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2 July 2024

This England: Gulls go postal

This column – which, though named after a line in Shakespeare’s “Richard II”, refers to the whole of Britain – has run in the New Statesman since 1934.

By New Statesman

Royal Mail has written to residents of a coastal town apologising for delivery delays, blaming dive-bombing seagulls for the inconvenience. Householders in Liskeard, Cornwall have received a letter from the postal service warning them that the aggressive birds have been hampering postal deliveries in the area. Ryan Lean, the Royal Mail customer operations manager for the Liskeard depot, acknowledged there had been “difficulties safely delivering” because gulls are swooping at postal workers.
Cornwall Live (Richard Fearn)

Bricking it

An avid Lego fan has built a cabin in his garden to house his collection – after being given an ultimatum by his wife. James Bruce had so many sets that he was served a “Lego eviction notice by the wife”. Now Bruce’s creations are permanently on display in his showroom, which even has a sign, “The Brickpit”, in the Lego font.
Devon Live (Amanda Welles)

The Dog and duck

A dog may be man’s best friend, but for one pet owner from Kent his best pal is a duck – called Dog. Mark Colyer, from Gillingham, takes the bird everywhere with him. So much so that friends have labelled him “Mad Duck Man”. He said: “It all started when my boss let me keep duck eggs and I put 12 in an incubator. They all hatched but one kept following me around like I was his mum.” Colyer said people often believe Dog to be a toy rather than a real duck.
BBC South East (Steve Morley)

[See also: This England: Rice to see you]

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This article appears in the 02 Jul 2024 issue of the New Statesman, Labour’s Britain