COLD DARK ROOM

[Chefdenoel10]

So I got very lucky today! Wife’s friend is allergic to bees and wants to use her front porch, but a bush attracts bees! Oh you mean that hibiscus. Yeah do you want to dig it up?? It is 6 feet tall

That’s a hibiscus???
Maybe here ... they look very different? ?
Are you being facetious? (I hope)...

 

[Chefdenoel10]

Good afternooning all. It’s been a stressful couple of days. Shortly after the final whistle blew at Wembley, around 10.30pm, the rescue contacted all the volunteers saying it had had to close due to suspected cases of avian flu in one of the aviaries.

DEFRA (government department for environment, food and rural affairs) took control as soon as it was reported and imposed strict controls. Only those named on a list submitted to DEFRA allowed on site… just staff and baby bird feeders, not even the general volunteers.

Today’s shift started at 6:45am and the dress code was “festival chic”. Clothes you didn’t mind going in the bin as they could end up being burned (we had to take a change of clothes to go home in) and wellies as they could be disinfected.

Around 10am we got the call that the first tests had come back negative for avian flu; we still can’t reopen until the problem is diagnosed, but things are looking a lot more positive. If there had been a positive test, every bird at the rescue would have to be put to sleep… there are hundreds.

I did an awful lot of cleaning. The baby bird room has been scrubbed and disinfected top to bottom and in every nook and cranny.

I finally left at 1.30pm… a double shift and a bit. Home, mug of tea, shower, tennis and recovery! I am very tired.

This is so horrible!!!
I hope and pray that the animals don’t have to be out to sleep!
And I am praying YOU don’t catch anything!
Such a wonderful person to volunteer your time. It’s more than most would do.
If you so t mind could we get updates as they become available?
Please keep safe and wear a mask, a hat, those rubber fishing pants that go up to your neck , and a sweater !!
I will be worried till this awful disease is gone now.

 

[JoesMum]

Geez, Linda! I'm just speechless! Where did the Avian flu report come from anyway?

Avian flu is present in wild bird populations the world over. It’s bad news for poultry farmers if their flicks get it.

The rescue is always on the lookout just in case. This is the first time it has ever had to notify.

 

[JoesMum]

The US is warning people that keep any kind of poultry of that too. They want them to stop feeding wild birds. Take down their feeders and disinfect them especially if they see dead birds around the neighborhood.

Dead wild birds in the garden are not usually avian flu… well not in the UK anyway.

But birdfeeders are vectors for transmitting other diseases in birds that can also be fatal.

It is really important to clean and disinfect feeders frequently. And if you do see diseased birds, remove the feeders completely for a couple of weeks and get your neighbours to do the same. This encourages the birds to disperse.

 

[JoesMum]

This is so horrible!!!
I hope and pray that the animals don’t have to be out to sleep!
And I am praying YOU don’t catch anything!
Such a wonderful person to volunteer your time. It’s more than most would do.
If you so t mind could we get updates as they become available?
Please keep safe and wear a mask, a hat, those rubber fishing pants that go up to your neck , and a sweater !!
I will be worried till this awful disease is gone now.

Masks and surgical gloves have been mandatory at the rescue since the dawn of time. It’s a wildlife hospital and we use hospital hygiene procedures…. Human hospitals don’t have their patients poop all over the floor though ?

 

[Lyn W]

Good morning all, it's grey and damp here to start the day, but warmish.
The neighbours have gone out and left a dog howling and barking so it's not a very peaceful morning, but preferable to having them home and effing and blinding.
Lola hasn't surfaced yet, I gave him a nice soak yesterday evening and he ate some more before taking himself back to bed. I'm hoping he will be more active today. I'll give him a bit longer and check on him.
Hope everyone has a good Saturday.

 

[Blackdog1714]

That’s a hibiscus???
Maybe here ... they look very different? ?
Are you being facetious? (I hope)...

It is the winter hardy type with light purple flowers

 

[Chefdenoel10]

It is the winter hardy type with light purple flowers

Wow!!!
So it IS a hibiscus ?..
I didn’t mean to be so stupid,
I’ve just never seen a tree-like one ??
That’s GREAT that you got it for free!
I hope it takes root soon and gives you the most beautiful flowers ? .
Lots of luck!

 

[Cathie G]

Dead wild birds in the garden are not usually avian flu… well not in the UK anyway.

But birdfeeders are vectors for transmitting other diseases in birds that can also be fatal.

It is really important to clean and disinfect feeders frequently. And if you do see diseased birds, remove the feeders completely for a couple of weeks and get your neighbours to do the same. This encourages the birds to disperse.

