Name: Harley 
Address: Grande Castel
Sex: Definately MALE! Not female, and not called Holly as they thought until I was 61/2 years old!!
Family: Just my parents,no kids, eugh!
Occupation: Chief Toy Tester at Scarletts
Favourite Colour: Yellow, sometimes Red
Favourite Tv Programme: Eastenders 'Wos going on'!
Pets: If you include Lucas then I tend to of always kept Macaws, the larger species. I used to house share with several species but the Greenwing was the dumbest of all! Easy to train, It could dance and sing but boy did it like to tell you about it, attention seekers the lot of em!
Hobbies: Screaming, plucking feathers, bowling, seed flinging, climbing up the inside of radiators.
Ambitions: To climb to the top of the tv without getting caught.
Favourite Food: Cashew Nuts, Walnuts, Toast and Marmite, Pomegranite, Sweetcorn.
Dear Diary......
For those of you who don`t already know me my name is Harley and I am an 8 year old Severe Macaw. I work at Scarletts and this is my diary set to record my life through 2010 week by week.
For me, 2009 was a good year in general. I moved house from the hall to the lounge into a Montana Grande Castel. Shortly afterwards Lucas moved in. I was originally looking for love but to be honest, the replies I got put me off. The first reply was 'requires large aviary', well I wouldn`t mind but if she`s making these sort of demands before the relationship even starts then you know you`re going to be letting yourself in for a whole load of nagging.
The second hen was a 'prolific breeder', well when a hen starts mentioning kids on the first date you know you're asking for trouble with her, and to be honest, I`m just not the family type.
Then came Lucas under the heading 'looking for a batchelor pad'.
Lucas is great, not the best cage mate in the world, you`re lucky to get so much as a 'hello' out of him most of the time, but he does his fair share of the preening and is always up for a good screaming session! So the batchelor pad it is!
Mid Summer I started feeling unwell and was diagnosed with a Thyroid problem. I went through all the usual trips to the vets, waiting rooms full of birds, you know the score and my latest results show I am HypoThyroid, it`s too low. So it`s increasing the medication and yet more blood tests next year. I'll be like a pin cushion by the end!
It`s not all bad, I get away with a lot in the house and naughtiness can be blamed on my 'condition'!!, and I do get cheese spread on bread to take the medication. I went private for this treatment too, no insurance claims or anything, yet still they can`t get it right. Typical!
It was a tough time for me and I developed a feather plucking habit, it`s one of my New Years resolutions to stop, but it`s like biting your nails, once you start......
Other New Year resolutions are just the usual, 'thou shalt not scream as often, or fling my food bowls at people, I will eat more fruit', all the usual promises we make to ourselves year after year!!
Work wise Scarletts isn`t too bad. The satisfaction of diving into a sack of Walnuts in the name of research has to be a good thing. Of course there`s the long hours, testing out toys in my cage, checking bowl flingability, but on my days off I pop out to the Java Tree for some respite or hang out in my favourite haunt, 'The Old Jumper'.
Trouble is, by the time I get back Lucas has eaten me out of house and home, I call him ' The Fat One', and quite rightly too. All he thinks about his food. I`m partial to the odd grape or two and we all like to indulge in the odd nut or piece of toast, but there`s just no stopping him. So that`s us and as the year draws to and end and a New one begins I forget my New Years Resolutions and SCREAM!!!
January 1st 2010
Here we are at the start of another year and it`s the same old story. Diet has gone out the window already,Tesco were selling off the old christmas stock and the tubs are full of treats, well, that won`t last long once The Fat One gets his beak into it!
Was up early today feeling itchy due to my low thyroid levels and screaming the place down, there`s nothing like a good scream to relieve the frustration is there?
Lots of new stock came in for Scarletts, it`s never ending, Harley test this... Harley do you like that.... I have to admit some of the new acrylic toys are quite amusing, not so sure the Sunflower Mirrors are going to be good for the Cockatiels though, I have been trialing one and whenever you look into the mirror it has the most gorgeous Severe Macaw staring straight back at you, might frighten those little Tiels, hmmm......
I really must stop pulling out my feathers though, in fact, that`s my mission, by next week I will of stopped, you see, the Plume Spray helps, it smells delightful!, but I do itch. I take my medication like I`m supposed to, 'Give it time', they say, well that`s what they`ve been saying for the last 4 months!! First the thyroid`s too low so they increase the medication, then it`s too high and they drop the medication, now it`s too low again and they increase it a bit, sometimes you wonder what you pay these people for!!
January 7th
I am snowed in, so my diary entry is a day early!
Over the Christmas period I have been struggling with the fruit and veg in the local supermarkets, don`t know about you but this year I just don`t think it`s been up to much.Take for instance pomegranites, my favourites, all watery and fall apart when you cut into them.By the time Fat One finished with them it looked like a murder scene!!Surround the area with police tape, and you`d expect Morse to come walking in looking for the body!!
My cleaner does her bit, changing the paper, scrubbing the bars and toys, but even she has her work cut out with that one!
He has no table manners either, is it really so hard to eat OVER the pot?!! He`s like some wild animal, which brings me onto my next subject I wanted to discuss with you...pets.
Trying to train pets is a nightmare, if you know any good training books please do write in. Mine however never ceases to amuse me, a real trained monkey, my DAD!!
It`s so funny and so easy with that one, first you lull them in, flash the eyes, come out with the cute phrases, beak over the bars for a kiss and.....got him! In that split second of loveliness he drops his guard, you turn your beak grab the lip and wait for the squeal. Every time he falls for it, and I never tire.
