Dreamed a cockatoo dream. It was dark or near dark. I was reclining on something when a bird landed on my chest. It was big. It was a cockatoo. Because I have a healthy fear of their beaks I quickly wrapped my hands around its body and placed it on the floor. It climbed back. Then the lights came on and I saw it was a one-eyed cockatoo that Karen had worked on. It was a nice, non-biting bird. That's all I remember. In real life Karen has not removed the eye of a cockatoo to my knowledge. It would be nice to know the meaning of this dream. I assume it's related to Jack somehow.
Jack is progressing. He's fascinated with R and is less aggressive with me even allowing me to pet him a little. He wants to come in the house, making his way to the deck at any opportunity. Yesterday I thought I'd bring him inside but he saw Natalia waiting just inside the door and started to panic so I didn't pursue it. Makes me think he was a house bird. Would love to know what his early life was like. He laughs, says hello, hello cocky and scratch. The other day he said 'what are you doing?' but hasn't said it since. Why did a talking bird that doesn't know he can fly end up walking beside the road on the Sunshine Coast?
This morning Jack hesitated as usual when I first went in with the target stick and sunflower seeds. I cut the time I waited to less than five seconds. Fed the greenies (Suki is still doing well as a free bird but until he leaves he is getting supplement food) then tried him again. As usual, he attacked the stick the first time. The other three times he just mouthed it. It helps that I ignore the savageness of that first bite. I want him to bite it, it doesn't matter whether he attacks or mouths it. Put his seed in afterwards - all the normal routine except he didn't go and eat breakfast. Instead he came to the front of the aviary. Let him out and he made his way to the deck. We still have the t-stand so we put him on that while we had our coffee. He seemed content. He showed off a little with his little wave and his wing and head flipping. Afterwards he was returned to the aviary and he went and ate. Noticed his poo was a little sloppy, a little mixed so have put coccivet in the water.
Working on another convex mirror image drawing. Liked my first one, liked the concept and the look. Love Escher's work. One problem I'm having, besides the usual lack of technical expertise, is that I can't SEE. Am working on my reflection and I can't see the details well enough to get a good likeness. Ditto details in the background where the mirror picks up objects in the distance. Have to use artistic license in cutting out and rearranging things a bit of course but I am forced to cut a little more than I'd like because I can't see it well enough to sketch it.
I do love seeing a drawing emerge. It's a long way from being finished. Getting the perspective right was very hard - it's still not quite correct but close enough to live with. Practice will improve my technique but it is frustrating to see something right there and not be able to duplicate it. My hand doesn't shake. For most of the drawing I can see details, yet the ability to get those details down eludes me.
Yesterday P was supposed to visit for a coffee. The flood destroyed fence was being repaired by his employee and a guest and P thought he'd drop in while they were there. I chickened out. At 55 one would think I'd be easier with company but company still makes me nervous so I wrote him and said R would be away until early afternoon, assuming, correctly as it turned out, that he would defer a visit until R was home. It's not that I am worried about being alone with him or what the neighbours would think - I just am a better hostess with the buffer of R to help. Not with N when she was visiting. Seeing her was easy. It was as though she'd never left. We kind of picked up where we left off. She hasn't changed and neither, I guess, have I.