174. The Angler’s

So much can be learnt from a couple of phone calls and speaking to the right person or persons.

The Captain being an ornithologist wondered why on earth the Anglers sign at Walton consisted of two diminutive guys fishing whilst the main character in the sign was a Ring Necked parakeet, normally a native of India?.

Well when Honor, the barmaid was asked she vaguely knew but said that if we spoke to the one of the directors of the company Lee Bradshaw, he would be better placed to answer the question and being a useful girl, she gave us his pho ne number. Like Sherlock Holmes, the Captain phoned only to find out that he was not in the office today and then the lady on the other end of the phone, who turned out to be the company accountant asked the most useful of all questions, that a person can ask “Can I help”. Well she certainly did.

It appears that Walton on Thames has its own local flock of Ringed necked parakeets which wheel through the sky in their multi-coloured splendor and often draw the attention of anglers who may be fishing under their flight path. So there it was, the mystery solved just like that. Billy then asked the Captain” How did they get here from India then”. “Smuggled through the Chunell in the back of a juggernaut I expect “scoffed the Captain. “That can’t be right “said Billy, India is not connected to France”.”OK”. The Captain said “I’ll come clean” There was a guy down the road in sunny, suburban Surbiton who crossed a punk rocker porg with a parrot and the resulting off-spring, flew the nest prematurely and decided to live happy ever after on the banks of the River Thames, and Billy Boy he added “If  you ask a silly question, you are bound to get a sillier answer, just ask Phil”.

The crew sat outside in a series of brightly coloured deck chairs and the Cabin Boy started to sing “

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside

I do like to be beside the sea

I do like to stroll upon the Prom,Prom ,Prom”

And then the First Mate and the Captain joined in

“Where the brass bands play”

Tiddely-om-pom-pom

I’ll be beside myself with glee”