“Friend” editor Angela enjoys a day with Polly Pullar
“Friend” Editor Angela heads to the Perthshire hills to celebrate a very special occasion.
AFEW months ago, when “Friend” nature writer Polly Pullar told me she had just realised she had been writing for the magazine for an amazing 30 years, I knew we had to do something to mark such a momentous milestone. But what?
Polly herself unwittingly provided part of the answer by putting together a marvellous feature looking back on those 30 years, complete with wonderful photographs, which we published in our July 8 issue. While she and I were exchanging e-mails about it, she dropped an invitation into one of her messages.
“It’s been a while since you last visited the farm to meet all the animals,” she said. “You must come again soon – it would be lovely to see you.”
The opportunity to visit Polly’s beautiful farm, which enjoys an idyllic rural setting in the hills of Perthshire, and which is home to an eclectic collection of animals, both wild and domesticated, proved impossible to resist. A plan was afoot . . .
You can’t go visiting empty handed, can you? And what better gift to take a nature writer than a tree for her glorious garden? A lovely lilac was purchased, a card was signed by every member of the “Friend” team, and a small brass plaque commemorating the occasion was engraved.
The date was carefully chosen to coincide with the issue containing Polly’s “30 years” feature, and even the weather obliged, with blue skies, sunshine and just the gentlest of breezes.
As I drove up the track and saw the lush green sheep pasture ahead of me, and Ruby the deer contentedly chewing the cud, I felt the pressures of the working week slip away.
And by the time we were settled on a bench in the garden with cups of tea and slices of carrot cake, watching the red squirrels play just in front of us, I could quite happily have believed I was in heaven.
That day I met the three collies – Pippin, Molly and Maisie with her striking differently coloured eyes – Millie the Cavalier King Charles spaniel who belongs to Polly’s son, Freddy; Ruby, the sheep, hens, Peter Duck and his gosling best friend.
I marvelled at the antics of the squirrels, and tiptoed into the aviary to see the five wide-eyed tawny owlets, who were due to be released in the next week or so. It was a magical day, and one that I will long remember.
Often, whether consciously or not, writers create a persona for themselves which is rather different from reality. But Polly is exactly as you imagine from her features – completely passionate about her animals, wildlife and the world we live in, even down to rescuing a tiny vole that had strayed on to the lawn where we were having tea.
I’m looking forward to many more years of Polly writing for the “Friend”, and I’m sure all of you are, too. n