Sometimes it`s just the simple things in life, just the look on their faces when you come out with a new phrase is enough to have them rallying round cooing like idiots bringing you your favourite treats.
And they think we`re the pets!!
January 15th
I`m on my final warning at work!, can you believe it, me on my final warning!! Come to think of it, I can`t remember my first warning, or the second!! Oh...well... not unless you count the time I chewed up that pair of crocs but what do they expect when they are bright pink and left right next to my cage? Surely that can`t be counted as one? Or the time I pushed the grill out from my cage and nipped below deck to shred some paper, that was merely a protest. Of course there was the time I climbed down behind the tv and wouldn`t come out but that was just fun, hardly worth a warning is it?
Well now I am accused of bullying in the workplace! I was out on what you could call a field trip testing out the new babble ball foot toys and flew at Matilda. It`s not like I actually hurt her I just couldn`t stand her doing that dumb blue and gold thing hanging by her beak and flapping her wings. So I flew at her.
Well she went and made a big issue of it crying and moaning so I got into trouble and a final warning! I`ll have to check the terms of my contract to see if these things are actually allowed, see what`s written in the small print, come to think of it, I don`t ever remember signing a contract, hmmm.....
January 22nd
Ever since the new recruits joined the team I haven`t been able to hear myself think! Jacob screams worse than me!!!!, and that`s saying something. Him and Charlotte, who I am told is actually a boy!, have moved into the birdroom and are a living nightmare. I stay well away from them but apparently Jacob has no feathers, to be honest it`s been a wake up call for me and I am not plucking anywhere near as bad as I was. In fact, I think my thyroid levels might be finally settling down, I feel more focused, I can play better, and I love to give my mum kisses and cuddles. She always says to me 'okay,who are you and where is the real Harley'!!
I`m always going to be the cuddly bundle of naughtiness that they all know and love, but it is nice to enjoy my play times and I am eating my fruit and veg much better too, just as I promised, see, new year new me!! Oh boy am I looking good on it!!
January 29th
What a week! No wonder I`m feeling hyperactive, pulling out my feathers and screaming all the time! Charlotte and Jacob have not settled in and scream all day and night, everyone on the house is upset and and we can only think they would be happier in an aviary away from humans, they are worse when people are around.
It`s sad but sometimes you have to do what`s right by everyone, including them.
I`ve done it myself, I had to get rid of my last mum, well, not get rid of her exactly but as lovely as she was it just wasn`t working out. She had housing issues and I`m far to attached to my possessions to be living out of a suitcase waiting for a house to come up! Then the pink wrinkly was born....didn`t ever see the egg you know....or the nest.....anyway, I let her down gently. I moved out temporarily at first, but then, as time went on my new mum got attached to me (who wouldn`t!), Lucas moved in, I got my job etc etc, I came with baggage!
I actually dumped her over the phone! Is that bad? Well, what did she expect?, me to travel all that way to hand deliver a Dear John letter when she knows how travel sick I get? I mean, I still talk to her on the phone, and send cards at Christmas and all that, she knows I`m okay and I`ve seen her since and she`s doing fine, which just goes to show that these things can work out. Charlotte and Jacob will be going to a loving home with the facilities they need.
Meanwhile I go for my next thyroid test at the end of February, dread to think what it will show this time. Until then I`ll keep doing circuits of my cage, manically attacking my toys, and pulling at my feathers......but I am eating lots of fruit and veg!!
February 5th
Ssshh!!... come closer, closer, bit closer...you never know who`s listening and there`s something I need to share with you. I`ll warn you now, it`s not nice, not for the faint hearted!
After my final warning at work I had a read through the small print in my contract, nothing about not attacking other birds or chewing up shoes, just as I thought, so now they`re trying another way to get me out.......murder! Yes, you heard me right, a conspiracy plot to bump me off.
I`ve always liked to stretch my wings, escpae the batchelor pad for a few hours each day and I spend most of it with my mum around the Java Tree. She does her usual kissing and cuddling with me, playing ball and swinging me upside down, and although I`ve always wanted to try her cup of coffee It gave me a warm, safe feeling when she told me no, because it was poisonous and she loved me too much to see her baby at risk. That is until I find out I`m playing in a coffee tree!!
Oh yes.....that`s right, it goes by the name of a 'Java Tree' a cunning disguise for a Coffee Tree! Totally safe once it stops producing the beans she tells me, kiln dried to make it extra tought against or destructive beaks she tells me, but I`m not stupid, I`m onto them and I won`t be biting THAT wood, that`s for sure!
February 12th
Have you seen our advert this month in Parrots Magazine? I`m disgusted with it. Who`s there on the top, smiling down for all the readers to see? Oliver! Okay, read a little further, keep looking, oh yes, the Blue and Gold Macaw, awww isn`t she sweet, isn`t she just!! Where am I? Where is my gorgeous twinkling face? Where are my gorgeous yet slightly tatty feathers? NOT ON THERE AT ALL!!! I just couldn`t believe it, I was so annoyed I chewed a hole right through the advert. Rubbish. If they think I`m going on the next one they can forget it, it`ll take more than a few Pine Nuts to bribe me on this one!
Not been up to much, my vets appointment grows ever closer, I am not as hyoper as I was, still can`t resist pulling at those feathers, but I`m nowhere near as bad as I was. Lucas is being a pain, every pot I eat from he wants, every swing I sit on he wants, honestly, that bird needs to get out more!!
