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Hello! My name is Parakeet. I am a wooden toy. Some people call me a naive children's toy, a redundant description, if you ask me. I mean, are not all children's toys naive? Not any more, you say? So much has changed? Have I been sitting here for so long?
Anyway, this was me, BEFORE, but after some brown paint. Originally a "metal mini", I eventually became "wood". I was fashioned after the emerald green parakeet of India, aka the Indian Ringneck Parakeet. These birds are very smart, some of them even psychic, like Mani, the fortune telling parrot in Singapore.
Mani is a legend in Singapore and could predict World Cup results although I understand he was not as good as the octopus. Look at him in the picture. I wonder if Mani could tell that the "fortune seekers" are not really Indian but Italians. Must be trying to pull a fast one with those costumes. Then again, they looked so pleased. Maybe Mani told them Italy was going to win the World Cup! Hah! Look who's got the last laugh now!
I am not sure if you can tell beneath all the wear and tear but my colours were brilliant once. I look such a wreck now! Darn, the sun is truly a girl's worst enemy! Heed my advice, girlfriends- ALWAYS use sunscreen, bring an umbrella , wear a veil! Or you may end up like me, aging before my time!
I remember those good old days...I was so much fun too! With a tug of my strings, you could move me . See, now I am looking left, perching . Come, tug me! Go on...
Don't mind the creaking and groaning, it's been a while but see? I have turned and am pecking on the ground looking for food. *Giggles. Kids loved me. Adults too. I was a real crowd pleaser in those days. Until one day, when someone left me in the alcove outside the house.....
and no one came back for me. I just sat here for I can't remember how long . The only way I could tell time was by how tall the trees around me has grown.
It didn't seem that long ago when the world could see me sitting proudly in my nook and there were hardly any trees.
Guess my story was no different from the thousands before me and the millions to come....perhaps one day, someone will find me again and I will be treasured once more. We'll just have to wait and see. After all, I have all the time in the world and I sure ain't going anywhere.
Afterword
I have wanted to create this scene ever since I saw Henry Wilson's picture in his book "India". The wooden bird in the picture was in fact fashioned after the Indian Ringnecked Parakeet. So three months after putting alcoves (4 f them) in the house, I made the toy on Thursday. This is the first of my "alcove stories". And yes, Parakeet can perch, turn and peck. Sort of.
38 comments:
Wouldn´t I just love your small colored birds? Wouldn´t I just want them to redirect their flights to Denmark ;-)
Allways like your stories.
Love, Susanne
Another beautiful story Sans! I always feel like reading another chapter of (hopefully!) never ending book when reading your posts and hearing the music :)
Hi dearie, the parakeet is wonderful and I can imagine it inside the alcove of your house. Tonight I spent a couple oh hours with my family, all of it, bro, sister in law, niece etc etc, and we looke at the pics of our holidays. They laughed hard at yours. The one with Walter I mean ;o)I do love how you made the little bird and its colours. Alas I have not much to show you yet but I'm going on. Now go to sleep ! hugs Rosanna
Oh parakeet- I think you will be treasured and adored by many! What a sweet story and a sweet little parakeet Sans! ♥
Sans, also tonight you make me go to bed with a sadness in my heart ...
Since children have forgotten the parakeet, as they have forgotten the dollhouses and all their games ...
We were few in the world, to see if by chance, behind the foliage of old trees, it hides some wooden toy also well forgotten ...
Bueno Sans la historia muy linda (=
El pájaro esta genial !!!¡que juguete mas hermoso!!!
Un abrazo
Flor
What a beautiful story, Sans! I did not know the tradition of parakeet! I remember when I was little, I played with dolls and small pots, never had a wooden bird!
Your parakeet is wonderful!
Thank you for showing the pictures ... Rosanna is very elegant with that dress!
Sans, master storyteller. yet again I am enthralled! we used to play with clay parakeets (and a real one too) when we were kids. I wonder where they are now?
BTW is that gorgeous woman in the picture you by any chance?
Beautiful story Sans! You have such a wonderful ability to make tiny versions of all these beautiful things you see.... and you spot the tiny details that make the tiny world so real! Beautiful in feeling as well as looks!
wahhh!!! PRO!!!! damn amazing la you. i'm coming over to take painting lessons from youuu~~~~
and i recognize that lady in the peranakan garb ;) Rosanna and Walter look so adorable in the pic...^ ^ *warm fuzzy feelings*
i really adore parakeets, parrots and cockatoos....this post really really tickled me :D :D :D :D i'm still grinning!!! and best of all..it "WORKS" !!!!!!!!!!!!!
orz orz orz
Morning Susanne :). Imagine my surprise when I went to your blog and saw "Mani" sitting in your freshly "renovated" birdcage! You have your own Indian Ringneck Parakeet :) and he's much handsomer, probably good at traffic control too!
I haven't written a story for a while now :):). For some reason, I really like this one :).
