Australia, blogging

Ending a Friendship

Forestwood

Recently at the Home by the Sea, I met a new friend. So that he can remain anonymous, I’ll call him, ‘Old Mate,’ (as we sometimes do in Australia).

Most people who met Old Mate, thought him brash and cocky, but I was utterly charmed by his youthful exuberance. He’d entered my world uninvited and I’d welcomed and even encouraged him to visit me whenever he liked. “My door is always open. Come over anytime,” I told him nonchalantly.

Perhaps that was my mistake? I can be naive about such things.

Being a good neighbour, or so I thought, I’d offered him food and refreshments whenever he rocked up. He really did like that. So much so, that he brought his partner over to meet us. We were chuffed.

Both Old Mate and his partner were talented singers and would regularly entertain us when they popped in. It was obvious they were planning to settle nearby and start a family. I was looking forward to sharing their world and continuing our wonderful friendship.

I had no inkling that Old Mate would take liberties with our friendship in a way no one else has done before.

It came to a head this week.

Jumping around on my Dining table was, to say the least, extremely unsettling, so I was forced to do something I’ve never done before: I told Old Mate he had to leave – ordering him out of my house.

He didn’t take my announcement well: becoming angry and flustered, making excuses to check out several rooms in the house, before finally agreeing to leave.

That was the final straw. I abruptly terminated our friendship.

I feel bad. I miss him, but it has to be this way.

My door is now closed.

Published by Forestwood

A philosophic Aussie writes here at StPA, one who will readily admit to loving Scandinavia. I'm interested in global politics and what drives us to be who we are. Scratch the surface and you'll find a practical Environmentalist with an egalitarian bent, trying to unleash a little creativity via the written word. Scandinavian culture, literature and traditions are close to my heart, even though I'm Australian. Travel and courteous discussions greatly broaden the mind, so I travel if I can and am always up for a vigorous, respectful discussion. I'm an avid reader, a writer and I enjoy photography and crafts, particularly traditional art forms. I hope you'll find 'Something to Ponder About,' in my WordPress Community.

77 thoughts on “Ending a Friendship”

    1. I had a real fear he was going to fly into the window and hurt himself. He was stressed but it was amazing that nothing was broken. His dexterity in flight was impressive for such a large bird. No he won’t be invited back inside.

      Liked by 2 people

  6. In a similar situation, some friends of mine had a “friendly” neighbor couple begin inviting themselves for meals and drinks, and even asking to borrow money which either later or never would be paid back. That “friendship” thankfully was terminated.
    Art

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Oh dear, Art. I am glad the friendship I had to break was with the feathered variety, not the human ones. Human friends and money is not a great combination. I have always steered away from people who ask that. It makes me hugely uncomfortable as there is often a misunderstanding which leads to a breakdown in the relationship.

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      2. Escapee parakeets, Irene? Did you get them back? Or lose them to the wild blue yonder?
        We had a pet cockatiel once. When he got out of the cage, there was no holding him back and he disappeared from our yard at once!

        Liked by 2 people

      1. Nonsmokingladybug is quite right about the yin and yang of human relationships. Some drop off so that others can take their place. You cannot hold on to every friendship for life.

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    2. Heheh, Marlene. I wondered if I would catch a few people out. I did not want him to be concussed or hurt by flying against the glass window. I can’t believe he didn’t know ANYTHING over, not a candle stick or an ornament, not a glass or vase. Amazing.

      Liked by 2 people

  11. It takes courage to say, “My door is open.” It takes just as much courage to say, “My door is now closed.”
    Boundaries are important. They help keep you sane.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. Laughing at myself too ! had read this once in the middle of the night. Felt I could not deal with such a ‘serious issue’ at the time ! So – yes, after a few sentences I did think the Old Mate had two legs and perchance a beard . . . just as well I knew my limits . . . great way of putting things Amanda !!!

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    1. Two legs and a beard and he liked fishing sounds an apt description for an Old Mate. It was a good thing you came back and read the rest of the post, Eha. I don’t think everyone caught on until they watched the video.

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  14. Oh dear! Maggies can be very cheeky. Our son in law has a pair who come to the deck every morning and he hand feeds them. We used to have a pair who would come to the back door every day too, and they would look for my husband and wait for him to come out with some rolled oats as a treat. They would sit on the fence and watch the goings on inside. I’m with you though. They should never feel they can come into the house.

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    1. My door was open, so I can only blame myself. But I didn’t think he would feel secure enough to do that. I was wrong. Rolled oats you say. I may relent and feed him a little down the back yard, when the babies arrive. Cooked or raw?

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    1. It could have ended badly as they have long beaks, but he was surprisingly dexterous around the house. He didn’t knock anything over just flapped around and flew into a couple of windows in his panic to get outside. I heard him calling this morning but chose to ignore it for today.

      Liked by 1 person

  18. That was funny, I had the image of some strange man dancing on your table! I dread to think where they would gone to the toilet.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Heheh, Klodo. I had to be careful not to give the ruse away, within the body of the post, and chose my words to make it sound like Old Mate was a person.
      When he flew from the table, I had visions of my poor friend concussed from flying into a closed window and dropping to the ground, where the Schnauzer pup would grab him. Old Mate flapped about the place and got stuck in the mancave aka (media room), for a whole minute, but did not cause a single bit of damage; nothing was knocked over or damaged. Amazing.

      Liked by 1 person

      2. That thought was running through my head as well, Klodo. Hence my panic! The little one was definitely after her!! She had chased Old Mate out of the yard a few times already.

        Liked by 1 person

  19. Oh my… You really got me there!! Brilliant writing! Yes, magpies are funny cheeky birds… I lost my lunch to one of them once, while traveling in Australia. To my defense, a whole flock of them was keeping my attention away from my sandwich, and I caught the thief on video 😛
    https://youtu.be/QYFMnbYDkX4

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    1. Fun video footage, C. You really had some wonderful wildlife experiences when you came to our shores, didn’t you? Not every tourist has the opportunities you did.
      The Magpies are getting more and more accustomed to mixing with people I think. Years ago they would be quite timid in suburban areas.

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    1. Exactly my thoughts, Graham. Especially with a Schnauzer pup with a strong prey drive in close proximity. But this magpie is strong, clever and very confident! He kept high off the ground even when flying around in the house.

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    1. I was very happy to have him in my life, up to that point, Miriam. He was back yesterday but I ignored his beautiful song calling to me. I am unsure if I should encourage him again or not? I don’t want him to develop a dependence on the small treats I give him.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Now that is a great perspective, Eric/ka. ‘Live for the moment,’ which is very clearly, exactly what the magpie is doing. I may relent and feed him some small treats, ensuring the door is closed or only open a fraction, perhaps?

      Liked by 1 person

  23. Oh my goodness, Amanda, what a compelling tale ….
    You had me right to almost the end – and the penny dropped just before I watched your video for the big reveal. Even my husband stopped in his tracks to see what the excitement was about!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. You are too smart, Ju-Lyn. I couldn’t completely hoodwink you! It was quite amusing writing this post, (even though I felt almost deceitful) yet its been far more amusing to read the reactions.

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      3. The sense that something was afoot came fairly early because it seemed so unlike you to speak negatively about a friend. But the place I knew was when Old Mate jumped on the table – I figured at that point he was not a human guest.

        Liked by 1 person

      4. I have witnessed ladies dancing on a table at a Melbourn Cup (horse race) luncheon, so it is possible, but I did think that was a giveaway line. Glad you had a laugh with it.

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    1. No, he appeared to be house trained, at least for the time he spent inside. I did find a rather large bird poo on the screen on the external window. It could have been him!

      Liked by 1 person

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