What`s that? Mmm.....dinner....stir fry veg...yum!!
February 19th
I hope you all had a lovely Valentines Day, it seems Cupids arrow has struck in my direction this year. For some time now the batchelor pad has been wearing thin, female Severes or suitable partners are few and far between these days and let`s face it, I`m not getting any younger.
After a chat with the vet on adding a girl into the mix I now have one on prescription! It may 'help with his over opreening' he said, 'give him someone to focus on besides himself, companionship'.
So there`s talk of bigger cages, with dividers should 3 become a crowd, after all, a man needs his privacy and Lucas may want to find his own bird. Sharing my breakfast is one thing, but my girlfriend? You have to draw a line somewhere!!
February 26th
I am not very well. Yesterday I had to go to the vets to have blood taken to check my thyroid level and I am really not feeling myself. It tired me out and I was sick in the car most of the way there. I hate going, I hate being left, even though it`s only for an hour I do my saddest face at them but they still walk out the door and leave me! Something about 'the greater good'.They did look sad though.
On a more positive note despite being a bit tired still I am feeling more like my old self today, I had a lovely pedicure while I was there too, full beak and nails and am trying them out on Cashew Nuts and a new Binky Ball toy.
I get the results in about a weeks time, meanwhile, still looking for love, obviously in all the wrong places because the girls aren`t exactly throwing themselves at me. Us Severe Macaws are few and far between though, we`re not your average common pet parrot, so when I finally do find 'the one', I think she`s going to be really special!
March 5th
Got some test results back, healthy and happy and just waiting on my Thyroid results. It`s a relief to have them back and know there`s nothing else going wrong but had some bad news about one of my work mates. Max, the Scarlet Macaw has been diagnosed with Aspergilosis. Long term prognosis is good, but it means nebulising him 3 times a day in a small anclosed area with medication, poor fella.Of course it means the work load will be spread between the rest of us staff and we`ve got loads of new products coming in next week, typical.
No luck on the love front, there`s talk of a Yellow Colared Macaw, a lovely little lady she is, but I`m not sure she`s prepared to leave her parents home yet, fly the nest so`s to speak. She lost her last husband and she`s only the same age as me.So she might be staying put for a while. If anyone wants to write in to me, photos included please we could see how things go....anyone?
March 12th
My news this week is not so good. My thyroid level has dropped right down and I am now on medication twice a day. Since changing the medication I`m all over the place, just don`t know what to do with myself, I`ve been letting my standards slip a bit too and having cuddles with my mum, that`s just not like me, it has to stop!!
Still no takers on the girlfriend front, spoke to a friend on the telephone a few days ago, Alison.She has 3 severes and 3 Yellow Collared Macaws but they are all spoilt rotten and unlikely to be ever wanting to leave.
Looked through the Birdline rehoming list, oooh there`s some lookers on there!! There`s Crystal, the African grey, never had much to do with Greys before but she`s bonded to Florrie anyway, there`s Poppy the Red Fronted Conure, but she admits she`s vocal and that`s the last thing I want given my need to scream!! Harriet the Amazon is already with her lifelong partner, the good ones have all been snapped up!! That just leaves a string of lads all in the same boat as me really I guess.
Been working hard, some new 'all natural' toys came into stock and we`ve been seeing how quickly we can strip the bark on the new clearance perches, I got bored though and decided to help in the warehouse.
Yet again I landed myself in trouble....how was I to know that a 'stock take' and 'taking the stock' are two different things?!!
March 19th
Spring is in the air! You can see a change in the last few days, the sun beaming in through the window, the birds outside all pairing up (rub it in why don`t you)!,it`s certainetly warmer and lighter for longer, we get to make more noise these days.
Even had my first fruit fly after the banana in the pot, aimlessly dotting backwards and forwards until dad splatted it for me, it`s MY banana it was after!!
Good news on Max, he`s responding really well to the treatment, he even steps up to go in the nebulising box now so he`s come back to work part time. It`s taking the heat of us a little bit, we`ve had loads of new products in, there a new Woody Toy come into stock and it`s absolutely full of wooden beads, it`s taken me ages sorting through them removing them one by one, then there`s the new 'natural toys', more clearance perches, the old beaks been working overtime.
It`s with great sadness that I finish this weeks posting with a tribute to my young friend Joey who passed away earlier this week. He was a mere 20 weeks old, just a baby, he died of PDD and I think we all know what a terrible disease this is.
Hopefully his breeder will care enough to take action as Joey was a beautiful young African Grey who will be sadly missed, not least by his buddy Spike who he lived with for the few months of his life.
Sleep peacefully Joey x
March 26th
Did you see me? Did you? Did you?.......What do you mean you haven`t bought this weeks Cage And Aviary Magazine yet?!! Honestly, call yourselves bird fanatics!
Well, there I was, me, Harley, full image frontal of yours truly. Honestly I felt like Cheryl Cole on the cover of Vogue, or maybe more like Peter Andre on the front cover of Mysterious Girl. Okay okay so maybe I`m getting a bit carried away but I was definately the face of our advert for sure.
I was in makeup for ages, pomegranite wiped from my face, that stupid feather which never lays flat on my head and sticks up like owl ears tucked safely beneath the other feathers, spray bathed, the full works and boy was it worth it, I was looking cuuuute, with a capital C!!
