The One About The Pigeon
Labels: home life
Monday, April 30, 2007
A crazy thing happened yesterday after brunch. While I was putting away the utensils, my son calls out, "Mummy, there's a pigeon in the house!" I wasn't paying attention and mumbled something or other.
The second time he called out, my brain started registering what was being said. What? A pigeon? As in a bird? Yikes!
I hustled out of the kitchen, with dish towel still in hand, to see what was going on. Lo and behold, there it was, big and fat, standing in front of the patio entrance. We had a stand off, whereupon it proceeded to walk straight into the house. Bird - 1, Human - 0. It crossed the living room and stopped at the other end, where the dining area was. And there it stood, pleased as punch. I wasn't pleased at all. In fact, the city girl in me started to panic. Having been born and bred in the city, I am easily unnerved by wildlife, especially birds. As a teen, I watched Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds and it left quite an impression, if you know what I mean.
However, that hasn't stopped me from regularly putting out crumbs and seeds on our bird table located more than half-way across the backyard. Far away from the house itself. The table is very popular with the local birds, not to mention our two residential squirrels whom I've christened Chip and Dale. *sheepish grin* The squirrels have wandered onto our patio a couple of times too but never in the house, thank goodness.
Anyway, the calvary came in the form of my husband bearing a broom instead of a musket. He very gently escorted our unwanted guest outside. All this time I willed it not to poop on the slate floors as I'd just laboured over them on Friday. Don't you dare! Or we're having roast pigeon for dinner tonight, I silently threatened.
So off it potters round the back of the house and parks itself in front of our gate, catching a bit of the afternoon sun as it were. After a while, it wandered off into the garden and then I lost track of it, being engrossed in our game of Uno.
I never did like unexpected guests.
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 4:11 pm
