Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary

[tikay]

Kizzy steers.

[RED-DOG]

How do you take mobile phone photo's (I assume) and drive on a motorway (looks like you aren't in the passenger seat)? lol

My brother Joe arrived home after a long day at work and sat down to a special treat dinner of steak and chips with all the trimmings. Just as he was about to tuck in, the phone rang, and, to cut a long story short, he had to go back out in his van immediately.

Reluctant to leave his steak, he put that, along with a few mushrooms and onion rings on to a slice of bread and took it with him. He also took his mug of tea.

When he stopped at the traffic lights, he had his sandwich in one hand, mug of tea in the other, and his mobile phone trapped between his ear and his shoulder.

Waiting for the lights to change, he glanced idly round to the right and saw, parked next to him, a police Range Rover. With a short, high pitched, girlish shriek of terror, he threw everything into the back of the van and sat absolutely still, staring dead ahead.

When the lights changed, he risked a quick glance at the Range Rover before driving away. The two police officers inside were laughing fit to burst.

[RED-DOG]

This is a picture of a Spix’s macaw.

Click to see full-size image.

Yesterday, I heard a fascinating story about them on radio 4 This, (From memory) is the gist of it.

The Spix’s macaw lives in Brazil. One day, a Brazilian bigwig noticed that he hadn’t seen any Spix's around for a while and wondered if their numbers were declining. He had a quick chinwag with his buddies and it was decided to send a group of conservationists out to see how many there were left. They found just one.

When people realised that there was only one Spix’s macaw left in the entire world, they became very interested in it and everyone wanted to see it. The macaw, for his part, enjoyed his newfound celebrity and was very cooperative, putting in regular appearances for his adoring fans and doing much to promote the sale of binoculars, cameras, and “I’ve seen the Spix’s macaw” T-shirts.

Macaws live for a long time and so things went on like this for many years, then, out of the blue, someone popped up and said, “I’ve got one of those, it's in a cage at home”

As you can imagine, the news caused great excitement. After ensuring that the captive parrot was a girl, the conservationists acquired it as a potential mate for the wild one, which was of course, a boy.

Much argument followed about weather they should catch the wild male and introduce him to the captive female, or vice-versa. In the end they decided that releasing the female into the wild was the best option, and so it proved to be.

All her instincts apparently intact, the female took to the wild like she had been born there, having no trouble finding food and shelter or avoiding predators and the like. Great! Now for the next big hurdle.

Parrots mate for life, so they choose their partners carefully, what if they didn’t get on?

Again everything went better than expected, after a whirlwind romance, (during which they mated several times) they found a hole in a tree, built a nest, and then…. the female flew into a power line and was killed before she could lay her eggs.

The male went back to a life of celibate celebrity and died just recently.

Bugger! 

 

[tikay]

From where does it derive it's name, Tom? (Spix).

[Rod Paradise]

From where does it derive it's name, Tom? (Spix).

I did a quick search & couldn't find that - but the good news is that there are still 70-odd Spix's Macaws in captivity & they are being bred with the intention of re-introducing them to the wild. So at least they're not quite drawing dead - they still have outs.

[pokerfan]

Set the Tom-Tom to display current speed, helps in endless ave speed zones on the M1 etc.

[RED-DOG]

My dad asked me why, when you are alone it is referred to as being "On your tod"?  Is it Rhyming slang? and.. 

Why, in rhyming slang, is a watch called a "Kettle"?

[RED-DOG]

From where does it derive it's name, Tom? (Spix).

I did a quick search & couldn't find that - but the good news is that there are still 70-odd Spix's Macaws in captivity & they are being bred with the intention of re-introducing them to the wild. So at least they're not quite drawing dead - they still have outs.

Do you have a link please Rod?

[Colchester Kev]

My dad asked me why, when you are alone it is referred to as being "On your tod"?  Is it Rhyming slang? and.. 

Why, in rhyming slang, is a watch called a "Kettle"?

Kettle & hob = Fob

[RED-DOG]

My dad asked me why, when you are alone it is referred to as being "On your tod"?  Is it Rhyming slang? and.. 

Why, in rhyming slang, is a watch called a "Kettle"?

Kettle & hob = Fob

Ah!

[Colchester Kev]

On your Tod (sloan) = own.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tod_Sloan_(jockey)

[gatso]

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/on-your-tod.html

http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-tod1.htm

2 agreeing sources on 'on your tod'

[RED-DOG]

I went for a walk the other day and stumbled across these botanical gardens. I was stunned. I've passed within yards of them countless times and I didn't even know they existed.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

[RED-DOG]

Looks like Tod Slone is the answer. Cheers guys.

[gatso]

is that 3rd pic a monkey puzzle tree?