My poor Ernest in the wars again poor chap................my fault too probably!

Hiya again Folks
This may be a short blog today.  As some of you may have discovered, I have actually created my new Remembrance day for All Souls!  I would also love to say it all went smoothly........but no.....it didn't!  I had quite a panic.  Some of you who have been reading my blog regularly will realise that I had a sad accident with our duck and drake, Esme and Ernest - two Mallard ducks.  I thought I had done a pretty good job sticking their beaks back with some of Andrew's wood glue so imagine my horror this afternoon (I only work mornings on Thursday and Friday!) when, whilst trying to pose young Tom in front of the pulpit where he was to hold up his paper with the name "Bungle" on it as his late pet hamster, my poor Ernest must have fallen on to the church floor and I picked him up to see................half his beak missing...............arghhhhhhhhhh

As you do I tried to be practical and NOT panic but that was quite difficult.  It got worse if you can believe because I had the added issue of our hand reared cockatiel, Pebbles, who, with immaculate timing as per usual, decided to fly downstairs and join in the fun by landing on my head and church - NOT good!  I had to sport my sun hat bought for our last trip to Australia back in July/August/September 2007.  Pebbles HATES it and hisses at it like mad............but apart from a very hot head for me it is better than him doing what male cockatiels love to do on a nice head of hair..............say no more..............and before you ask - NO - he has yet to show ANY kind of learning curve on this matter at all but any tips welcome!

I cleared the area where poor Ernest had been the best I could................I picked up various little bits in the church as the light was not good enough to see properly...................and thinking I was on to a good one at one point to find it was a ...................................cockatiel seed................again..........arghhhhhhhh  I am sure that, even IF I never found the proper article - ie a bit of broken beak, poetic licence would not allow that seed to work at all as part of my poor Ernest's beak - joke!
Having failed to see anything I had a brain wave.......................my daylight bulb I used for my photo shots - HOW stupid was that to forget THE most often used tool of my trade when on a St. Hils photo shoot!
So I shone the light in and presto.........THERE the little bit of beak was..........it was hiding at the back......................  I was thrilled..............never mind the fact that most of my poor porcelain dolls were strewn about on the backs and stomachs on pews.........floor.....squashed between the choir stalls and altar rail................................ALL in a desperate effort to rescue my poor Ernest's pride and joy and all that makes him a duck........ie........his beak!

I can now report that Ernest is almost "good as new" (well as good as can be "post" his last accident!) ..........having extrapolated the wood glue from one of the drawers in our coffee table and courtesy of one fat pin which I used to streak the glue on to broken part of the beak on the duck itself.........  It may not be normal for a duck to be sitting on an altar......but that is where he is..................til he feels a bit better and I feel more confident to "pose" him for any more photoshoots.......................
And here he is....................on the altar with GP, Gracie's pet guinea pig keeping him company until he feels better........

I think I have done quite a good job here considering I am left handed and have cut my left hand index finger so have had to sport a plaster.......................amazing what you do when you have to...........and the odds of me finding the said broken beak bit was not that good given the fact that things, being so small, can easily fall on to the carpet and then can be lost forever....................

I can now return to the matter of the two stools that I bought last Saturday.  They look really nice I think as the first photo on my new page on All Souls.....(link as above) ...............................................but to save you visiting the page here is the photo...

I had to include Miss Enid..............and I do think she looks rather nice sitting on the stool.  I had quite a job placing her spectacles.........................but we got there in the end.......  Emily also sits on the stool most elegantly too. 

I have just checked this in the "preview" window and note that I started this as a "short blog".........whoops!
Anyway.......till the next time...............