2011 Apr 09 — Duncan’s Childhood Blog

2011

2011 Apr

(the first two articles in this series mention vomiting)

Throughout this series of articles, there are several phrases with the initials “IBIS”, alluding to my avian life-list, the Index of Birds I’ve Sensed, which I often added to whilst in Sri Lanka. The frequency of such phrases declines when I see fewer examples of new species. How many can you find? Some examples to start you off are:

“...in beds (I slept)” (2011 Apr 10)
“Iridescent birds including sapphire-green...” (2011 Apr 11)
“I became increasingly soaked.” (2011 Apr 12)
“Indeed, bee-eaters (II species)” (“II” being Roman numerals for “two”: I was getting desperate) (2011 Apr 13)
“...is banned if swallows...” (2011 Apr 14)
“Interesting. But I’m supposed...” (2011 Apr 17)

Apr 09 Sat - 10 Sun

Holidays have now arrived. Therefore we boarded a plane. Economy Class. In front of every passenger’s seat was a personal touch-screen, part of a computer system called “ice” (information, communications, and entertainment). Every passenger received headphones as well. My touch-screen announced that it was Playing Up, because I’d chosen to watch a film called “Up”, which features prominently a flying house (I’ve seen a house fly?). Less appropriately on a flying plane, I then watched “The Fox and the Hound”, which features prominently a fox and a hound, and less prominently several other foxes and hounds.

Emirates being the air-line, we travelled via Dubai Airport, where we boarded a second plane, to Colombo this time, capital of Sri Lanka. Again, we had a touchscreen each. I watched “Dumbo”, which is about a flying elephant and mentions seeing a house fly. Elephants are very important to Sri Lankans, you know. Then I listened to some music, since “ice” provided every UK Number 1 since records (hee hee) began in 1953. I was shocked to discover that Don McLean’s “American Pie” never made it to Number 1! What an indictment on society! As Don McLean himself would say, I drove my chevy to the levee but the levee was dry. Or, as some modern twit would say, I got my personal computer system to show me the list of UK Number 1s but that was no good because it didn’t have my favourite song and I really wanted to hear my favourite song because it reminded me of my favourite song lol.

At Colombo, we met our friendly tour-guide and some beautiful crows. “House crows” are like a hybrid between British carrion crows and hooded crows, but a lot more numerous in Sri Lankan cities than either carrion or hooded crows in Britain. There were lots of crows. Another addition to my IBIS (initials bark it soon).

Then we lazed in beds (I slept) in a hotel, saw more crows, and other interesting birds in Sri Lanka which I’ll be identifying some time. Cats and canines are common in busy intense streets, in bustling internet shops, in boats, in swimming-pools... (scratch that last bit: it has fleas.) I brought into stomach supper. I beheld its subtle intensities, but I sick. Wretched and retching, I didn’t get much sleep.