About Me

My photo
Hi, welcome to my blog, I am a writer of short stories, children's and YA novels . An acceptance from People's Friend finally made me a published writer! Yeah, happy days! I have since had stories published in The Weekly News and The Last Laugh anthology. My main love is writing children's/YA novels...I'm now enduring a fruitless search for an agent... I also draw and paint, I like to draw animals (usually my adorable crazy cats!)Occasionally famous people and motorcycles.

Saturday 28 August 2010

Unwanted Gifts


Aww, it's a hard life.

This naughty little girl brought me a bird the other day. Luckily, she dropped it, when I went to inspect the poor thing, it was still breathing. So I shut Misch indoors and put poor little bird on the shed roof, hoping she might recover. She was breathing very, very fast and I think she was in schock. I spoke softly to her, hoping she knew I meant no harm. Then I went away, checking up on her ten minutes later to find her sat upright, she'd turned around, breathing slower, so was obviously feeling better. As I got closer, she suddenly took off. I cheered as she flew away and she chirped. I like to think she was saying, 'thanks, I'm ok now!'

I don't know anything about birds, but I have just looked her up and I'm pretty sure she was a female greenfinch. I found the website here, Great for identifying birds.

I hadn't thought much about birds, but now I'm quite interested to know which ones are coming in the garden, instead of assuming they're all sparrows. It never fails to amaze me, the vast wealth of info there is out there in cyberspace.

Anyway, naughty girl is forgiven, seeing as she didn't hurt it. Funnily enough, my story about the cats has just arrived, in 'The Last Laugh' which is very exciting. The story mention's Mischa's (named Calamity in the story) various gifts to me, alive and dead.
I love it, here's a picture. I'm so thrilled to be in an actual book!



Yay!! (Dances about with book in arms)
I am now in a submitting frenzy, I don't want this to be a one-off. I've had two rejections this week, but not to worry...

8 comments:

  1. Congratulations Penandpaints!!!! Of course this is only a start!! May your stories find forever homes soon - and they will, don't you worry! Enjoy this - and well done again!! Me and Charlie are doing a little victory jig on your behalf! Yay!!

    Oh WELL DONE for saving that greenfinch!!! Oh poor thing! Charlie brought in a mouse the other day - it was so deaded but I still felt so awful for it!!! Bad Charlie!! :-(

    I remember rescuing this bird. It landed on the middle of the road, a car came zooming along, the bird flew up too late and got hit. I ran to pick it up and poor thing's head just went to one side, and it's little eyes rolled up. I took it to the vets because it was still breathing. I remember the receptionist asking me what kind of bird it was. We both looked at each other and decided to write "Litte brown bird" as its species! LOL!!

    After stroking its little head and me talking to it, it suddenly perked up and we went to the back and released it. It flew away to one of the trees. :-)

    They are the most delicate yet hardy creatures!!

    Hugs to your sweet and adorable kitty! Awwww!

    Take care
    x

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Old Kitty
    Aw, bless ur cottons for taking little brown bird to the vets. I'm glad it recovered.
    It's amazing what they can put up with. My other kitty, Millie once had a little mouse, she was throwin up in the air catching it, letting it run away, the catching it again. Just playing with it. I rescued it and it was fine! Amazing. I wish they could all survive :/
    x

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Penandpaints. Congratulations! Yes as you say there must be something in the air. My cats bring in various wildlife and I'm always relieved when I can rescue them unscathed.
    I've not heard of Last Laughs, where can I get a copy?

    Madeleine x

    ReplyDelete
  4. Congratulations, penandpaints! I hope all your stories leave the nest and fly to new book homes (sorry had to get the bird angle in).

    Good on you for rescuing the bird. Cats only mean them as gifts, but it's good to be able to save them now and again.

    When I was a lot younger (20 years ago. Cough, cough) a crow flew into the lounge window. I went outside and found it in a state of shock. Not wanting any local cats to get it, I brought it in and stood it on the back of a chair, with the patio doors open behind it. It stayed there for about an hour, came to, made a lot of noise, and then left. It was a big bird!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh well done, penandpaints - publication in a book is very exciting. Am doing a happy dance along with you.

    My daugher's (half Scottish wild-)cat tried to catch a seagull a few weeks back. She waited until the gull landed in the garden and then jumped on it - only for the bird to rise into the air, flapping and squawking for all it was worth. The cat held on tight until they got ten feet or so in the air, then she fell onto a flower pot (and broke it). Think that will be one of her lives gone.

    XX

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm so glad you rescued that bird. I love cats, but oh it's so upsetting when they kill things. I know it's only instinct, but it's just too sad.

    Well done on appearing in The Last Laugh. How exciting. Nice cover. x

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thank you all for your loveliness and your thoughts for bird welfare.

    Madeleine, The LAst Laugh is available direct from Spikethecat (The Spikes Hot Flashes pic at the top has a link to the website) Also, it should soon be on Amazon :o Thank you for asking!

    Ellie, where would the bird population be without us all? ;)

    Suzanne, that's an amazing story, I can just picture Mischa doing something equally foolish! They're determined little predators aren't they? It must have been scary at the time, but hilarious later I bet!

    Joanne, thankyou. I know what you mean, I do feel really bad for the ones I can't save, but what can you do? It's just nature isn't it :/

    ReplyDelete
  8. This little girl is darling.

    ReplyDelete

I appreciate all your comments, thank you!