I heard all that on the news and you know how that is. But that was what they said to do to protect chickens, turkeys, and other tame birds. Maybe it's like the warning you got for the rescue or that they've seen a flue in migratory birds and the warning is worldwide. I don't know.

 

[Cathie G]

On the news today I heard something really interesting to me. I love working with leather and 2 men from Mexico found a way to make it from prickly pear cactus. The company is called Desserto. I want a yard of it real bad just to see what it will do.?

 

[Cathie G]

Good morning all, it's grey and damp here to start the day, but warmish.
The neighbours have gone out and left a dog howling and barking so it's not a very peaceful morning, but preferable to having them home and effing and blinding.
Lola hasn't surfaced yet, I gave him a nice soak yesterday evening and he ate some more before taking himself back to bed. I'm hoping he will be more active today. I'll give him a bit longer and check on him.
Hope everyone has a good Saturday.

I'm just curious. What in the world is effing and blinding?? It appears to be nasty. I hope you still got to have a pleasant day with Lola. Maybe the dog will calm down with all the effing and blinding out of the house.??

 

[Maro2Bear]

I'm just curious. What in the world is effing and blinding?? It appears to be nasty. I hope you still got to have a pleasant day with Lola. Maybe the dog will calm down with all the effing and blinding out of the house.??

I had to look it up as well…

Where does the expression effing and blinding come from?
This is a British expression from c. 1930 and means to use bad language. The effing part is of course the f word, whereas blinding means swearing in general and derives from either may God blind me or to swear blind.

 

[Cathie G]

I had to look it up as well…

Where does the expression effing and blinding come from?
This is a British expression from c. 1930 and means to use bad language. The effing part is of course the f word, whereas blinding means swearing in general and derives from either may God blind me or to swear blind.

Oh ok so I was half right about what it meant ? I just wasn't sure about the blinding. Blinding is probably the worst by bringing God into all of it.

 

[JoesMum]

I'm just curious. What in the world is effing and blinding?? It appears to be nasty. I hope you still got to have a pleasant day with Lola. Maybe the dog will calm down with all the effing and blinding out of the house.??

Effing and blinding = swearing aggressively and at length in UK English

Effing = Using the F word

The derivation of blinding is uncertain.

 

[JoesMum]

A slightly important soccer match is happening this evening. No I won’t be there, but I will be glued to the television. I have the Wimbledon final to watch first. Having had a lie in this morning, I had better get on with everything else I need to do now! ?

 

[Lyn W]

Oh ok so I was half right about what it meant ? I just wasn't sure about the blinding. Blinding is probably the worst by bringing God into all of it.

I don't think my neighbours are God fearing people but they can't put two words together without using the f word. Sadly thats the way their kids have been brought up and the eldest daughter was recently out in the garden singing a song at the top of her voice to her 4 year old son about a Mother F....er to make him laugh. Poor kid doesn't know any better but eventually he'll think it's OK to swear like that too and so it continues.

 

[Lyn W]

A slightly important soccer match is happening this evening. No I won’t be there, but I will be glued to the television. I have the Wimbledon final to watch first. Having had a lie in this morning, I had better get on with everything else I need to do now! ?

I'll be watching the tennis!

 

[Lyn W]

Good morning all, it's a dreary day here with a lot of rain coming in this afternoon.
Lola seems much better, he was out and about a lot yesterday but didn't eat as much as usual.
He has just surfaced this morning and hopefully he'll be fine and active today too although the weather will keep him in.
As Linda said the men's final of Wimbledon is today so I'll be watching that. It was good to see Asheigh Barty winning the women's final yesterday - the first time an Aussie woman has won since 1980.
Hope everyone has a good Sunday whatever you're doing!

 

[Cathie G]

I don't think my neighbours are God fearing people but they can't put two words together without using the f word. Sadly thats the way their kids have been brought up and the eldest daughter was recently out in the garden singing a song at the top of her voice to her 4 year old son about a Mother F....er to make him laugh. Poor kid doesn't know any better but eventually he'll think it's OK to swear like that too and so it continues.

Yep. It would be funny to be a little bird in a government or public building and watch that child embarrass them if that's possible.. as I'm sure has happened already. Little pictures have big ears.

 

[Lyn W]

Good morning all, we have mixed weather today but it's warm.
Commiserations to England for losing to Italy on a penalty kick off, there'll be a lot of disappointed football fans around the country today but I'm sure they drowned their sorrows.
The England team should still be proud of themselves for getting to the final.
Lola seems to be back to normal apart from not eating as much, but he's still eating quite a lot so not worying.
I'm having a trip out today to stock up on some food for my garden birds and a few other bare necessities of life.
Have a good Monday and see you later.