By Roz Paterson
As I divide the contents of the saucepan between three supper dishes, I hear the sudden commotion of a parrot swinging upside down from the rope 'Atom' shadow boxing, together with guttural purrs and sharp growls. Before I duck underneath carrying two of the dishes I dare face his upside down face and purr back. He pins his eyes and sees me off with another purr as I continue my journey. I come back to collect the third dish plus Kobe, the Blue-headed Pionus, and we pass safely underneath. “Come on Ollie, supper is ready!” Kobe and I have already started eating, but Ollie prefers to play.
This is Ollie the 'cage bound' Orange-winged Amazon who came to live with Kobe and me just over four years ago. The bird who wasn’t very adept at manipulating things with his feet, let alone able to swing upside down, and who definitely wasn’t interested in playing. The 'mute statue' as he was known.