I`m thinking I need a pay rise, or a cage upgrade, or higher Cashew Nut rations, what do you think? Is asking for the title of 'Sir' going too far ?
April 2nd
I hope you all managed to play some good April Fools jokes on people.I was too busy yesterday for any of that, pulling out my feathers and screaming! Yes, that`s me at the moment, feather puller of the year, though to look at me you would never know, I only do it in places people can`t see, after all, I don`t want to spoil my beautiful looks do I?!!
Been having fun this Easter, lots of time away from the cage, and I have a new cage coming sometime soon, a bigger cage, with a divider. If, and it`s a big IF, I ever do manage to find the right lady for me I might want my own space, you know, a bit of quiet time, the last thing I need is Lucas barging in on us as I go to make my move, so the divider will be will be perfect for those cosy nights.
No eggs for me, no chocolate, poisonous for us birds, but I do have a packet of Jammy Dodgers with cream in as my Easter treat, no, not the whole packet for me, to share amongst the staff, some of us will still be working despite the fact it`s Easter!!
I like to dunk mine in the water pot so they`re nice and soft.....how do you eat yours?
April 9th
Easter came and went and nothing much has happened, life for a Severe Macaw can be pretty dull at times. I am really struggling with pulling feathers, I just can`t help myself and my skin is sore underneath my wings. Still do it where nobody mainly sees though!!
I have been a bit all over the place this last week, screaming and hyper one minute, asleep the next, maybe the medication is starting to alter my levels, I don`t even know when I have to go back, although when I do I will be travelling ins tyle....hopefully.
You see we used to have a Mondeo Estate, until my dad drove it into the back of another car and wrote if off, oh yes, he doesn`t do things by halves!! He came over the brow of a hill and the traffic was a standstill, so was he when he hit the car in front! I wasn`t with him but they came home in a flap ringing insurance companies and such like.
So a new car is on the cards, I hope they chose a good one, would be nice to pull up in that vets car park in style for once!!
April 16th
My video diary....recreacting the car crash!!
April 23rd
Well as you will all of seen Matilda has found her true love Dylan so that just leaves me, the only single bird besides Lucas who doesn`t stand a hope of ever finding anyone with his disgusting habits!!
Still we have no car, apparently there is an 8-10 week wait on them and I just know my next vets appointment will be before then. You should see the latest hire car, another Seat 7 seater but boy is it a banger! One door has to stay locked can`t be opened, they spent 10 minutes trying to get it into reverse on the front and the hand brake jams on!! How embarrasing, I am trying my hardest to look my best and hold off the vets until the new car comes, though I still just can`t help myself with these feathers, just gotta rip them!
They think they`ve 'cured' my hanging on the side screaming obsession by hanging a spiral boing in the place I like to hang but I showed them! I climbed right up to the top, unfastened the clip, the boing fell to the floor and I screamed and screamed to make up for all the time I couldn`t get on there. It was hilarious watching them trying to get the toy fastened back up and move me off the side, then I just chose a new place to scream from, simple!
So all in all not the best week for me, I don`t know what i do if it wasn`t for you customers keeping me sane.
April 30th
Aggghhhh!! My vet is leaving! I can`t believe it, half way through my treatment programme and he decides he`s leaving in 2 weeks time!! Luckily the other Avian vet is taking over my case, Andy and he sounds fantastic! He explained more about my thyroid condition, apparently it works like a hormone so works better some days than others, therefore the medication i`m on is going to be more effective some days than others and I will have my hyper days, mum was right, I do change day to day.
My medication dose has been lowered because I am feeling more on the hyper side lately and I`m having filtered water now with Aloe Vera juice in it to try to help with my plucking.
They blame me but my new vet seems to be on my side, he reckons it`s not just my fault and the aloe in the water might help. He also is considering a herbal milk based drug which affects the same brain receptors as valium and such drugs but is perfectly safe for me and will not change my behaviour or have side effects. They`ll be telling me to meditate next, pilates, all that stuff!! I`ll let you know how it goes if I do get to take it.
So I have to go see him in 2 weeks time, or at least call him in 2 weeks and take it from there. He wants to 'treat me from afar', mum says no wonder with my attitude but he says it`s so I don`t get stressed. Taking my bloods only gives him an 'in the moment' thyroid reading, he needs long term updates which mum can do. She knows me too well, she knows when my thyroid is high and she knows when I`m just playing her up...or so she claims!
It`s great to have a different approach to my problems and I get to terrorise a new vet for a change.Mind you, I hope I don`t have to go in the next 8 weeks before the new car comes otherwise it will be off in the dodgy Hyundai with no hand brake and problems locking the door!
Just a quick mention of the show we went to sourcing more products for you guys, got some great bargains heading your way. The fact that all the staff had to stay home alone for the day while the bosses went was a small price to pay, anyway, we screamed the place down when they got back so we got our own back!!
May 6th
I`m a day early with my diary but couldn`t wait to talk to you guys! We have so many more products in you wouldn`t believe!! We`ve got more shelving coming and a complete revamp of the stock room planned and I can`t wait!! I dive into all the blue trays and throw everything on the floor!! We`ve got some Goofy Links in stock, they were before my time but the older birds tell me they are great fun to play with and Love Links, given my history on the love front I think I`ll stay well away from those!!
My thyroid levels are all over the place and I`m not feeling so good, I`m tired one minute and jumpy the next. I just can`t get my head straight. I even found myself eating yellow pepper at dinner time, me, eating pepper!!
