![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.kerry.net.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/phantom-005-Copy.jpg\" "\\"???????????????????????????????\\"")
<\/a>Phantom, the clean dog<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Washed, walked and arrived home happy<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Recently I bought Floyd a tray to sit his seed bowl on and hopefully to reduce the amount of rubbish reaching the aviary floor, which of course needs another clean out.\u00a0 A couple of weeks ago he was sitting beside his seed bowl on top of the upturned bucket.\u00a0 If he wants to sit there with more space he should be able to.\u00a0 The tray is made of melamine so hopefully he can\u2019t chew it and hopefully it\u2019s heavy enough to prevent him upturning it, especially as his seed bowl is a fairly heavy pottery one, containing a picture of a cat and the words Our Cat.\u00a0 Seems fitting that the only suitable thing I could find was a tray showing cartoon cats exercising.\u00a0 He is yet to receive it.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Floyd 'putting his feet up"<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Addendum<\/p>\n
Since that was written he has received and upturned his tray.\u00a0 It seems that a pottery bowl of bird seed and a light tray depicting flexing felines are no match for a bird with a beak and the laws of physics. \u00a0He now has my largest kitchen plate, which he is yet to upturn, but it lacks the width and lip of the tray.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Seed bowl and tray<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Planning his response<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Readings<\/p>\n
My favourite book among those read recently was Anna Romer\u2019s Lyrebird Hill<\/em> where she effortlessly melds past and present stories of historical and modern loss into a coherent whole.\u00a0 Simon Winchester\u2019s The Surgeon of Crowthorne<\/em> where he discusses the genesis and eventual completion of the Oxford English Dictionary, showcases the major players including a mysterious American medical man.\u00a0 It\u2019s a fascinating look at the creation of an English language cultural icon, the development of madness and treatment of a murderer sent to a lunatic asylum, Broadmoor, for life, yet due to his education, intelligence and money was able to make a significant contribution to an important cultural work.<\/p>\n I was reading Bob Carr\u2019s Diary of a Foreign Minister<\/em>.\u00a0 He constantly talks of fatigue and jet lag along with lots of names as he scoots around the world doing what foreign ministers do in addition to trying to garner votes for Australia\u2019s bid for a position on the Security Council at the UN while also trying to avoid domestic politicking.\u00a0 It\u2019s not a riveting read and while I was happy to read 30-40 pages each night for a couple of nights I finally gave up and returned it to the library along with a Man Booker shortlisted book of a couple of years ago which I also grew disenchanted with.\u00a0 I have some genealogy books on the go and pending.<\/p>\n I did enjoy reading Carol Baxter\u2019s The Peculiar Case of Electric Constable<\/em>.\u00a0 It\u2019s written by \u00a0an historian and genealogist and created from historical records surrounding the death of a woman in England, the genesis of the telegraph, which is where the electric constable comes in, the characters involved and the resultant court case.\u00a0 It\u2019s an engaging, colourful depiction of the events of the time linked with issue of transportation, moral behaviour and the need to belong. \u00a0http:\/\/www.btp.police.uk\/about_us\/our_history\/crime_history\/murder_of_sarah_hart_1845.aspx<\/a><\/p>\n Genealogy<\/p>\n The genealogy has not been progressing with any success.\u00a0 I returned to investigate an English ancestor in the hope she would lead me from a brick wall as I had names of her parents and knew she had siblings.\u00a0 When I really looked at her entry in the baptismal register there was a hiccup.\u00a0 It was recorded almost forty years after her birth and at a time when she was no longer Mary Briggs.\u00a0 I then went searching for a substitute.\u00a0 I did find one; one who was missing an \u201cs\u201d in her name and whose father was also married and baptized without the \u201cs\u201d.\u00a0 Given the variations in spelling in those days and the commonality of area I\u2019m sure they are related but I\u2019m yet to be convinced that she is the required ancestor.\u00a0 Now that I\u2019ve had time to think, I will return to read the troubling baptismal register and try to see if that brings enlightenment of some kind.<\/p>\n I am also doing an online genealogy course based on the genealogy information that can be uncovered by using different Google products. \u00a0It was a freebie as a result of Family History Month in August although I have ordered the 100+ pages of notes which are yet to arrive.\u00a0 There is a fair bit to read with a need to try out each feature.\u00a0 It\u2019s pretty time consuming and has started to open my eye about what really is available.\u00a0 It continues for a couple of months with a new module each week.\u00a0 However, can\u2019t say I\u2019ve uncovered any useful genealogical information yet.<\/p>\n The marriage certificate for the two Irish great grandparents has arrived and has yet to be the savior I\u2019d hoped.\u00a0 The search for their baptismal certificates is in abeyance while I deal with the online course and try and get the house and garden into some semblance of order.\u00a0 The marriage certificate for the Scottish great grandparents has yet to materialize.\u00a0 I haven\u2019t been charged for it and all lines of communication are dead.\u00a0 It is a long standing family company so I\u2019m guessing something is wrong.\u00a0 As I don\u2019t need it at the moment I will temporarily ignore it before cancelling and going elsewhere.<\/p>\n Phantom and I have taken a few short walks. \u00a0The following photo is of a patch of lavender located in a short street nearby. \u00a0The aroma from them was obvious half the street away before they became visible.<\/p>\n