Cottage “The 4 Winds”

Long time ago in 1963, I was 8, there was a Dutch TV series on the Wednesday afternoon when the kids were off school.

It was about an old lady called Granny Tingeling and a grumpy man called Mr. Humdrum who wanted to buy Granny’s cottage “the 4 winds”.
All 4 winds came together in her garden and “delivered” the strangest objects and people.
But of course Granny did not want to sell her house which annoyed Mr. Humdrum tremendously. He started growling and broke one of his famous walking stick in pure anger.
A funny and exciting series and every person in Holland born in the 50’s will remember this.

I live in a small cottage at the edge of a small village and when it is storming, the winds always seems to blow straight into my garden.
To my great relieve (or disappointment) I don’t find strange objects or people in my garden. But I do find animals. Especially birds and not seldom I have raised baby pidgeons, a crow and a hedge sparrow.
Of course they belong to mother nature and preferable I raise them to release them again.
But some choose to stay with my like Caroline the Crow and Fluffy the Hedge Sparrow. They simply refuse to go.

In 2005 I raised two baby pidgeons “Lee” and “Ug”. Two adorable birds who travelled everywhere with me until they did not need me to feed them and fit to go.
Lee and Ug always stayed around and raised numerous babies of their own. At times there are as many as 14 pidgeons asking for food. They still remember my dog, eat together with my chickens and all get along very well.

Today, in the storm we have right now, I noticed a wet, sick pidgeon in my garden. It is an adult and looks like “Ug” who always stayed a rather small pidgeon.

I went outdoors and although afraid, she allowed me to pick her up.
She looked awful and very dirty. She lost many feathers and her skin is red and damaged. Very skinny she is too. I examined her and noticed a big hole underneath her left wing. Not a fresh wound but an old one.

Her lovely brown eyes observed me while I washed the dirt of her body and she kept quiet when I wrapped her in a warm towel. I gave her some high nutrition food so her crop doesn’t stop working as she is oviously too tired to eat.

She is now wrapped in that warm towel, safely tucked away in a basket where not only kittens are nursed but also all other bigger birds. I definitely need some penicillin to treat her wound and will pay the Vet a visit tonight.
My Vet will not be surprised, he is used to seeing me carrying around birds. From Hedge Sparrows to Buzzards (but that is another story).

I keep you updated about “Ug”, hopefully she is a strong bird, not ready to give up.

Why do these birds arrive in my garden? Are indeed all 4 winds coming together at my cottage or is there somewhere a note “Paraveterinary” on my forehead? How do they know that my former job was being a Veterinarian Nurse??? Never underestimate a bird....