Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Another Trio

These first two were inspired by the fabrics.


I don't have stories for them. Suggestions wanted!

This bird could be my brother, the fine furniture maker. He has a closet full of plaid shirts.

I'm getting down to the wire, as it were. I only need three or four more birds and I'll be ready to start laying them out.

4 comments:

Megan said...

I don't know the first bird, Lynne, but I can tell you a bit about the second one, Marcus.

He's quite a dapper chap - always looks very polished without going 'over the top'. The words friends and colleagues use to describe him are stylish, classy and sophisticated.

Marcus works in industrial sales - he's a rep for a company that designs and manufactures components and parts for specialist farm equipment - manure spreaders, livestock feeders and such like. He spends a lot of his working life representing his employer at farm equipment fairs, where, admittedly, he tends to stand out in the crowd. He cops of bit of flak for it, but he takes it all in good spirit. When, after they've enjoyed one or two cold ales at the Fair dinners, some of his customers hint that he might be gay, he typically responds by offering to give them a kiss - although, strangely enough, he's never had to actually deliver!

Marcus is very happily married to Emma and has three daughters - Flora (8), Pepper (6), and Amelia (3) - to whom he is devoted. In his non-work time, he enjoys whittling and singing in a local amateur barber-shop quartet. He's also become engrossed recently in colouring-in. His interest was piqued as a result of spending time with his daughters while they coloured in. With the boom in publication of colouring-in books for adults, he has jumped in enthusiastically, and the hallway in his home now boasts a number of framed pieces that he has coloured.

When Marcus was a teenager, his parents hoped that he might grow up to be a sign writer. His father had wanted to become one, but did permanent damage to his hand in a motorbike accident in his early 20s, and this denied him the career of his choice. (He went on to become a voice-over for radio advertisements.) Marcus' older brother, Henry, showed no flair whatsoever for the trade, but Marcus has always been somewhat 'arty' and it seemed that sign writing might be a good fit for his natural talents.

Marcus, however, had different ideas.

In what his father believed was a deliberate act of rebellion, Marcus completed a degree in agricultural science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and then an MBA to develop his business skills. Even though he was the first person in his family to complete post-graduate studies, Marcus was roundly criticised by his parents for throwing away the opportunity to build his own business in sign writing - which they believed was almost guaranteed to be a success. Unfortunately, the relationship between Marcus and his parents has been somewhat strained ever since.

Still, you can't keep a good bird down, and Marcus has no regrets about turning his back on sign writing.

Megan
Sydney, Australia

Ann said...

Your stories are as delightful as your fabric choices and the adorable birds. Thanks for sharing.

Sue said...

I do believe the second bird is Violet, the dowager countess of Downton. Her story and her zingers are well known and she is an always elegant lady.

Jackie said...

I'm in awe Megan. I agree with Sue the second bird would be the Dowager. Looking forward to the group all being together.