The Mousebird Mystery...

You never know what is going to happen here in our Nairobi home when it comes to wildlife. We have had many interesting visitors over the years and, given our resident cats and dog, there is never a dull moment. Last week, for instance, we were surprised to find a mousebird inside one of our guest rooms. It was being very quiet, clinging to the bars on the inside of the window. About six months ago, precisely the same thing happened in the same room, which made this bird's appearance all the more strange. Where were these birds coming from? we all wondered. Is there some sort of secret mousebird entrance we don't know about? Using a towel and a lot of patience, Cora and Brian managed to catch this lovely bird and then set him free outside (this time, without the bird losing its long tail feathers - an unfortunate glitch for the first bird). Since then, our best hypothesis on the bird appearances is that the cats have caught the birds and brought them down the hall, only to have the determined birds escape and wait for human help in, of all places, our bird-themed guest room.

Creative outlet...

I've been feeling a bit creative lately and, when a grade 9 student abandoned a plain wooden tray in my room (and told me I could just throw it out), I decided to give it a facelift. From boring to fun... a great weekend project.  :)