Paul and his family are extremely sad today because their pet budgerigar, Aristo, passed away one day before his tenth birthday.
Aristo was amazingly intelligent, had a huge vocabulary, and was the most photographed budgie in history. The house is noticeably quieter without his comforting background chatter.
We had Aristo since he was a baby, and as the girls grew up alongside Aristo he was always a star in their various projects.
Aristo was even a TV star, having appeared on Paul Murray Live on Sky News channel. There was a competition where viewers had to send in a photograph of themselves watching the show, and I sent in a photo of Aristo watching the show which they broadcast:
I'm sure he's chatting away in the great aviary in the sky.
Yes, well as Paul noted, he has chased a roo in Goulburn, swum the Murray, smelled the Molasses at Bundaburg, walked the Leichhardt River at Mount Isa, seen Uluru at a distance (no dogs allowed), been pecked on the nose by a emu, and tasted the Great Southern Ocean. I am not convinced that is something to give your left leg for, but it is an achievement for a toy dog.
Posted by: PythonMagus | Monday, 31 August 2015 at 11:57 PM
very sorry to hear your news too Maurice.
Posted by: Thygocanberra | Monday, 31 August 2015 at 10:54 PM
That is terrible about Pip. He has just had the dog holiday of a lifetime, and put in a pitch for the most photographed dog.
Posted by: Paul | Monday, 31 August 2015 at 10:47 PM
Strong with this budgie, the force was.
Posted by: Yodayellow | Monday, 31 August 2015 at 10:42 PM
I still fondly remember the Budgie we had in Canberra as a teen, although I cannot remember his name. Growing up with a pet is a great experience.
We are next. Pip, 11 in October, has been diagnosed tonight with a cancerous tumour in his spine. To remove the tumour, the vet has to remove a leg and half the pelvis, with no guarantees. Decision time.
Posted by: PythonMagus | Monday, 31 August 2015 at 09:48 PM
We are very sorry to hear that. It is always a very hard thing when a pet dies.
Our sympathies to you all.
Posted by: Thygocanberra | Monday, 31 August 2015 at 09:09 PM