Thank you Ewa :). I use to be able to come out with silly stories quite easily. Lately however, I seem to be suffering from some kind of block where fiction is concerned :).
Glad you like this one, Ewa :). Means a lot to me :):)
What a Great story Sans, love the little bird.
Victoria
Rosanna :), I am so glad I downloaded all your Little India pictures onto my laptop.
I was a little surprised myself when I read Henry Wilson's book that the wooden toy is the Ringneck :). Because I had done the toy just trying to make it look like the faded cousin of Wilson's. I remembered Mani of course and your pictures :). Had to use one in this story :). Hope you don't mind :):)...hehe.
Some of your pictures are so wonderful, I want to give everyone a brochure when it is hot off the press , LOL! At least everyone who visit Singapore from blogland! :).
MarG says she probably can have everything in a CD in a week or two. More pictures for you to share. You are now an International model apart from a miniaturist! :)
Kim :) , I hope you are feeling better. The virus is so tenacious these days. They just won't go away :(. We call it the 100 day cough over here.
I am thrilled that you took some time to read this , dear :). Thank you!
Take care, Kim and get well soon!
Flora, you truly are a poet after my own heart :) but I didn't mean to make this such a sad post.
I really don't like depressing stories and prefer funny ones ..LOL, although the title already set the mood and the music didn't help either.
As usual when I was writing the story, I have another unspoken one going on behind, in my mind. I was just thinking how much I would have love this toy if I should find it in this state, worn, faded , old and slightly broken. People may even pay good money for it as handmade toys are no longer so prevalent. So there's always a silver lining.
Forgotten toys may sit in a lonely corner for a while but when found, they tend to be treasured more than ever. That's what I think :).
And my dear, dollhouses will never go out of style :). If I , Mdm I-don't like-girly-stuff, can fall in love with them, I bet you anyone can. This community will grow :). It is infectious and addictive :).
Caterina :) we had a lot of wooden toys then and I still collect them when I can. I have one where there are 5 chicks or hens in a circle with a string at the bottom and when you pull the string, all the hens will peck on the wooden round board where they all stand. Very cute! They made them in Thailand, India & China. Maybe if I can find smaller birds, I may try making a mini version ..haha!
Rosanna was doing a photo shoot for my friend's trishaw business. They are tourists playing tourists and will be on the brochure introducing the trishaws for Little India. I think she looked absolutely stunning in that blue outfit. Very flattering and she did not even have any make up! :):).
That woman is a natural. :)
Cuando "La Reina de los Juguetes" le dirá que le gusta tu juguete, te vas al cielo de la felicidad:). Gracias Flor:)
Hehe Gagan, I am very camera shy :) , The gorgeous lady sitting down is Rosanna. The elegant Peranakan lady (she's also wearing a Peranakan blouse) standing up is a celebrity food critic in Singapore. She is also our food ambassador and actually conducts seminars and talks/ workshops on Singapore food in museums around the world :). Her name is Violet Oon. :)
Glad you enjoyed the story :) .
Betsy, thank you again for such wonderful compliments. I say that with the deepest and most heartfelt thanks :) cos they really do mean so much to me :).
You know sometimes you feel like a piece is special only because you enjoyed making it so much :). Parakeet is like that for me :). A big factor is that I really love old, traditional toys too, which helps. Its great to be able to share this with friends and to hear how they feel :). Thank you for always doing that for me :).
Aiyoh! I had to quickly go take a shower to cool down after I read your comments , Cindy :):):):). Hot and redfaced from your compliments :). (actually, I was sweaty from exercise and instead of a shower , I sat at my laptop and comment..hehe) . But I am truly "embrassed".
Anyway, you will die from laughing when you see what I meant by "Sort of " work. It doesn't work by pulling the strings, the bird is sitting on a piece of rusty wire which I bent a little so there's a kink. I turn the bird manually on the wire (but glued down enough so it does not fall off) and because of the kink, the bird bends down when it turned right..quite funny actually :). Hehe.
I was thinking when we get together, we can study how to make it really work with strings, especially the one with the 5 chicks in a circle. I already have the life size one for some reverse engineering :).
You are right, the peeps in pic are Ro and W :)with Mani the parrot. You know Mani right? Ro said the bird was really clever too, doing as the master bidden.
They look great (sincerely) in the costumes. Very realistic as we always like to say when we pay the ultimate compliment :).
Thank you for visiting, Victoria :). and thank you for making my day :):):).
Me encantan como nos cuentas las historias de cada cosa que haces.
Cada vez que veo que publicas una entrada, sonrio porque se que voy a disfrutar muchisimo.
Me alegro que Perico haya renacido y este en un precioso lugar.
Te ha quedado precioso, como precioso es ese juego de antaño.
Felicidades por el resultado.
Besitos, May
I love such stories tell us everything you do.
Every time I see you post an entry, I smile because I know I will enjoy very much.
I'm glad Perico and this has been reborn in a beautiful place.
I have been precious, as precious is the game of yesteryear.
