Birds of Feathers all flock together

I have these words running around my head and they keep repeating themselves.

Some nine weeks ago, Son three asked if we could put up R & E from Canada for four days in October. The answer was yes we would.

The day arrived and we were to meet this couple from Canada at the Airport.

We did not know this man and lady, all we had was a photograph.

Now all the funny parts start: - I hate parking at the Airport, because of all the money they charge, normally I manage to park for say 30 minutes and cheerfully pay the $6.00 parking fee. Gradually the walkway from the Customs had shrunken to say the last 3 people and we had been there for 82 mins.

At that stage we were very concerned, that we had missed this couple whom we did not know. My Mobile phone rang and a lady asked me if I was Frank, obviously the answer was yes. This lady went onto say she was Qantas public relation officer ringing on behalf of R & E. Did I know them? I had to say no. I did not know them personally. We were waiting to meet them with a photograph. This lady then informed me that their luggage had been mislaid somewhere from Alaska. I said there must be some mistake as they were coming from Canada. More delay as this did not configure with information this lady had. More wasted time. She came back and informed me that they had been on holiday in Alaska. I did not know that.

Well their luggage had been mislaid and there were several forms to fill in and so on another 30 mins of standing around. At last this bedraggled couple turns up looking very fearful, thinking perhaps we had not waited for them. The parking fee was finally paid, only $45.00. What a great start. After introductions all around, they explained that their son K had paid for them to go to Alaska because of an anniversary. The Luggage was presumably loaded on the plane in Alaska and they gave no more thought about it.

The Qantas Lady had told them that they were to be given (not then) $50.00 per day between them, for their accommodation and clothing. They were to keep all the receipts and claim them when they were back in Canada. There was considerable lack of knowledge given about their missing luggage and when it might turn up.

We all decided it was well past lunch; we should go and get something to eat and drink. Go to our place and let them have a shower and a couple of hours in bed and go shopping for the clothing necessities and toiletry article they needed. We have late night shopping in Sydney on Thursday nights. This we did and about three hours latter we departed to the shops. By now we knew a lot about R & E and their travel routine. They were actually going to the Blue Mountains for one night back to Sydney for one night and then up to Brisbane for five weeks as they had a married son living there.

We had given them our Bedroom to sleep in for all the nights they slept at our place. The spare room was not as big as the main bedroom. A very early night for R & E. We have a thing called daylight saving in Australia. That is apart from Queensland. (It upsets the cows if their milking was changer any ways the sun hours being turned around, faded the curtains). We are a funny bunch of people in Australia. At 4.00 AM we have a Kookaburra who talks to his army and he does not know, this is a bit early and most people are still a sleep. I like this soldier bird raising his army for another day, but to some one who had heard this bugle call so early in the morning. You could say this was a little disturbing. Have you ever heard the Call of the Kookaburra? he wanted to know what this bird was and what the other was called. I must admit I did not know.

As you must know, by now I am involved in books so I went down stairs to the garage and found Peter Slater’s Australian Birdwatcher’s Notebook Published in1988 by Weldon Publishing. The Same company who published ‘Australian the Beautiful Cook Book’, ‘New Zealand the Beautiful Cook Book’, ‘France the Beautiful Cook book’ and many other books depicting great photography and stories. This was a great publishing Company. I gave this bird watching Book to R from Canada, and he was very appreciative of it. He took it back to Canada with him

Anyway we were all up and about every one had showered and coffeed up and we were ready to depart and do sight seeing. We live two minutes from beach and I have to walk for at least 40 – 50 mins every day. Off to the beach and there are 20 restaurants and coffee lounges along the promenade, so we would walk time around the beach and climb over the rocks and then go to have coffee, whichever place they liked the most. There was lots of talking as we learnt all about each other.

I had suggested I would drop them and Val down to Manly Beach in the car; they would get on the Ferry across to Sydney itself. The three of them could walk around the wharves and along to our famous Opera House and I would drive around by road and meet them in 2.5 hours. By then they would need sustenance and we could have lunch.

Monday turned up and they had arranged to meet a gentleman called RJ, I don’t know his name. This meant we had to drive 80 miles across Sydney and meet this gentleman at 3.00 PM. I stated that we had to leave by 1.30PM; it was 1.50 when we left Dee Why. We caught up with RJ and they took off to the Blue Mountains where RJ lived. I was to meet them at Central Railway Station at 10.15 AM. By 10.30 they had not arrived apparently our State Government had changed the time table.

By the way at this stage they still had not found their missing luggage, so at least two hours over the time they were in Sydney was spent on my mobile endeavouring to locate their luggage, their mobile had been packed in their luggage. By 11.30 AM the luggage had been found and we took off to the Airport. Received their luggage and then went to the internal airport for them to claim their luggage and to take off to Brisbane, to see their son.

Now the next odd thing to happen, today Thursday there was an email from R & E thanking us for looking after them so well. R had posted the Bird Book back to me. (I had given this book to him to keep.) He claimed he had learnt a lot about Australian Birds.

In this email R stated, we appeared to have a lot in common and said ‘That birds of feathers flock together’. Now I find a HOB from DST on Birds. I had run a hob off him this morning; Why not take another hob off him. Thank you for all your hobs. It makes my work easier.

We had a great time and R & E still not got any money back from their friendly airline.

There good and bad times in everyone’s lives and we all must learn to cope with those issues. There is no value saying why me?

Photo of Male Tawny Frogmouthbrooding its chicks during the day.

Frogmouths are very variable in colour, althoughmost adult males look like this.

Other Photos by R & E whilst in Alaska. He is a better photographer than I