One thing led to another, I was catching up with Corrinnemay's latest Christmas album when I read about her granddad's demise.
Her blog reminded me that my Dad was also a bird lover. When we were little, our adventures would be amongst those forest opposite our Telok Blangah hts flat or the coffeeshops which has birds hanging on poles. He will always prepare his bird with clean cages and I remember those cloths he covers the cages meant that he is meeting his bird friends - those covers were also our props (sp?) when we role play our nuns - Jas.. remember?? haha.
From him, I know all the species of the home reared birds, white-eyed ring, long tailed, hua mei. I know the food to feed each, the little porcelein cups that is around. We watched on as our Dad often bathed his birds in those rectacular cages. How he cuts those newspaper into circles and place them under the cages. When we were young, we will never get lost in shopping malls cos his unique whistle will let us know where to go to. We were also his little birds..
During his last days, he could not keep up with the expenses on his birds anymore. he only kept two, one of which was sickly or handicapped, my Dad took care of it till it became stronger. Not sure what happened to the other.
Corrinemay's aptly put across - born free.
I certainly miss him...
