Cozying up with the Queen

I have just seen a pigeon attempting to squeeze itself under the netting around the back of the statue of Queen Victoria which is designed to keep people like him out.

Early one morning years ago, we were preparing to set off on a holiday (those were the days) when I saw a pigeon on the other side of the net. It was flapping about a bit so I called up the custodians of the statue and told them that I would borrow a ladder to free it were it not that I had a plane to catch.

We left and had our holiday - can't remember where now, maybe Crete - and when we returned two weeks later we heard the story of the trapped pigeon.

Someone called the Fire Service and they had arrived with blue lights flashing. As they launched the noisy ladder a crowd formed to watch, and it was not long before the crowd included a reporter from the local newspaper.

A fireman was hoisted up and he delicately detached the netting and extricated the pigeon to the cheers of the crowd below.

They wound down the ladder and began to climb back into the engine to leave, when someone noticed the pigeon return and get back in the same way as it had before. It wanted to be there.