It gives the ecosystem a holistic boost, encouraging wildlife like bush pigeons and rabbits to return, and providing welcome human benefits such as wood cuttings for cooking and new food sources such as tamarind.
But it was his 1997 production of Hamlet for the Royal Shakespeare Company that really set the cat among the pigeons.
I live in a constituency so safe that I may as well ball up my ballot paper, push it up my bum and spend the afternoon farting it out at pigeons.
The pigeons have been cleared from the clock tower – where an electric motor now powers the original cogs – overlooking trees, granite benching and new lighting designed to show off the architecture by night.
With the pigeon incident we are shown two opposed world-views: one that sees pigeons as food, and another that would rather see a man starve than let him use pigeons as food.
Mostly an endless symphony of birdsong, as friendly, brightly painted sparrows, pigeons, and native birds like the gaudy conde or the grey white eye, zozo maniok, march across your breakfast table and swoop to feed from your hands.
Another time he put the cat among the pigeons – well, the British Medical Association – by saying orthodox medicine sometimes left out much of the springs of human wellbeing.
In London I run away from pigeons but I am calmer here.
