Sunday, August 29, 2021

Biscuit Tin and Turaco


It still looks summery out there, but it's starting to feel quite autumnal. The high temperature yesterday was 68º F (20º C), and I needed a sweatshirt to feel comfortable, even indoors. It's been a cool, rainy summer overall, and some say autumn is coming early and may bring more colorful foliage.

The Russians returned from their holiday on Friday -- turns out they went to Sardinia and not to Russia as I'd assumed. I don't know why I expected them to go home instead of somewhere fun. They're all looking very tanned. I handed off the strawberry seedlings (which I managed not to kill), and I'm happy to be rid of them, let me tell you.

I did laundry and some light gardening and household tasks in the morning, and in the afternoon took Olga to the cemetery, as you can see.


I can't remember whether I've blogged this gravestone before or not -- it's one we always step over on the path, so I see it every time I visit. I think Charles Absalom Bromige is a great name. His poor wife's identity has been swallowed by the earth.


Parts of the cemetery have been mowed, but some areas are still quite weedy. Olga likes to roll around in the long grass (and snack on it).


I found this old biscuit tin on a grave (best before Oct. 19, 2016). I swear it wasn't there a week ago.

Most exciting of all, I heard the turaco again -- and this time, with Olga in tow, I was able to make my way to the tree where it was loudly calling and take some pictures. (The turaco, for those of you who don't know the back story, is an exotic bird from East Africa that mysteriously lives at the cemetery. No one seems to know where it came from or why it's there, but it's been around for at least three years and seems perfectly healthy. It has a leg band, so I suspect it's an escaped pet or aviary specimen.)

These are the first pictures of it I've been able to get this year.


It was way up in a tree that was surrounded by other, lower trees and shrubs, so getting a clear shot was no easy feat. I did finally capture a few good frames. Although the turaco appears mostly green and blue, you can see the hint of bright red beneath its wings. That red is displayed brilliantly when it flies. (I can never photograph it in flight -- it takes off without warning and it's fast.)


It flew to a nearby yew tree. My theory is that it eats yew berries -- I seem to see it most often in or near yews. But maybe it just likes them because they're dense and good places to hide.

Some passersby asked me what I was photographing and by that time the bird had retreated into the interior of the yew, so I couldn't point it out to them, but I showed them on my camera. Like me, they felt a little bad for it, all alone in a strange land with no companionship. Like I said, though, it seems pretty content.

In the evening Dave and I watched a documentary series about Monty Python. I've been a huge Python fan since I was a teenager, when I used to sneak out to the living room and watch it late at night, when it aired on our local PBS station. It's been interesting to watch this series (on Netflix) in which the members of the troupe explain the history of their projects and how they worked together. Everyone imagines they're all best friends, but of course that's not really the case, and it wasn't always smooth sailing!

43 comments:

  1. Great you finally again got to see the turaco and get beautiful photos. Glad the strawberry seedlings survived; that would have stressed me so much. I love that tin. Do you suppose there’s any significance to the “best before” date (other than the obvious)? What was the death date on the grave?

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    1. I didn't even think of that! I'll look next time I'm there!

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  2. As I lifelong member of the International Turacp Society, I think I can say with some certainty that your particular bird is a Fischer's Turaco or in German - a Fischerturako. I guess you have already visited our website: http://www.turacos.org/index.html

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    1. Yes, it is indeed a Fischer's turaco. (I didn't know the German translation though! LOL)

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  3. I never really got Monty Python.
    The turaco is a strange looking bird, in a nice way. Escaped pet?
    I agree that Mr Bromige had a great name, but what could be better than the name of the brilliant 19th century English railway engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

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    1. Yes, Isambard Kingdom Brunel does indeed win the competition when it comes to unusual names. I'm sure the turaco is an escapee of some kind.

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  4. I may steal that man's name if we ever get another pet.

    That bird is amazing; what a sight.

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    1. I couldn't believe it when I first saw it several years ago. I thought I was tripping.

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  5. Great shots of the turaco.

    Very symbolic that Mrs Bromige's name is buried under the dirt given that well into the 20th century women were often identified--not by their own name--but in relation to their father, husband, children--a daughter, a wife, a mother. As though they had no identity of their own.

    As for Monty Python, not sure why anyone would be surprised that they aren't best friends. Can't really think of any large creative group--musical, theatrical or otherwise--that could survive that kind of intense relationship. Each having their own creative path and needing to find other outlets to express them. Michael Palin has certainly used his various talents well.

