Betrisher
Well-known member
- Jun 3, 2013
- 4,253
- 177
- Parrots
- Dominic: Galah(RIP: 1981-2018); The Lovies: Four Blue Masked Lovebirds; Barney and Madge (The Beaks): Alexandrines; Miss Rosetta Stone: Little Corella
I just have to vent! Not only that, I have to vent in a place where I guess people might have an inkling of why I'm so peeved. It's a long story. Sorry. I'm a long-winded sort of person, but I will try and keep it as short as possible.
Background:
Many years ago, I had reached a crisis in my life. Things were not looking good and I had lost all my circle of friends. I had to start again and find friends somewhere, somehow. So, I joined a Birdwatching club! I was all of nineteen years of age and the average age of the members (before my arrival) was something like 59. Well, it was a happy decision for me and got me started on a lifelong hobby and some lifelong friendships.
A few years after joining the group, we went on a 'migration' to a place called Gosford. There, we spent the early morning enjoying the local birds. After a pleasant lunch, we moved on to the home of a lovely man by the name of Bill Cooper. Bill Cooper was/is an illustrator. On the day we met him, he had recently been celebrated for his stunning illustrations in a book called 'Birds of Paradise and Bower Birds'. He was currently painting the illustrations for a new book (written by Joseph Forshaw, a distinguished Australian ornithologist) called 'Parrots of the World'. In fact, the painting we watched him working on was the Amazons for the front cover of the book. The way that man made simple brushstrokes turn into feathers was truly amazing! We were all mesmerised and had a marvellous time talking to Bill about his birdwatching and illustrating experiences. When we all expressed interest in purchasing the new book, Bill explained that the first edition would be a limited one and that copies would cost around $1000 apiece. Wow! Of course, it never occurred to me that I could ever own a copy of this stunningly gorgeous book.
The story:
A second edition, ex-library copy in 'great' order went on ebay the other day. I bid as much as I could justify and was outbid by *one measly dollar*. One dollar. I missed out on owning the Bill Cooper illustrations by one steenking feelthy dollar! How sad am I?
Background:
Many years ago, I had reached a crisis in my life. Things were not looking good and I had lost all my circle of friends. I had to start again and find friends somewhere, somehow. So, I joined a Birdwatching club! I was all of nineteen years of age and the average age of the members (before my arrival) was something like 59. Well, it was a happy decision for me and got me started on a lifelong hobby and some lifelong friendships.
A few years after joining the group, we went on a 'migration' to a place called Gosford. There, we spent the early morning enjoying the local birds. After a pleasant lunch, we moved on to the home of a lovely man by the name of Bill Cooper. Bill Cooper was/is an illustrator. On the day we met him, he had recently been celebrated for his stunning illustrations in a book called 'Birds of Paradise and Bower Birds'. He was currently painting the illustrations for a new book (written by Joseph Forshaw, a distinguished Australian ornithologist) called 'Parrots of the World'. In fact, the painting we watched him working on was the Amazons for the front cover of the book. The way that man made simple brushstrokes turn into feathers was truly amazing! We were all mesmerised and had a marvellous time talking to Bill about his birdwatching and illustrating experiences. When we all expressed interest in purchasing the new book, Bill explained that the first edition would be a limited one and that copies would cost around $1000 apiece. Wow! Of course, it never occurred to me that I could ever own a copy of this stunningly gorgeous book.
The story:
A second edition, ex-library copy in 'great' order went on ebay the other day. I bid as much as I could justify and was outbid by *one measly dollar*. One dollar. I missed out on owning the Bill Cooper illustrations by one steenking feelthy dollar! How sad am I?
