Fred has a Friend

Angus arrived some months ago. The first few weeks he had no one to talk to, which made existence rather boring. Now he and Fred observe the humans of the house reading the paper or watching television. Angus and Fred also get to listen to the radio, in fact they are standing on one of the speakers. Whether they have ears in their feet, as some arthropods do, has not been determined. They no doubt converse on the usual subjects, but since I have no idea what these might be for a penguin and an owl, I can't tell you. They never talk in my presence. I can only infer that they discuss matters of interest from subtle changes in expression. Some killjoy has opined that these changes in expression are mere tricks of the light, but I firmly disagree. Both Fred and Angus strike me as eminently intelligent beings, the kind that take great pleasure in commenting on the passing show.

Fred Moves

After much badgering and whinging, Fred has got his way: he's moved to the book case, so he can view not only the living room but also something of the outside world. For the moment, he's content. How long this odd state will last is anyone's guess. Even Fred doesn't know.

Fred has moved

Having become much too accustomed to his perch on the book case, Fred moved over to the right hand speaker next to the TV screen. He can now watch us watching TV. He knows the TV shows pretty well, since he had a good view of them from his former vantage point. I suspect his purpose is to gather data about our reactiosn to TV, which will aid him in fathoming the mysteries of human nature. His own owly nature he will keep carefully hidden. All we know so far is that owls are curious, and patient.

Fred

Fred is enjoying his new home. He arrived here enclosed in bubble wrap and paper, which prevented him from observing his surroundings. Now he has a good vantage point on top of the bookcase opposite the living room windows. So far, that has provided him with sufficient entertainment, but I imagine he will want to see what the back yard is like. Whether he will want to be rewrapped for the journey to the living room windowsill has not been decided. He's a contemplative sort, and realises he has had little experience of the world, which makes it difficult to make a reasoned decision. His companions cannot provide him with advice.