Fluffington
Manor.
Meet the birds.
Follow their lives. Enter their stories.
A home of familiar voices, feathered families and wonderfully individual characters.
Every bird
has a story.
It began with one bird: Jackson, a budgie my dad gave me.
Fluffington Manor has since grown into a community with its own friendships, families, daily rituals and wonderfully individual characters. Every bird born here or welcomed into Fluffington Manor becomes a Bootie.
I know them as parents, partners, siblings and friends. I began documenting their lives to preserve the moments that might otherwise disappear. These records let us follow each of our residents’ journeys and see how their social patterns develop over time. The familiar voices at bedtime belong in that history too. Those here today, and those we remember, all have a place in the Manor’s story.
Amos AshleyA few familiar faces.
A few new friends.
Every bird becomes a Bootie. Getting to know them is where the fun begins.
Clover Bootie
First to start the morning conversation. Last to finish it at night.
Mimah Bootie
A gentle companion who helped feed and nurture the young budgies.
Ralphie Bootie
A resident of Emerald Perch Paradise, with a place in the Manor’s continuing story.
Every neighbourhood
has its regulars.
Fluffington Manor is the whole household. These are some of its rather particular addresses.
Bootie Borough
The deck aviary brings together branches, planted corners, nesting places and the daily comings and goings of its residents. There are places to gather, places to retreat and plenty of favourite perches.
From the feeding stations to the highest branches, this is the largest neighbourhood within the Manor.
Meet the neighboursSiesta World Extraordinaire
At the end of their day, the budgies settle into their familiar sleeping quarters. In the morning, the doors open and the day’s adventures begin again.
Small, familiar and full of the things that make it home.
Meet the neighboursGrand Central Station
Budgies and scarlet-chested parrots visit throughout the day. Grand Central Station also provides a place for a bird who needs closer observation or time to recover.
Sometimes a trusted companion comes along for the stay.
Meet the neighboursEmerald Perch Paradise
Ralphie sleeps here at night. Once he emerges in the morning, the budgies make themselves at home and spend plenty of time inside. Its story includes Nelly, whose gentle company remains part of the Manor’s history.
A sleeping place for Ralphie, and a favourite daytime haunt for the budgies.
Meet the neighboursA favourite perch can be a very important place.
Breakfast, baths
and bedtime.
Something fresh, every day.
Celery, silverbeet and broccolini are part of the daily menu, alongside seed and fresh sprouted grass pots. Strawberry, watermelon, pomegranate and apple bring variety.
Room to be themselves.
Branches to explore, places to bathe, familiar sleeping quarters and quiet corners. Daily life takes different shapes for different birds.
Knowing who needs what.
I keep individual records, organise their feeding and supplementary care, and pay attention to changes in each bird. Sometimes a resident needs a quieter stay and a little extra company.
There’s always
someone up to something.
Small moments, familiar faces and the everyday life between the photographs.
A branch full of company.
A glimpse inside the deck aviary: shared perches, familiar neighbours and plenty happening just beyond the frame.
Little places to call home.
The nooks, nesting places and well-known corners that form the residents’ everyday surroundings.
The familiar faces on the perch.
Part of the pleasure is learning who is who, and noticing the small things that make each bird recognisable.
This space will gather photographs, narrated stories and films as the Manor’s record grows. These first photographs introduce the place the stories come from.
Goodnight
Little Wings.
Real little lives.
A little storybook magic.
Bedtime stories inspired by the birds of Fluffington Manor: their personalities, friendships and adventures, retold through words and illustrations.
Reader layout preview · The first manuscript and story illustrations will be added here.
A little world
before bedtime.
This is the space for the first story. Its words and pictures will follow one of the Manor’s real residents.
Sample layout / no manuscript addedAlways part
of the Manor.
Their voices, routines and relationships stay with us. The family album also holds the birds who came before, and the little lives that remain very much loved.
Visit the family albumA gentle evening companion.
“Nelly hopped on my finger every night for the bedtime trip to the sleeping enclosure.”
She kept me company at the computer, answered in her soft voice and enjoyed our evening time together. Her story is part of Emerald Perch Paradise, and part of mine.
Scarlet-chested parrot · Remembered with love