She does it for attention. Although sometimes it annoys me too.”

 

Noisy housemates can be annoying at times... I find that with the dogs.  It’s nice to have the company sometimes though.  So, that’s what Angel likes to do, but what’s your favourite thing to do?

 

“Well, there’s this sound that I hear every day. My human says it’s an old-fashioned phone. I love imitating that sound. There are these other noises I hear that I like to replicate. Noises are my thing. My cage friend, Angel, speaks human talk… a lot, but my specialty is noises. You name it—if I like it, I’ll make it. I sometimes speak human, but I like to do it when my human isn’t listening, except I like saying hello. My voice isn’t as clear as Angel’s. I speak human to Angel. I sound more like I’ve been inhaling helium. It’s my form of serenading Angel. Sadly, it doesn’t seem to be working. (Puffs out chest) I think it’s pretty impressive.”

 

That sounds fun! How about playing? Do you have a favourite toy? If yes, what is it?

 

“Anything I can destroy with my beak. I especially love wood, bark, sticks, dining room chairs… but my human wasn’t too happy about that one. I don’t know why.”

 

I’m with you on loving wooden things to chew on, and can’t think why she wouldn’t be happy about you chewing the chairs... Humans! Speaking of things to chew on though, what’s your favourite food?

 

“Mmm. Fresh corn. Yum. I love it on the cob. This one time, my best friend, Angel, opened our cage and went on a wildlife adventure for three days. My human lured her down from a tree with a big juicy cob of corn. Angel was terrified after being chased by a magpie. Her fear made her not think straight, but that juicy corn lured her away from her fright, and she climbed down the branches back into the safety of my human.

 

“Sunflower seeds are also a favourite. They are like super yum. Apparently, they can make me fat. (Looking at waist) I don’t see it. I also love nuts, seeds, and fruit.”

 

 

You have great taste in nibbles, and you don’t look fat to me.  Humans are always stressing about that kind of tthing though.  Just ignore it... I do.  The human caretakers do some really nice things though, so tell me: what’s the one thing your human does that you love most?

 

“She lets me sit on her shoulder. I could sit on there all day, climbing from one to the other. I especially love it when she smiles. Those funny shiny white things in her mouth are so fascinating. I just want to chew on them.”

 

Who wouldn’t? Funny shiny white things sound fun! As we both know though, the humans don’t always let us do the things we love to do best, so... What’s the one thing your human does that you hate most?

 

“She won’t let me chew on those shiny white things. I don’t know why. I really, really just want to play with them.”

 

Sorry she’s not letting you have your fun.  You’d think she would, since she wants to have her fun.  I mean, I know your human is a writer, and Mummy tells me they enjoy doing that.  Speaking of which, has she written anything about you? If yes, can you tell us about it? If no, do you think she will in the future?

 

“Sadly, no. She has written a book with Macaws in it. I mean, what’s the fascination with them? I’m more adorable.

 

“I don’t know if she will write about me. She keeps writing lots of stories, so maybe one day.”

 

I hope she does one day.  I’ll cross my paws for you.  In the meantime, what do you do while your human writes?

 

“Ooo. I love to make funny sounds. One time my human had a bad cough that went on for months, and I loved the sound. So, I started imitating her. It made her laugh, so I kept doing it. I also love to mimic other birds. One of my favourite is the sound a plover makes.”

 

It’s always nice when we can make the humans laugh.  Then we know they’re happy, which is a very good thing.

 

Anyway, Thor, I think we should wrap this up.  Before we do though, is there anything else you’d like people to know about you?

 

“My human says I’m really cute. For that, I love to give her lots of kisses. I’ll even speak to her in human when I give her one. “Kiss.” Xxx”

 

 

You do sound really cute.  And, thanks for visiting today.

 

***~~~***

 

About the human:

Katrina is an author of several Young Adult and Preteen/Middle Grade novels. Each of her released books reaching the top 100 in certain categories on the Amazon's Best Sellers Rank - a few even as high as number one.

She resides in Queensland Australia. Her three teen/preteen boys and husband of over fifteen years treat her like a princess. Unfortunately though, this princess still has to do domestic chores.

From birth, she has been a very creative person and has spent many years travelling the world and observing many different personalities and cultures. Her favourite personalities have been the strange ones, yet the ones under the radar also hold a place in her heart.

 

Find and connect with Katrina:

https://www.amazon.com/Katrina-Cope/e/B00F00JF9M/

http://www.KatrinaCopeBooks.com

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7265107.Katrina_Cope

https://www.facebook.com/Author.Katrina.Cope

https://www.facebook.com/groups/162246431165536

https://www.instagram.com/katrina_cope_author/

https://twitter.com/Katrina_R_Cope

 

The Sanctum Series:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074C4DPYB

 

***~~~***

 

I hope you enjoyed meeting Thor, and learning about him, his cagemate, Angel, and his human, Katrina.  If you enjoyed this post, please don’t forget to leave them a comment to tell them so, or share it around.  Better yet, do both, which will make them – as well as me and Mummy – very happy.

 

By the way, we’re always looking to make new friends, so if you’re a bird, cat, chinchilla, degu, dog, fish, gerbil, guinea pig, hamster, rabbit, rat, tortoise, or other non-human animal, you share your home with a human calling themselves a writer – yes, blogging counts - and you’d like to become a PetKid Pal too, to have your turn to be interviewed, go to the “PetKid Pals”page on this blog, and it will tell you how to do it.  You can also use that page to read the interviews for the friends we’ve featured in the past.

 

Squeak soon,

Mollie