exotic

Got dive-bombed by delinquent parakeets on the towpath running this afternoon. I'm not making this up. I wouldn't dare, it would beggar belief. Apparently the temperate English climate suits these birds of paradise and they have settled on the south-west stretches of the Thames very happily. The theory goes that a pair originally escaped their cage and all the others are their descendants. They are a vivid green in colour, they screech really loudly and I have seen them before, but never in such numbers. Today there were dozens of them and they were buzzing the odd human passing beneath their trees in angry squadrons. Maybe they were grumpy about the wintry turn in the weather.
Obviously they don't talk. If they did, given their mood, they would probably have a pretty choice vocabulary.
Got my hardback copies of The Magdalena Curse delivered today. The cover is a radical departure from what was done with the hardback cover designs for Souls and Echo. I hope people like it.