Victoria, Queen of Pigeons

A weekend trip to celebrate various birthdays in my home town - a regenerated and surprisingly attractive and vibrant Reading. Quite a change from the depressed and dirty city my family moved to 35 years ago.

Here's one of Reading's best bits of victoriana - a statue of Vicky herself, by local sculptor and brewer George Simonds (see also tomorrow's blip).

Local urban legend has it that Victoria only consented to the statue if it was placed facing away from the town, as she disliked the place so much. In fact, she never visited Reading. Unlike the flocks of cat-sized pigeons who seem to have taken over.