I had to chair a meeting a few days ago and you should of seen me spinning round and round in the directors spinny chair..in fact, you can see me....here I am.....
May 13th
Pssssstt.......psssssssssstt..... it`s me....Harley....
See? Do you see now? I`m in disguise. I knew this would happen. I have an appointment at the vets next Tuesday and the new car still hasn`t arrived so you know what that means? Oh yes!, the bright purple Hyundai it is, 1 3/4 hours all the way to my vets in that heap and I can`t bear the thought of anyone seeing me so I put on this disguise so nobody will recognise me. i`ll just blend into the crowd. How on earth we`ll park on the hill with no hand brake I`ve no idea but if they have to go chasing that car I`ll deny all knowledge of them, honestly I will. They do their best but really, is this what it comes down to for me?
Well the Aloe Vera in my water is having no effect though they did say it`s long term. So Andy wants to see me and consider some anti inflammatory drugs and that natural one Zylkene to see if we can`t get me looking my best again. It`s not good is it, a bird of my age with all these issues, no wonder I scream all day. Joking apart I`m feeling good about myself these days. I`m loving time down the Java Tree with mum, I`ve got some shredding toys in the cage and even though Fat One Lucas has totally destroyed the boing in there I`m still managing to use it and often have my afternoon nap on there.So I don`t want you worrying about me, we`re onto it, sorting out, it`s just a matter of time until they finally work me out!!
So guys, seriously, what do you think? Would you of recognised me in these glasses?
May 21st
Well, I made it back alive. That car was terrible, I was sick all the way there and all the way back! It seems I may not have thyroid disease, in which case they need to find out why my thyroid is low. It could of been a blip, apparently!! A blip, what`s that supposed to mean? It could be that my thyroid drops when i go to the vets through stress, and I could of been a little off colour on that day. That started me pulling feathers which made my skin sore and the rest you already know.
I sat there as good as gold, i wasn`t rude or abusive, and I don`t think anyone recognised me. There was a terrier dog in there which took quite a fancy to me in my cage but seeing as he had one of those stupid plastic collars on he`s not likely to mention it is he?!! The Hawk was in a box and couldn`t even see out, and the cat was purring so much I couldn`t hear myself think!!
So...I`m now on metacam in a morning to ease my sore skin, and it tastes delicious!! I still do the 'hmm if I have to' look at her to make sure I still get my blob of cheese but really, it`s great stuff. Then I`m on Zylkene to 'calm my behaviour' yeah right!!!! Supposed natural drug to make me feel all calm, I`m clam, I can do calm, I just don`t really want to!!
I`m having a trial period off the thyroid drug because apprently if I have it when I don`t need it I might end up having fits, but then if I do need it I could develop lumps!! Mum`s tearing her heair out and logging my every move in a diary. A bird can have no privacy these days!!
So far I`m much the same, still just can`t help but get at my feathers but I`m hoping it all works. I`m still my playful self and it`s not affecting my work so.....watch this space I guess.
May 28th
What a week!! I`ve been up and down like a yoyo, one day I scream like mad the next I manage to control myself and behave! The medication has eased my feather pulling a bit but I`m moulting right now too which isn`t helping. All in all I`m okay, I don`t want you guys worrying about me, life`s good!!
I did have a bath the other day, usually I pull feathers out more when I`m wet but this time wasn`t so bad. Have yuou ever seen me wet? It`s not a pretty sight. i go a funny colour like I`ve been dipped in a muddy puddle and I smell like wet dog, eugh!! Once I dry off I`m back to my usual charming self.
So what`s been happening at work you ask? Well....we`re stocking food treats!! Oh boy I`m pleased, my appetite has gone through the roof lately and with all these new treats I`m in birdie heaven. Got to watch my waistline mind you, if I am to think of a girlfriend in the future I can`t let middle aged spread take over. We`re stocking healthy treats though, yummy healthy bars with fruit, nuts, honey, strawberries, alsorts and guess what? Nutri berries are on the list to come in the next few weeks!!!
4th June
I`m growing feathers!! I`m growing feathers!!! Yaaaayyyyyyy! I`m looking and feeling great. I haven`t really been hyper since I started these new medicines and although I`m still at my feathers (it`s hard, I have loads of itchy pins coming through) I`m not pulling them out half as much as I was, and I still have until the 15th before my trial period is over!!
So, what else has been going on I hear you ask, well.....I`ve not been getting along with Lucas so well, he`s hormonal and driving me insane. He screams more than I do and keeps biting at me for no reason, okay so I have the occasional swipe myself, but it was my cage first!!
I`m loving all the new treats and those Nutri Berries are just to die for!!
Nothing else exciting going on, keeping the customers entertained when they call, making sure I chat to them and keep them on the line while they scramble to find prices and things, had a slight mishap with the willow ball, was rolling it along the floor and hit a bump, damned thing turned on me and nearly rollered me flat!! Good job they are lightweight, you could of been planning my funeral!!
More new toys in with those little dummy pacifier thingies on, I love them, I`m too old for dummies of course...but they are fun!!
11th June
I`ve been at it again, pulling feathers. I don`t do it every night, just some, and it`s only a few downy feathers, but my lovely green ones are still looking beautiful.
Rubbish week really, rubbish weather, cold and horrible.
I`ve started with some Deeside Water, my friends in Scotland told me about it, apparently it has lots of health benefits. I`ll tell you, it`s lovely for a bath, I jumped in the water pot the second they filled it and soaked myself through, it`s good for dunking biscuits too seeing as tea`s off the menu for us birds.