Congratulations on the result.
Kisses, May
Sans ¡Eres una persona hermosa!!!
Te mando un gran abrazo
Flor
¡Que bonito cuento! El pajarito para tu casa está fenomenal hecho, con los colores vistosos.
Besos Clara.
Dear Sans, I'm late, but unlike poor Parakeet you're certainly not forgotten! Parakeet reminds me of the colourful metal birds which sat on the branches of our Christmas trees when I was small. Just because I'm quite the sentimental I had to buy some for my own Christmas trees as well. I love the worn colours and the fact that it "works" (I read the above comment about how you made it work)
But how much I love the lovely Parakeet and the story I love your alcove even more, it's fabulous my dear! And the tree! It's stunning!! I think I remember an old post about it, but I don't remember seeing all the details so close. The only thing missing in the tree is a little bird to keep Parakeet company! :-)
Buenas tardes,May:). Es mi hora de almuerzo en una tarde de lunes. Yay:)! Y estoy tan feliz de leer sus comentarios:).
Tú también, están en mi "lista de ansiosos ver" de nuevos puestos porque sabes lo mucho que me encanta tu trabajo:).
He disfrutado Parakeet traer a la vida, a pesar de que podría ser una una sola por ahora. Por lo menos, tuviera una vivienda. Y espero que él sabe que está sirviendo como un buen recordatorio para no olvidar nuestros juguetes durante demasiado tiempo:)
Clara besos besos :):). Buenos Tardes!
Gracias por tu cumplido dulce:). Me alegro que les guste mi humilde pájaro de juguete:) y el relato breve y sencillo:)
El más grande abrazo y el beso más rápido golpe de Singapur que te lanzan, Flor:)
THANL YOU, Helene :). I am thrilled that you noticed the alcove :). I had wanted to post a little about how I did the 4 alcoves about 3 months back in May . The little nook is actually a tealight holder our Indian friends use during Deepavali or "Gestuval of Lights" . They placed little bowls like this along the corridor of their homes (mostly with oil and wick instead of candles) during Diwali/Deepavali. I remembered when we were living in a flat, how I could see rows of these lights outside different apartments in flats across from ours.Some of the advantages of living in apartment buildings that are close to each other..haha! I will show you more pics of the alcoves in my next few post. :).
The tree/s (actually 3 of them) were not made by me. It's my friend's Christopher or the Treewizard :). They are 1:12 but 1:48 and I had to stack one on top of the other for the height :). Chris is so busy these days. He's just completed a big job consulting Universal Studios here on giant "Madagascar" trees for the theme park here :).
I am only using the trees just for this post, I don't think I will use them for the house :) I do want to be able to see my dear Parakeet BUT I love the idea of making "real" birds as company for Parakeet.
You know its a bit of a mindset change when trying to paint a toy bird as opposed to making a "real bird" . So funny when I kept telling myself that Parakeet must look like a toy-toy bird instead of a toy-real bird . LOL! Unlike the time when I was painting the cats.
I see you have done a new post. I am coming right over :).
Biennnnn!!!!!
Me encantan tus historias, parece que las vivo con tu relatar.
Ha sido muy interesante y ademas el pajarito es precioso.
Espero que Perico sea muy feliz en su nuevo entorno.
Un bonito juego.
besitos ascension
Gracias, Ascension!
Gran verte de nuevo! Perico dice "hola" y tal vez algún día uno de sus brujas pueden volar con él y quedarse un rato:).
Oh Sans, the parakeet is AWESOME!!! OvO
I am amazed that you manage to paint it, being so small and all.
OvO <------------I like :):):) Hehe!
Just very fine tipped brushes, bought from Daiso, of course :).
This is such a lovely scene Sans! I can see why you wanted to recreate it by seeing the picture!! And you did it so wonderfully - the toy looks as though its been there for ages. I really want to give poor parakeet a hug! I do hope a thankful child finds her someday and gives her a home as colorful as she!!! hugs, ara
ARAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! So good to see you again! LOL! Have you got a new post for us?
Parakeet huggles you back :).
By the way I just found a site selling the poster of this picture by Henry Wilson for USD24.99 http://collectibles-and-art.become.com/decorative-childs-toy-parrot-in-traditional-wall-niche-ahmedabad-india--compare-prices--sc1060520041.
The same poster is sold on Amazon UK for 59.99 pounds!!!! http://www.amazon.co.uk/Decorative-Childs-Traditional-Ahmedabad-Photographic/dp/B0034YP0A4
Title of poster is "Decorative Child's Toy Parrot in Traditional Wall Niche, Ahmedabad, India Photographic Poster Print by John Henry Claude Wilson" :). Mouthful eh?
Your parakeet and alcoves are quite spectacular!
Rosanna looks absolutely stunning in that blue outfit!
Mercedes
Thank you, darling Mercedes :)and I am completely with you on Rosanna. Have I mentioned that she wasn't even made up at all?
Blue really suits her :).
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