George: A Magpie Memoir by Frieda Hughes

Author:Frieda Hughes
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Profile Books
Published: 2023-06-15T00:00:00+00:00

Wednesday 25 July

This afternoon as I went around the garden with the lawnmower, I spotted George up on the roof. I called up to him and he flew down to me, and when I say ‘flew down’ let me try and describe what he did.

He flapped about a foot up off the roof, which was three storeys above me, then dived. I mean, really dived, wings plastered to his sides; his body turned perhaps twice as he barrelled towards my face. He was like an arrow, and all I could see was his round body with his manic little head aiming straight for me. For a moment my eyes were so focused on his tiny face that I could swear he was grinning. I knew he wouldn’t hit me, but I thought he’d surely crash into the ground and kill himself at such speed. But he didn’t – at the last minute he opened his wings and was pulled up out into the air above my head as if he’d suddenly opened a parachute. He flew to a branch behind me, cackling and clattering his little noise. What a show-off, what a tease!

George followed me while I mowed, and when I cleaned the grass out from beneath the mower where it had become clogged and compacted, he was there, grabbing beakfuls and burying them underneath the tools in the open-fronted garden shed. He hopped around my ankles and knees and let me pull his beak – for some reason he didn’t seem to mind that.

When I’d finished the lawn I got The Ex and the dogs outside, so we could sit and have a drink in what was almost sunshine. Almost. It was warmish, but grey, with the odd escaping ray. George was ecstatic: he romped with the dogs; he clambered all over The Ex’s arms, shoulders, knees, feet; he bounced all around me; he stole the black rubber gardening glove I was teasing him with and threw it all over the grass. Then Snickers found where George had hidden a chunk of bread in one of the flowerbeds. She dug it out and sat chewing it thoughtfully. George saw her and went to investigate. I called her back to the table and Snickers brought the bread with her. I could see it was a rather large bit.

George followed, shoving his inquisitive beak into Snickers’s face; then suddenly, he snatched the bread and flew into the trees with it. Snickers went in chase, but without wings there was no hope.

The Ex had made himself a salami sandwich, which he brought outside, and a sesame Ryvita sandwich for me, with Brie and Marmite. George loved my crackers and cheese, especially the Marmite, when I let him have a bit. We were back indoors around nine thirty and opened the window for George; The Ex didn’t protest tonight. George arrived in the kitchen in a flurry of feathers two minutes later.

He watched The Ex making himself a cracker, cheese and Marmite sandwich just like the one I’d had.

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