My vet wants an update next Tuesday and has threatened all sorts of tests if I don`t improve so I`ll be making a big effort this weekend. My mum and dad love me too much to let me suffer when something might be wrong, but they also know me very well and they know that a lot of what`s going on with me at the moment is not medical, it`s just me being me!
Well who else do they expect me to be?!!
18th June
Well, someone please tell me I`m not invisable! Andy, my vet rings up to see how I`m doing and they wouldn`t let me get a word in edgeways!! 'Oh yes he`s doing very well' she tells him when I`m there screaming in the background trying to get their attention but oh no, why would anyone listen to me, after all, I`m just the one he was asking after, I`m just the dumb bird!!
So, the up and down of it is that I am to stay on this medication another month then review it again, thank god!
I was dreading him asking me to come into the surgery again, they`ve cancelled our new car!! Anyone looking to buy a BMW X3, beware, they don`t do them anymore!
So we`re still in the Hyundai, throwing out oil as we go with the ariel on the outside that has to go up everytime you start the engine then down again once you switch off, and it`s not a quiet, subtle manouvere I can tell you that.
Meanwhile, you`ll be glad to know we`re house hunting now, as soon as the right house comes I`m outta here, with the rest of the staff of course!!
We did view one property but to be honest, I just couldn`t see my cage in that dining room, and the garden wasn`t what it should of been. Still, we`re scanning the net for others and it shouldn`t be too long before I`m sunning myself in a new aviary out in the countryside somewhere.
24th June
I know I`m a day early but I`m in need of my friends and followers today and some moral support. I had a really bad day yesterday pulling out my feathers, I just couldn`t help myself and pulled out 4 new ones that were coming through and lots of dony ones. I`ve obviously slept since then and today am a bit more settled but am still at myself.
I`m playing with my coconut hut toy, have you seen them on the Clearance section? I love it, and it does take my mind off things for a while, but everyone`s worried here at Scarletts that this is my set back.
I guess I`ll be back in the Hyundai and off to the vets if I`m not careful.
I don`t know about you but the weather has turned really hot these last few days and it`s a shock to the system for all of us, so maybe I just need to get used to it.
Nothing much happening other than that, we`re sourcing new suppliers and new products all the time whilst still making sure we look after our customers with all our regular products. More houses to view to try to get this business really taking off and giving you loyal followers even more from the business, and of course a chance to come and meet us all.
July 1st
I know, I know, I`m a day early again but I thought you might be worried about me. Well...worry no more! I haven`t had any more bad plucking days and although I still can`t help but pull out those irritating little downy feathers I am growing my shiny green ones and looking gorgeous (even if I do say so myself).
It`s been a funny old week, we`ve got so many new products coming in, more food products, we now stock Harrisons (how posh is THAT), and at the same time we have other companies focusing far too much on causing us problems and paying less attention to their own!
What is it with me, even the competitors can`t stay away!!
I have been so busy with the shredding towers I just can`t get enough of them, and have you seen those Chubes? WOW!! You can roll them along the floor, run through them, chew them, hang them in the cage, I love em!!
So keep checking the website guys, we`re tired of waiting until we move and are starting to do a few food products before we move. Having said that, there`s a few promising properties on the agenda, I would sooo love to meet you guys. You haven`t had the real Harley experience until you come watch me dance and sing!! I promise I`ll be good if you come visit me too, as long as you give me ALL your attention that is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 9th
It`s coming home....it`s coming home...it`s coming... No not football silly, the new car!! Football finished ages ago for us, in fact, the nearest England gets to the Final is to Referee it!!
Yes we finally have a new car coming next week,that`s what`s coming home, a Freelander 2, no more travelling in the hire a heap. I have to say, the whole feather thing isn`t going so well and I have been pulling at the downy feathers. I`m still looking good though and...oh, did I tell you what they`ve done to me? I bet I didn`t, no, well, you may of seen Maxwell and Molly the Scarlet Macaws upgraded to their new cage? The Arkansas II? They`re in the staff photo album in Facebook. I thought it was bad that they got the upgrade and I didn`t but they I find out I DID get one but mine`s in the garage!!
In the garage of all places! My cage is apparently fine for now and I get the new one when we move house. Typical isn`t it? Oh no, no favourites here at Scarletts, worked to the bone with toy trials, food to test out morning and evening, and my uppgrade is in the garage!!!!!!!!!!
July 12th
In protest underneath the computer desk, crammed into my tiny space to make a point.......I need a bigger cage. Altogether now... we shall not, we shall not be moved!!!
July 16th
Well I got too uncomfortable and came out from my little shelf in the end, there was a Cashew nut strategically placed on the edge of my cage too which looked just too yummy!! I`m still not happy but it might not be as long as I thought until I get into my new abode....they bought me a house too!!! I have been nagging on about how lonely I get and how much I love visitors and finally they took the hint and bought somewhere. Now there`s just the bit inbetween where the sale goes through then we can get moved in and start this business going properly!!
They grassed me up to the vet, he`s ringing back to discuss where we go from here about my feather pulling......ahem, I am here you know!! Apparently I`m all healthy just pull feathers still and they`re 'in despair' as to what to do. Don`t they over react!!!