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    1. I guess like all good artists and athletes, the Pythons make it look easy -- they seem to be having such fun and ribbing each other effortlessly, as good friends would. But of course there's a lot of behind-the-scenes work that goes into those apparently effortless moments on camera.

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  6. That bird is just gorgeous. But yes- so sad that he has no companion. No one to help him pass those genes of perfection on.

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    1. I know! I feel terrible for him. (I guess it's a him, though I'm not sure.) If I could I would capture him and spirit him back to East Africa.

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  7. One wonders what will happen to these graves when they are not tended to .

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    1. Parts of the cemetery are quite overgrown but most of it gets cleared on a regular basis, so there are very few graves that are genuinely inaccessible.

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  8. Marc and I were watching Monty Python when the rest of the country was swooning over Saturday Night Live.

    very exotic looking bird. very curious how it came to be where it is.

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    1. Exactly! I remember all my friends at school being so into SNL, and although I found it funny I always thought Python was much better.

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  9. i started watching monty Python when I was in Australia, we hadn't had a television in England. Seems everyone had one in Melbourne. Hooked immediately! Aa far as "smooth sailing"- is it ever?
    Great shots of the mystery bird, how handsome it is! Also love the tin!

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    1. As they say, it's better not to know how the sausage is made!

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  10. You got some great shots of the Turaco and what a beautiful bird. I don't know why this just popped in my head when I was reading your post but wouldn't it be amazing if the bird had belonged to someone who is buried in the cemetery? Now there is a story.

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  11. That bird is absolutely gorgeous!

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    1. Isn't it? It blows me away every time I see it.

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  12. The Turaco photos are so beautiful. What a stunning bird. I'm so glad you got to photograph it.
    I've never watched Monty Python. Or... I may have many years ago and completely forgotten. Age will do that to you! (I've seen a few sketches, but never a whole show. Was it a series? Are there lots of shows?)

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    1. It was a series of half-hour shows composed of separate sketches, interspersed with animation. I think it ran for three or four years in the early '70s and was repeated on PBS in the United States after that. When people say British humor is bizarre, what they're really talking about is Monty Python.

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  13. What a beautiful bird! Great photo, as usual.
    Would you not be tempted to do a tiny bit of digging just so we can see Mrs Bromidge's full name?

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    1. You have inspired me to try next time I visit the cemetery. I'll keep you posted. :)

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  14. That is a great picture. It seems odd that no one has reported him missing! I'm not sure how you'd catch him, but it seems as if someone would want to know his whereabouts.

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    1. I couldn't begin to imagine how to capture that bird. Besides, as lonely as he may be, he probably prefers his freedom to a cage.

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  15. What an interesting looking (and beautiful) bird! It's all the more mysterious in that it's banded. Is there nowhere you can share your photos and report its sighting?

    I love the photos of Olga. Both of them!

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    1. Several years ago I put a notice on a website called Parrotfinder, or something like that -- a notice board for lost and found exotic birds in the UK. As far as I know the notice is still up but no one has ever responded. I know it's been publicized on Twitter as well. There have been other instances of turacos living wild in London. It happens!

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  16. Your Turaco is quite a beautiful bird. These are wonderful photos. I find the old gravestones very interesting. I'll bet that cookie tin was quite beautiful in its day. Enjoy your day, hugs, Edna B.

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    1. Glad you liked the photos, and yes, that is a nice tin!

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  17. Haven’t the turaco have a very weird cry?

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    1. It has a very croaky call -- I've posted it here on the blog a couple of times. You can probably search it up.

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  18. What a beautiful bird!

    I'm reading a book right now set in London. It mentioned Hampstead Heath. Do you walk on Hampstead Heath sometimes? Or am I misrembering? Pixie

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    1. Yes! I used to take Olga there all the time, though she's getting too old to make that journey nowadays. (It's kind of a hike from our house.)

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  19. Congrats on keeping the strawberry plants alive. That Turaco is stunning.

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    1. I'm so relieved about those strawberries. I hated the responsibility!

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  20. Wow! That bird is really fabulous! It is great that you finally got a chance to photograph it so we can see it. Amazing!

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    1. It really is amazing. Like nothing I've ever seen before, that's for sure.

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  21. That Turaco is fabulous! And your neighbors know you love to keep plants alive. They would not have asked otherwise. Good job and I love sweatshirt weather.

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    1. She knew we were on "Gardener's World" so she was comfortable leaving the seedlings with us -- but in a way that just added to the pressure! I'm glad to have them back where they belong.

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