Charlie Visits BC Wine Museum

The Okanagan Valley is known for its many vineyards and wineries. Macramé Owl Charlie was itching to get out this past weekend, so we took a brief tour of the BC Wine Museum and VQA Wine Shop at the Laurel Packing House.

Charlie doesn’t drink (he simply can’t – he’s a Macramé Owl for crying out loud!), but he is nonetheless interested in local history.

Macramé Owl Sanctuary Team – Manager and Director, Annie Zed, acted as the responsible adult companion on this excursion.

Charlie was particularly fond of the champagne bottle machine.

My,what big kegs they had.

There were plenty of information stations, but Charlie wasn’t bothered to read them. He preferred to just hang around and stare off into the distance.

They had bottles upon bottles of all kinds of charmingly named labels, like: Dirty Laundry, Blasted Church OMG, and Lost Inhibitions: Tell Me How You Really Feel.

Charlie wanted his photo taken from every angle. Typical of the Whimsical Macramé Owl variety, he can be quite cheeky and persistent about getting his own way.

Afterwards, members of the team sampled beverages and delicious food at the BNA Brewing Company and Eatery just a block up from the museum.

All in all, it was an enjoyable outing and both Annie and Charlie were happy at the end of the day.

© November 23, 2015 | Annie Zalezsak

Gellatly Nut Farm Outing

We took a few Macramé Owls on their first autumn outing in the Okanagan. Fittingly, we went to a nut farm.

Pictured here (left to right) are myself (Annie Zed), Horatio, Gretchen, Horace, Betty Boo, Rosemary, and Albert.

Across the street, we spotted a building that had potential as a Macramé Owl Sanctuary.

Sadly, we can’t yet afford such luxurious accommodation, so we moved on to view the trees.

Our community helper pointed out some educational info about the site to Betty Boo.

We took time to pose as a group by the beautiful homestead.

Gretchen insisted on having her photo taken by the antique nut washer, still in use today.

We also took the opportunity for a photo with Jack Gellatly himself!

We had some fun with a wheelbarrow among autumn leaves.

We walked all the way to the lake.

We spent the rest of the time just hanging around the grounds.

One last photo – a close-up, just for fun!

Planning for the Owlympics

Olympic Venue Construction in London

Macramé Owls Blossom and Curtis recently took a trip to London to check out the progress of Olympic venues under construction for the Olympic Games being held 27 July to 12 August 2012. While security was tight and there was no pedestrian access to any of the sites, Blossom and Curtis were delighted to get a few shots near some of the soon-to-be completed Olympic landmarks.

The Velodrome

Curtis can’t take his eyes off the magnificent Velodrome, while Blossom is more interested in posing for the camera.

Since both are on the planning committee for the first ever Owlympics, the two were keen to be inspired. While events are still being organized, several Macramé Owl athletes are currently in training.

Meanwhile, Owlympic merchandise is already being sold through the Macrame Owl Shop.

Blossom and Curtis had to roam the area quite a bit before finding gaps like this through which to spot views of the buildings. Here, Curtis peers through an old locked gate and zooms in on a view of the Olympic Stadium, complete with bathing swans in the foreground.

They walked across a strange bridge to get a snapshot of the Olympic Stadium from another angle.

Before leaving London, Curtis and Blossom stopped briefly to admire the autumn beauty at Victoria Park.

Even though the Owlympics will not be on as grand a scale as these London games, Blossom and Curtis are confident that they will be equally special!

Macramé Owl Shopping Spree!

This past Sunday, Viv, Zoë and Annie took 3 of the Macramé Owls out for a good ol’ girlie shopping spree at White Stuff in Cardiff.

Madeleine was eager to try on a few clothes. She’s such a fashion fanatic!

But picky, too. Fortunately, White Stuff sales assistant, Louisa Cavell, was very patient and helpful. Thank goodness for that, because Zoë, quite frankly, was getting a little bit bored of Madeleine’s indecision. Such is the life of a Macramé Owl diva who looks good in everything!

Finally, Madeleine decided to go for the lush mulberry handle bag. Great choice! (But by then, even poor Priscilla had to take a nap! Madeleine is mortified by Priscilla’s rather cheeky behaviour, resting there on the counter!)

But then it was Priscilla’s turn. She’s got a bit of a thing for shoes, she does.

Priscilla likes all kinds of accessories. And she looks amazing in pink!

Priscilla decides to go with the multibird scarf. It’s so “her”!

Now, Lavinia is not quite so keen on shopping. Zoë tried to convince her that this yellow scarf really brought out her eyes. Or perhaps the pink one, or blue? But Lavinia was more interested in all the eclectic wonder around the White Stuff store. She felt quite at home hanging with some crazy retro pots and pans dangling from a light fixture!

She also took some time out to chill in the White Stuff Book Club area. When she noticed a handsome guy in the window, she boldly asked shop assistant Aaron Short to introduce her to him.

Eventually, with Viv and Louisa’s help, Lavinia decides on a much needed layered purse and the happy contrast xbody bag.

A “so glad and very” happy time was had by all on this shopping spree to Cardiff’s White Stuff!

Macramé Owl Sabbatical in Canada

A group of 13 lucky Macramé Owls are presently enjoying an extended summer sabbatical at a riverside campgrounds in the interior Rocky Mountain region of British Columbia, Canada.

Their host, LW, is a high-powered executive of a company there. To maintain anonymity, LW is pixelated in the photograph above.

“It’s not that I’m ashamed or anything,” says LW. “It’s just that there is still such terrible discrimination against Macramé Owls and their carers. My friends and family are all very understanding. But the shareholders and Board of Directors would surely raise an eyebrow if they knew. I could seriously damage my reputation in their eyes. I’m really sad for them, though. They’ll never know the joy and laughter that these crazy creatures bring to a person’s life.”

LW has been a secret MO-BFF (Macramé Owl – Best Friend Forever) ever since the scheme was revealed on the Macramé Owl website’s Volunteer Recruitment page. The MOST (Macramé Owl Sanctuary Team) are committed to raising awareness and fostering endearment towards Macramé Owls everywhere, so that people like LW no longer have to hide.

Skippy’s Survival Spirit

Well, it’s been a long haul, but due to the dedication of the MOST (Macramé Owl Sanctuary Team), Skippy celebrated his first outing with some of the newer Macramé Owl Residents on a day out in Roath Park, Cardiff on Saturday the 23rd of July 2011. Nearly two years after his immigration to the UK (and plenty of bed rest), Skippy was up and at ’em, eagerly bouncing around trees and amid flowers on a sunny afternoon.

Our very own MORE (Macramé Owl Rehabilitation Expert), Viv Foley, has developed a special bond with Skippy. She’s been his personal coach through the hard times, encouraging him to redevelop his communication skills (due to his lack of beak). As you’ll see below, he’s certainly got his confidence back!

Skippy moves in for a close up! He’s certainly not camera shy. Zoe Jones, our newest MOST member and MOJO (Macramé Owl Jolly Organizer) had the idea for the excursion to Roath Park. Skippy’s zesty enthusiasm was admirable. Greg, our top MOWRON (Macramé Owl Welfare Rescue Operations Nurse) is very skilled at Macramé Owl handling, and managed to calm Skippy down well enough to get him still for a proper photo of this memorable occasion.