Wise parrots will tell you that at particular times of our lives, God intends us to do something; to put to use whatever skills, talents, experience or wisdom that we have learnt along the way. And perhaps more importantly, to use them for His purpose. And we only understand what that purpose is if we allow the presence of God to flow through us. That is how yours truly became the first parrot ever to write a Christian blog and then to publish a book. Over these past five and a bit years, I’ve been sharing my Christian thoughts to readers across six different continents around the world. And t ..read more

My owner’s brain weighs around 1350 grams, whereas mine comes in at just 18 grams. And my owner’s brain is meant to have some 100 billion neurons whereas I only have 3 billion in mine. (Mind you, I’d like to meet the chap that’s counted them all!) So you’d think that humans would turn out to be a lot brainier than parrots. And that’s how they like to imagine themselves. But I’ve always thought differently, and the other day, I put my owner to the test. In fact, I asked him this very simple question… “Which of my sides has the most feathers?” Well, he scratched his head for a long while, gazing ..read more

A couple of days ago, I went to sleep on my perch like I normally do. But something very strange occurred during the night. For when I woke up the next morning, my owner informed me that the year had changed. Yes, 2023 had quietly slipped away, to be replaced by 2024. I’m not sure how he knew this because everything seemed just the same to me. Our house was still standing. It was still Wintertime in the garden. And the human news on the “talking box” was just as depressing as ever. And yet, for some inexplicable reason, my human family were all very excited about this “New Year” bringing “new ..read more

Well, here we are, about to launch into another New Year. And this is a time when humans make all kinds of wild assertions about what they will do or achieve in the year ahead. But unfortunately, they rarely succeed, and this can make them feel very sad. Of course, the simple solution is for them to set goals and aspirations which are more within their grasp. So perhaps my owner should include the following things on his list: 1)    Eat more and get fat. 2)   Never exercise and start smoking. 3)   Drink more rum, and then have a few more! 4)   Give ..read more

I LOVE Christmastime because there is something very special about it. And I’m not talking about fairy lights, presents, or parrots that dress up as “Parrot Claus.” No, that something very special is quite simply LOVE itself. And so many creatures need to be loved. I know I do. It’s my food, my water and my oxygen all in one. There wasn’t a great deal of love in our world until Jesus arrived 2000 years ago. But the mere act of Him being born in a manger, as an infant human, meant that He brought love into our world. A love which is Heaven’s greatest gift to us all. Now, a great many humans wil ..read more

We can all have a bad day from time to time. And that can even go for parrots like me. After all, my ancestral roots stretch back to deepest Senegal. I’m not suited to these dark, drab November days. Here in North Devon it seems to rain and rain, and then rain again! All fine for frogs but punishing for parrots! And then every morning, my human family appear and turn on their “talking machine” which unleashes a torrent of wretched news from all around the world. Humans seem to avoid good news; they’d much rather make themselves feel depressed, and this “talking machine” duly obliges. And as if ..read more

I actually belong to quite a large family. Apart from my owner and his wife, there are also the two Labradors, two Exmoor ponies and two chickens. I suspect there’s only one of me because I’m totally unique. The two Labradors are now quite elderly; in human years, they are in their late seventies. They’ve always been together, having come from the same litter in rural Suffolk. You’d think they’d be two of a kind, but that’s not how it turned out. Bella, from day one, was bright and intelligent, and wanting to bond with our human owners. Lucy, meanwhile, was quite the opposite. She’s never unde ..read more

There’s an old parrot saying which states: “The only thing you ever have to fear in life is fear itself….and spiders!” And despite being a bird of immense courage, I have to admit that I really don’t like them. This is the time of year when they seem to appear from nowhere and start to scurry around the walls and ceilings of our house. It’s a bit like ‘The Hairy Horror Show.’ And I don’t think I’m being unkind here. After all, -would you like me as much if I had eight hairy legs, eight goggley eyes, blue blood, and went by the name of “Black Widow”? But then I have to remember that we’re all p ..read more

Humans don’t always make their world as easy as it should be, and quite often, folk can end up feeling let down. The other day, I came across a small pigeon that felt this way. He’d been sitting on the steps of his local bank, waiting to make a deposit. But the doors of the bank remained firmly closed, because unknown to him, it was one of the 4,685 local branches to have shut since 2015. Our pigeon stuck it out for three long days before eventually having to leave “his deposit” on the steps outside the doors. And his experience defied all of the wonderful slogans which human banks have put ou ..read more

Over these last 23 years, I’ve come to realise that it’s the responsibility of pet parrots like me, to take care of our human owners. So I’ve jotted down some useful tips for any parrots that are new to this game. And I hope that it will make for an easier life all round! Here we go…. 1) Humans have very poor hearing, so you need to shriek and scream if you want them to hear you. 2) Humans are very prone to becoming overweight, and exercise is the key! So always give your owner “the fly around” whenever they’re trying to catch you. 3) Humans need a proper diet in order to thrive. It’s a parrot ..read more