Jones has a girlfriend (but I think she just wants to be friends)

Anyone not interested in birds, just skip this bit. I had to get it out of my system but I promise not to go on about my birds much more on this blog.

We have a new bird called Lucy. She's a 10 week old cockatiel. She all smudgy looking because most female birds aren't as glorious as the males (see Lyrebirds for example). But she is sharp as a tack and cute as a box of puppies. She has learned all of the songs I taught Jones and is mega-mixing them in her own unique style.
She destroys most plants and fights with Charlie over the flowers, so that keeps him on his toes. She sits VERY close to my neck, which feels really nice and soft, and she is VERY clingy. - i.e. climbs up the towel rack and sacrifices dignity and cool by revealing her very meagre flying ability by sucker-jumping onto the side of the bath and thus up my hair and and into 'prime position' by sitting on my head while I have a bath.
Any bird worth his or her salt knows that to get higher than the other birds means they are for that brief time superior and more beautiful and clever than their fellows. This lengthy and dramatic behaviour infuriates Jones - who used to think the bathroom was his spot for gentle preening and admiration of his increasingly regal plumage in the many chrome fictures.
Now, however, he storms off, muttering to himself, but Charlie persists with sitting on my book while taking the length of bathing time to pluck up the courage to dive into my bath and clean himself. All in all, the relaxation level is low but the entertainment is off the scale.
There is a photo here of Charlie fluffed up to almost three times his size to get maximum water coverage before diving into the water bowl. he does pretty much the same thing from the top of my book only he jumps about like he's at Wet'n Wild and hasn't paid the fee and is nervous he'll get busted any moment. I have a shot second later of him all frail, dripping and almost black with water, but it's too funny/vulnerable to put on my blog, mostly because he looks nude and a completely different bird, tiny and frail and well, not the proud man he is. Speaking of which, much the same thing happens to Jones when he gets that wet. He looks like an old vain dude with a really shameful comb-over, his triumphant cockatiel crest dripping over his face.
Jones loves being spritzed with a water sprayer or wandering into the shower but rarely gets into the water bowl himself. I figure he thinks it's beneath him. Most days outside the window there are a couple pigeons sitting in the bird feeder like huge grey stones, cooling off before sunning themselves on the pavers. I've never seen the sparrows do this.
That's it for now, apologies to any non-bird lovers. - and for mentioning my undies in the previous post. I have no class at all.
Listening to: The Virgin Suicides - music from the motion picture - there's something about Heart's Magic Man that puts extra sauce on my burger every time.
Eating: Leftovers from a Christmas party on Sunday. Smiths Original chips taste amazing at 6.30 am.
Thinking about: Teaching the birds some new songs. 'She'll be coming'round the mountain' is getting really old
Watching: Will & Grace - Season Five
Wearing: A skirt I pulled out of the bottom of my wardrobe that makes me look like I think I'm Courtney Love. Even worse than actually looking like Courtney Love.
Reading: 'Marley & Me - life and love with the world's worst dog' by John Grogan - It's good, but needs a lot of editing. Still, I wish I had a dog - even one that ate clothes. Hell, it could eat this skirt for starters...