Wendy Wonky Wing

My husband Steve and I have had a number of pets during our time together; that is getting on for but still a bit short of 45 years together all told.

We had a house with a fairly big garden and some out buildings for a time. We farmed rabbits for a few years and during that time we collected a few other four-legged friends.

We had a miniature pony called Hercules, who Stephen broke to harness and had a lot of fun driving around quiet roads with the small cart that he bought for the purpose.

We had a milk goat called Daisy and Rough Collie dog who answered to Tag.

We had and loved; about five cats.

We gathered eggs from about a dozen chickens. 

There was also a cockatiel called Custer.

The New Zealand White rabbit population was around 200 in our out buildings.

We had to trim that total animal population back hard when we moved from that house to look after Stephen’s Grandmother after his Grandad died.

 I have lived roughly by the sea most of my life and apart from my first five years during the war, I was born two weeks before war broke out.

My dad was in called up into the army and my mum gathered up her little boy of five and her new baby and took us to live with dad’s family in Yorkshire.

We did not return to Worthing until the war ended and it was time for me to go to school.

As children my cousins and I played unaccompanied on the beach during the school holidays whilst our parents were working.

 

 These days we only have Princess Birdy of Toddington, who was a stray black cat who slowly moved in with us little by little, training us along the way in how best to spoil her rotten.

Both Stephen and I love the sea and take the sea road on as many occasions as we can, which generally means going a few miles out of our way on drives to the shops or to call in to friends. The Littlehampton Wave, our local swimming and sports centre is right in the centre of Sea Road between Littlehampton and the Rustington/East Preston area, so we can take a look at the sea with sheer delight at the colour of the water, or the sand and rockpools when the tide is out. We love every aspect of the sea, in fine fair weather or when it is blowing a hooley and the waves throw pebbles all over Sea Road.

 In summer, tourists usually pour through the town, making their way to the River Arun and the seashore only a mile away from the station, passing shops, cafés and a good chippy on the way.   

They take it all in and mostly have a great time on the beach. The seagulls are a novelty that is part of the scene, so they even enjoy the noise the gulls make and the cheek they have even when they may just dive bomb the visitors and snatch a sandwich when they can, which always causes a laugh.

 Steve and I are not fond of the seagulls at all. We find them to be quite a pest, particularly on bin collection day, when some neighbours make the mistake of putting their black rubbish bags out, or even their thin kitchen bin bags, the night before the collection takes place. The seagulls have enormous fun tearing the bags to pieces and spreading a filthy mess all over the road long before the bin team arrive to clear it away. I have noticed on the many occasions, when I have tidied up the mess at the bottom of the garage compound, that people even put soiled nappies in their thin white kitchen bins. Surely this is not correct or am I just being old fashioned? Maybe so, for of course I am from a time long ago, when I washed my baby’s nappies by hand. Anyway, I find the seagulls a pain in the backside when they make such a mess.

 In our tiny little walled-in garden, I do like to feed the garden birds and we have a pretty stone bird table and an iron bird bath and mostly we like to see visits from dainty little birds like the Robin that lives in the Camelia tree next door, sharing the tree with a family of Blackbirds. We also see Sparrows, and Starlings and the occasional Blue-tits. Less welcome are the Magpies and the clumsy Seagulls. However…. I don’t mind which of them help themselves at the ‘open house’ table.

 

 

A few weeks ago, a female Seagull started bring her baby to our garage roof with her, I say baby, but it is almost as big as she is! The long-suffering mother seems to be a bit injured and cannot perform the acrobatics that would be required to get into our small garden. She has been picking up what the other birds drop, to feed her very irritating squawking child. Fool that I am, I have felt sorry for the poor old mum with her injured looking gait. I started throwing our little cat Birdy’s abandoned food for them after she has finished eating her meals. Birdy is such a spoilt little madam, that she now will only eat freshly placed food from her bowl, so I have been scraping it out onto the bird table once she had finished eating. Then, I give her fresh food the next time she asks for it.

 

Now, I have been feeding ‘Wendy Wonky Wing’ twice a day or more if I am home, supplementing the dead cat food with a bit of bread and milk, to give her some peace from the pesky baby that drives her nuts asking for food. Wendy Wonky Wing scoops up every scrap most efficiently as soon as I throw it up, before other birds can take it, then she regurgitates it carefully to give to young brat.

 

My husband cannot believe that I am doing this, knowing as he does, that I think inland housing estate Seagulls, are a the most awful pain it the neck.

I have sworn that it is just because poor Wendy W.W. is not fully functioning right now and has that mean little burden of her life, following her everywhere screeching at the top of its silly voice.

Steve has started calling me to say, “Your pet seagull is waiting to be fed”, and sure enough Wendy Wonky Wing will be up on the garage roof waiting and gazing hypnotically in through our kitchen window. Poor Wendy, can actually fly still but it seems she is not going far and is always ready for breakfast or dinner. She sits in wait.

 

I hope somebody would feed me or care a little for me if I was in need, but these have been telling times have they not?