Against everything I said after we got the dog, we have somehow acquired yet more pets, this time half a dozen yellow and peach-faced lovebirds.

They belonged to an elderly lady who died and whose son couldn't look after them anymore. Ever since his new shed was built, earlier this year, him indoors has been muttering about keeping some pet birds.

I think it's a northern thing, what with him being from Yorkshire and all, although he has only talked about exotic birds and never seemed to hanker after a pigeon loft or keeping a kestrel.

After he'd been to collect them, and their very large cage, we noticed one had a growth on its eye. The vet confirmed that unfortunately this was serious and the poor thing had to be put down.

This left us with two pairs and one, now called Billy no mates. Well, we were not sure if Billy was actually Wilhelmena but he or she was loverless whatever.

The following day we attended the annual bird sale of the Brighton and Hove pet bird association in the hopes of picking up some tips and supplies.

The sale was manic with people racing to their favourite breeders as soon as the doors opened and eagerly snapping up the best-coloured budgies and finches.

Keeping birds must be a bit of an obsession for some people, I realised, becoming quite alarmed at the single-minded assertiveness shown by some of these presumably quite normal people.

True to form, we ended up leaving with the tips and supplies and another pair of lovebirds, in a different colour to our others, which we "had to get" because daughter said they were so pretty.

Him indoors then spent the rest of the day constructing a huge aviary out of part of his shed so they would all have room to fly.

Billy no mates took one look at the new arrivals and started making amorous advances to one.

Over the last few days his strategy appears to have become effective as he and his new paramour snuggle up on a branch while the new Billy no mates (green version) sulks and plans revenge.

The shed has a small veranda and I must admit it is pleasant to sit there with a cup of tea and watch the birds.

As him indoors has now turned into man with shed and pet birds, I have threatened to buy him a cardigan for his birthday and have suggested he starts wearing a flat cap and smoking a pipe.