Well at least I have a decent car to move house in now, oooh the Freelander is a lovely smooth ride. If anyone wants quality service from a car sales go to land Rover, they treat me with the sort of respect I never usually get from anyone at Scarletts!! It`s been a busy week, I wonder what next week will bring?
July 23rd
Without wanting to sound rude, we had a customer come to see us and they`d been here ages. Lucas was screaming, I wasn`t able to eat in peace and mum and dad were chatting away like nothing had happened. So I took it upon myself to say 'bye bye I`m fed up now'. I thought it was polite and to the point but they just laughed and thought it was cute!!
So I realise what I`m in for when we move, entertaining guests tires me out! I`ll have to send them on to the other staff once I`ve shown them all my tricks and phrases.
We`ve got the most fun toy in I`ve ever seen. It`s like the Nothing But Nuts And Bolts Toy but it`s a hanging ball and has loads of little bits to play with. It`s brilliant, of course it was me that found and tested it!!
Everyone here is well, Maxwell and Oliver are doing well and Andy, our vet, wasn`t half as stressed about my feather pulling as everyone else. He upped my Metacam dose for 2 weeks but it hasn`t helped.
I`m due another review next week, does the man have nothing better to do than talk about me? He really needs to get out more!!!
July 30th
I don`t want to worry you all but I might need a little operation.I am finding my feathers irritate me more and more and my mum has been keeping a diary on my behaviour. My feather pulling isn`t linked to any behavioural changes or incidents which trigger me, I just find them irritating in general.
I am having some anti biotics in case I have a slight infection in the feather folicles but if that doesn`t work I have to have a little biopsy on my feathers. They ruled out all the nasties a long time ago, but maybe I have something going on with my feathers under the skin. It would mean an anesthetic so please send all your best wishes my way.
Other than that things are looking good, we have a new range of cages about to go on the website and price drops coming on over 40 products!!
We still haven`t moved house yet, these things take time you know!!! Lucas is being a pain, greedy boy keeps trying to put me off my food, he crumbles food above my head to distract me and then jumps into my food pot! Wait til we get that new cage with the divider!!
Had a nice lady off a forum come to take some photographs of us yesterday...well....it was obvious it was me she wanted really but she took some of all the staff so nobody felt left out. I just carried on as normal, everyone was laughing because I stopped for a little snack half way through but tea breaks are few and far between at Scarletts and you have to grab em while you can!
August 6th
I scored myself a ride in the new car!!! Okay so maybe it`s not going to be the best trip as I`m off to the vets for that biopsy but at least it means I get to travel in the Freelander and check it out for myself, I hope the radio`s good, I love to sing in the car!!
Been busy with Java Trees, do you like them? I`ve had mine for ages but now we started selling them, the mini ones for all you little guys and the bigger ones for birds like me!!
Now not only have I not got my Montana Arkansas Cage set up until we move but I`m told we have a new line of cages in stock that I can`t have...Rainforest Cages. So my cage is outdated before I even get it!!!!!!!!!!!
August 13th
Thank you all sooo much for your calls, e.mails and forum posts asking how I am. The operation went well and I have left my stitches alone, well, I say operation, it was a 'procedure' but it might aswell of been an operation to me!!
So much for that new car, I threw up all the way, splattered yellow everywhere, poor mum was covered but she didn`t mind.
While I was in there the vet told mum he`d give me Micro Chips, I got all excited....I love chips. I was looking everywhere for the microwave, thinking maybe it was out the back and a lovely warm McCain Crinkle Cut was heading my way...needless to say I never saw the microwave nor the chip!
That was just a minor incident though and I was glad to get back home where I had my pot full of blueberries and all my other favourites. I`m playing the wounded soldier, when mum asks if I`m okat and checks under my wing I do this cuddly thing and get loads of sympathy, it`s brilliant. I get the results sometime middle of next week/
Andy said I was gorgeous, a healthy looking bird and it was only if you lift my wings you see where I pull some feathers. What did he expect? These looks take time and care you know, I`m hardly going to spoil my beauty by plucking where you`ll see now am I?!! Sometimes I wonder what they think I am!!
Back to work today though, more new toys coming in.
August 19th
The results are in....It`s like the Eurovision Song Contest this isn`t it!! Well I have inflammation on the outer layer of skin probably because I pull out feathers!! Everything else is fine.
I am starting a course of medication which is supposed to stop the release of feel good endorphines I get when I pull out feathers. So we shall see if they work, if not, they`re going to leave me to it!! I don`t do it a lot after all.
I have left my stitches alone so it shows I`m not just manic to hurt myself, I just enjoy pulling out the odd feather, we all have our little habits don`t we?!!
Got some fab new java toys in, I love the Java Surprise and the wood is so tough to chew on it keeps my beak nicely down and in shape.
I`m feeling great this week, it`s a relief to know I`m not poorly and can get on with enjoying life now, and making a nuisance of myself of course! Me? A nuisance? never! That bird you hear screaming is not me, it`s my alter ego!!
August 27th
So there I was working away when they bring in this new bird, Phoebe. Well, never in all my life have I seen such a sad sight. Talk about oven ready, she is so bald and so depressed I wondered whether she`d be up to the job of working here but I was very wrong.
She`s loving any toys with coconuts on, she`s trying out all the vitamins to get her back in shape, we don`t sell any of that rubbish spray claiming to cure plucking, save your money and buy some aloe vera!! That`s what we use on Phoebe. She loves the swings and any stringy toys.
Of course she needs her own feeding pots and the croc locks have proved useful.
