Great excitement and a whole lot of changes going on at present in our household, as we now anxiously await the arrival of our latest family member.

Why the excitement you may wonder, Simple, ever since I was a little boy, I have always, wanted to own a parrot.

This desire, started many, many years ago, when my folks, elder brother and I were staying in a Boarding House, I believe we recently had come up from Cape Town and where settling in Johannesburg. The owners of this boarding house had a parrot that in my memory recall was the most magnificent creature that I had seen in my short existence, I was then only 3 years old.

Totally fascinated by this parrot I held it awe as it also frightened me. We lived upstairs on the first floor. Of course there was a staircase that led down to the ground floor, the stairwell formed a recess in which the parrot and it's very large cage was parked during the night or when it was raining especially during a thunderstorm. Then the cage was draped over with a dark, thick and heavy blanket. Invariably there would emanate load squawks and protestations, as she hated being left out of the main stream of activity.

During the day, the cage was moved forward into the court yard where it would lord over the area preening and talking, chattering and issuing curt instructions to the world. It did not like you touching the cage, and would fly across and take a chunk out of any careless finger that encroached within its space.

As I was a bit of a loner often would go and sit in my own little world and amuse myself, I would often actually sit and talk to that parrot, especially during those long cold rainy days when he sat in his cage and would sit on the step and we would keep each other company.

We moved away from the boarding house and this was the first of many partings from those special types friends that I had to experienced. I was devestated and sobbed for many a day over my not seeing him again.

When I lived with my parents, we always lived in blocks of flats, what most countries refer to as apartments, and you could not really keep pets there, so we had an occasional budgies, which were great, but not really a parrot, my mom would not have one, ma's rules.

I then left home, not to a place of my own, but rather to a place for two; yes I'd got married and left home to set up my wifes and I own little nest, so to speak. My hopes of then owning a parrot where again dashed, as along with an old fox terrier, came her cat, I actually knew that they would come with and it was not even a negotiable that they would have stayed behind at her parents.

Added to the fact that, with cats, as parrots have the need to get out of its cage and walk around, so as to reduce boredom and make it a more social type of pet, that could not happen. The flat we moved into was too small.

As the numbers and mixes of the pets changed over the years, and we were actually offered a parrot, a five year old Macaw, as the owner was going overseas, the Macaw had taken to me, but screamed it's head off and demonstrated an intense dislike to my youngest son, we unfortunately had to decline, as that stress imposed could kill the parrot.

I was rather upset, as they did not even seriously entertain the thought of taking my youngest with them, so that I could keep the parrot.

My life has had many changes and now married for a second time to a someone that also likes thought of having a parrot so.

Some 55 years later, I am about to be given the best birthday present that I could wish for, an Indian Ring Neck. It is now being hand reared and will be able to feed itself within the next couple of weeks. Just in time for my Birthday!

Why wait so long before getting one for yourself a long time ago. You may wonder but it was something that never really happened.

I am now getting daily progress reports on "Gumpie" as, the wife travels with the breeder on a daily basis, as they both work for the same company, as the bird is being hand reared it travels with them in his traveling box.

He/she now has learnt how to grip and spends a good part of the nearly hour trip perched on the finger of who ever is the passenger for the week. This started yesterday, as over the weekend, it had outgrown the perpetual need for keeping itself in a dark corner.

We have the cage ready for her when it is time to progress into one. Over the weekend we went through to several shops and pet supermarkets to shop for what we feel would be suitable educational toys for IRN of his or hers intellect. We settled for a few but as we were informed by those in the know, the toys need to be changed frequently as they are can get bored.

Hours were spent by me and the wife, google-ing and wikipedia-ing away over website after website to glean some information to enable us to raise this ring neck into a properly bred bird with suitable refined manners and of course only using only respectable vocabulary.

What we I did learn is that there is a wealth of information out there. Yes $47 for a video on the Secrets of Raising - $58 for Learn The Body Language etc and multi $$$$ a plenty for all aspects of how to this that and the other, as I said A Wealth full, leaving you to line other pockets.

So we now have to rearrange the furniture, to accommodate the insertion of a cage, bring out a drop sheet so as to keep the floor tidy. Listen to it speak to it and enjoy the pleasure of its company.

Like with every pet, give them a home him, and love them, feed and keep their environment clean and if they are sick and ailing take them to the Vet. You will receive the benefits of it from them with that incredible unconditional love that they give you.