h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

stuff like who not to bite I guess

Honestly though - these big hunting birds are fabulous - and they DON'T flap - much more of the Whuumm Whumm

OH - and they have vultures

Ugly swine and very much like the Jungle Book Disney stuff

Hoppy up and downy

Get a clout on the back of your head as one of them comes past

Do I have to?



Do they do the Barber Shop Quartet at half time?

When we were in florida three years ago we rented a villa,and decided one morning to have a lazy,stay at home day.We were sat round the pool,having put the garbage out the front,and were watching the eagles circling round above the villa.Hubby went to see if he could see any at the front of the villa,as there seemed to be alot,and there were vultures ,after the rubbish,walking around on the pavement!!!
Aren't they bloomin big?

They're a fair size yes Smufles - not sure if they sing in a liverpudlian accent though

This is becoming very educational.... I've only ever seen pictures of vultures, and honestly have no idea what sort of size they are - give me an idea, someone;

I'm 5 5 on a good day, so if I were brave enough to let one of these things (hoppy up and downy singing "Friends" in Liverpudlian accent) get near me, would they, say, be a high as my waist? Or shorter?


NOTE: This is a purely hypothical situation, because the liklihood of me getting within 50 yds of a bird on a voluntary basis is pretty damned remote.

But just suppposing?

And feral vultures in Florida... thats REAL pigeons wiv attitude!

Hi ev,I didn't get near enough to be able to telljust how big they were,but they were BIG!!I much prefer my little ,sat here in it's cage......and this one sings for me!!

They're about knee hight - but do hop to waste level - then of course if they do try and take off..................

They're essentialy very lazy animals - they'd sooner hop and skip rather than waste the effort lumbering down the runway

Hubby just rung me,,he says they were about two foot high!!
I looked out the window,then took cover in the bedroom,
I still wasn't as scared as i was when we went to the animal kingdom,and as we walked through the place where the bats were hanging,realised there ws no glass between them and me!
The family thought my wheelchair had become magically motorised

H'mmmm. Its amazing what we can do when fear raises its head.... I've got this mental picture of a wheel chair with twin exhausts billowing smoke

I think I'll pass on the vultures thanks, lads..... lazy scavengers who haven't any sense (truely bird brained) don't appeal a bit! Having said that, neither does the idea of unprotected bats

I remember watching a sunset in Eire (did a lot of that, much cheaper than TV!) and wondering why a "big flock of birds" would want to fly around like that at night.....I may have led a varied life, but it took a lot of goes at figuring stuff out!!!!

Cats... now cats I can cope with. I like cats

Oddly enough that same wheelchair image with exhausts came to my mind!

Cats don't flap a lot to be sure - but there again they don't seem to have that elegant raw power in them either - Big Boids do!

Excuse Me?

Cats "don't seem to have that elegant raw power in them?"

Excuse me?????????????????????????

Have you looked at cheetahs, leopards, jaguars, tigers lately? (I can speak from hexperience here.. I saw a snow tigger last year at Howletts)

Not to mention yer average tabby mog wiv a disdainful expression and attitude?

Pah! If I were a cat, sirrah I'd shake my left back leg at you in disdain!



*Note to non cat people and non catty watchers.*

After owning mogs on and off for damn' near 30 years (this is the first dwelling where I've not been able to own a cat... and as I left home at 17, and a cat was more esential to homemaking than boring stuff like cookers, beds, chairs etc) I have come to the conclusion :

that when they turn their backs on you...(like this)

stretch...... nonchalently, tail up like a flag pole...(like this)

and SHAKE THEIR LEFT BACK LEG at you,(like THIS).....

then you, as a mere human being are in deep trouble.......

D'you want to reconsider that last statement you made, S'hhhh!

Bearing in mind that even Bootsie the Slugcat (the last moggy I had the privelidge of feeding) with haliatosis and DTs is capeable of swiping a boid out of the sky mid swipe!

(I grant it was a very geriatric boid, but it had wings and a beak, nevertheless. And OK, I did have to aim Bootsie in its general direction... but thats because poor ol' Boots was hard of thinking!)

NOT because he didn't have elegant raw power, in any way, shape or form.... honest!

Morning each

Just signing in to let you know I'll be out most of the morning at least... I have the Physio Terrorist;( and *I'm* going to her, this time, she doesn't need to visit me)

I'm going to get me some raw power - I'll try for elegance later on in the treatment

Ladies... I think we should be fairly gentle with Shh today; he's got an 18 hour working day apparently.....


We can always resume normal service after he's had a decent kip!

Cats don't seem to have raw power and elegance..... ha!

I was talkin of Mogs - not proper cats!!!

Yea - should be here til 4 then it's orf drivin

Still it'll go towards the rent eh!

Mogs are cats, too!










Even Bootsie the Slugcat

Noooo Mogs are only small imitation cats

Like the dwarfs of the feline world

H'mmmm.

Not a cat person, obviously.




I think we'll have to agree to differ on that one, or I'll never be off my soap box


Wanders off, shaking back left leg at non cat people generally.....

Have I never mentioned I'm an honoury cat?

Not exactly Nooooo


ps Dogs shake their back legs as well you know

Ah.... but cats do it with class....

Dogs just scuft around a bit... and then wait whilst their human uses the ubiquitous plastic bag!




Cats are tidier in that department (unless you've upset them somehow. Messages are left generally where there is the most wiring and the least accessability)

A good cat can beat a waggly dog any day of the week!

Wrrroowwwwwwwwwwwwwwl!

Scuft? Your language!!

Shuffle maybe ?