I am still of course the most important one here, without me this place would fall apart and they know it. I have started my new drug for my plucking but I`m determined to keep pulling out a few feathers, all the disruption of a new bird doesn`t help, well, that`s what I tell them anyway, gains me extra cuddles, not that I have time for cuddles of course, erm, no, not me!!
Oh and we set a date...what do you mean you didn`t even know I had a girlfriend, not that sort of date!! I mean for moving, October 5th, so we`re counting down the days to move and get sorted so I can finally put faces to all my fans when they come and see me, you will come and see me won`t you?...........!!
September 2nd
September, the month I was born!! Awwwwww!!!
So how are things going I hear you ask, well, in a nutshell (excuse the pun) not very well. I`m feeling very aggresive with certain objects, namely my mums stapler and am feeling the need to fling my food pots constantly. I`m pulling feathers even worse and as from today will be stopping my new medication...phew!! Then I can get back to my charming old self...ahem!
Other than that I`m feeling great, playful with mum and loving my cuddles. Dylan and Phoebe are better to watch than Coro at the minute!! You should see them in the staff room, Dylan has no idea how to make a move on her and it results in clumsy fumbling and running away!!
Back to my birthday, it`s not until the 17th but we`re partying early giving you guys free toys with every order this month. We`ve started more food stuffs as promised, Kaytee and Pretty Bird. The move grows ever nearer and I can`t wait to get into my new big cage, think it might be just what I need a change of scenery.
So enjoy the party this month, I will be the ripe old age of 9!!!
September 10th
One week until the big day! I`m enjoying my youth while I can and having as much fun as possible before I turn 9 and life gets more serious.
I`ve been taking calls to customers all week, I just haven`t stopped so I`m hoping for a birthday bonus next week.
Nothing exciting has happened in my life, had the vet on my back again, I had to come off the drugs he gave me, they made me hyper and they`ve finally decided to leave me alone for a while and let me be my monstrous self. I have a few bad habits, I do scream a lot and I do have a tendancy to head butt my food pots onto the floor, but nobody`s perfect!!
I`ve been getting out in my travel cage this week too, getting a bit of sun on my feathers.....which I STILL pull out regardless!!
September 17th MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It`s my party and I`ll scream if I want to, scream if I want to....... Happy Birthday to me...Happy Birthday to me.....
Thank you to everyone who sent me messages, cards, pressies etc for my birthday. it`s nice to know someone appreciates me. So, how`s my day been you ask, well, so far....
This was me doing my surprised face when they walked in singing Happy Birthday this morning
Time for a Walnut
Of course I had all my favourites, toast, sweetcorn, cherries, star anise, the biggest Cashew Nut I`ve ever seen. No candles though....and come to think of it, I get cherries and sweetcorn and cashew nuts most weeks anyway so I don`t know what they think is so special about giving me them today, but, as I keep on saying, it`s the thought that counts!
Here`s me with the fat one Lucas, he`s loving all the celebrations because it`s not just me that gets spoilt, it`s the whole gang today.
I`ve had pressies to open with fancy red wrapping
(It was a shredding Tower by the way)
Then my favourites, Nutri Berries, carefully disguised in yellow paper
, my tree has been decorated with toys
I had a quick bath ( a man wants to look his best on the big day)
and it`s not even lunchtime yet. There`s talk of bread with honeyed sunflower seeds on top but I haven`t seen that yet and I had a little trip outside, locked in a travel cage 'for my own safety'
Mum says I don`t look a day over 8 but I`m feeling the years creeping up now, 9 years old and what have I got to show for it? Well, job prospects are looking up with the business expanding I`ll no doubt be worked to the bone but with work comes bonuses, and pay rises. I`ve got a new cage to look forward to, still shared with Lucas of course but it`s plenty big enough for the both of us. I`ve got a great family and all my friends have really shown how much they care today, really feeling the love guys, aww stop it, you`ll have me getting all teary!!
September 24th
The Birthday all went smoothly, I`ve been recycling my cards, mulching them up nice and small and being 9 years old brings a whole range of feelings and hormones, yes, I`m definately feeling my age.
There is something very serious that happened to me this week and I need to ask you if anything like this has ever happened before. I sighted a UFO. Yes, we`ve all heard the stories of little green men (I`ve been mistaken for one myself at times) but this is true, it happened to me on Wednesday.
The day started as normal, got up, did my big poo, had breakfast, screamed, ate some more, screamed, had a dance to the radio, screamed, then it was my time out the cage.
I took mum upstairs for a little play (I can`t believe she`s not curious to get down the loo and find out just what is down that U Bend) but anyway, we were doing the usual, cuddling, rolling on the floor, looking out the window. We came back downstairs and there it was looming above my cage.
A huge mechanical arm with a glowing light right above the cage.
Poor Lucas was hanging to the front for dear life but nobody else seemed to even notice it. Was it just me? Were they disguised, cloaked to the human eye?
I tried to get their attention and screamed and screamed, opened out my wings in the general direction and you won`t believe what happened next.....she placed me back in the cage right underneath it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
At first I froze, I was dazed by the light, terrified of what would happen. On closer inspection I could see the ships marking 'UV LIGHT'. That must of been the ships ID number.
I looked at Lucas and he looked at me and then, in unison we screamed and screamed until eventually, very slowly, it moved from the back of the cage, out through the lounge door and dissapeared!!
I haven`t seen it since and I`m not sure of its intensions but it`s definately something to tell the grandchildren!!