Today my workshop was invaded by 2 pidgeons.

I left for 10-15 minutes to print something in a different room, when I got back, there they were.

Apparently they mate for life. I was told that by most of the people who found out about my predicament.

Not that it really helped me much.

But anyway.

The main problem with having pidgeons in the workshop is not knowing how to get them out.

The obvious solution would be to open the windows.

The main problem with that, is that the windows in my workshop are old and the hinges are apparently dodgey or broken. I’m not allowed to open them.

German windows can open from one side (like any other windows) or tip ca 10 degrees to vertical. 2 of the 6 windows in my workshop can be tipped.

I like fresh air, so I’d tipped both of them.

That’s how they got in in the first place. There wasn’t much chance of them finding their way out by themselves.

Not knowing much else about pidgeons exept that they breed for life and shouldn’t be in my workshop, I went to find the Hausmeister (that’s something like a caretaker I guess. The guy who’s responsible for EVERYTHING no one else wants to be responsible for. Things like catching pidgeons. Not that he personally does anything about the things he’s responsible for. His job is to get hold of the person who is better able to deal with the responsibility and make sure good things happen).

He wrote my name down on a piece of paper and said he’d get in touch when he’d finished thinking. A little while later, he came to look at the pidgeons and confirm that they were indeed loose in my workshop.

Something like 4 hours later, 2 men appeared in my workshop – one for each pidgeon I suppose. One was short and round, the other tall and thin, the men I mean – the pidgeons looked remarkably similar to each other.

In the meantime, my colleague had come back from his doctors appointment. I told him the story so far, that the pidgeon-catchers had been summoned, and pointed to the air condtioning tubing where they were perched. He told anyone who’d listen the story of how he’d chased a pidgeon out of the workshop 30 years ago. He didn’t say anything about these pidgeons, or make any attempt to get rid of them.

When the pidgeon-catchers arrived they said we should normally open a window, but since ours don’t open, they’d brought nets on long sticks. They wanted to look at the room then they’d go and get them. My dear colleague then kindly cleared the things off his windowsill and opened the window. The pidgeons were gently nudged in the right direction with the broom while the pidgeon catchers looked on. They left before they had a chance to get their nets.

Still, I guess watching people waving brooms in the air beats sitting in an office waiting for the phone to ring…