Frieda Hughes, the poet and painter and daughter of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes, has spoken about how rescuing birds in the Welsh countryside gave her a new purpose – and fresh pain. In an interview, she described the profound impact of caring for a magpie named George, who later flew away, leaving a ‘huge bird-shaped hole’ in her life.
Hughes, who now keeps 13 owls, two rescue huskies, a royal python, six chinchillas and an ageing ferret, said the death of an elderly crow named Oscar, which she took in after George’s departure, linked her to all the other losses in her life. ‘My mother’s death, my father’s death, my brother’s death, my collapsing marriage, George’s departure and all the other deaths,’ she said. ‘Some days I felt I would never stop crying.’
To cope, Hughes bought a motorbike, which she said helped her escape and find freedom. ‘I absolutely love my home but it is full of work, and obligations, and things crying out to be done. To be able to go out on a motorbike is to be free,’ she explained.
Hughes said her birds and animals form a ‘little feathered and four-footed family’ that grounds her. ‘The world can go mad, but they’re very consistent. Animals and nature generally are a constant reminder to me of what really matters,’ she said.
Reflecting on George, Hughes said the magpie ‘kicked my life in a completely different direction’. She added: ‘If you had told me, a few years before, you’re going to fall in love with a magpie and be completely crackers about it, I would have laughed at you.’ Her memoir, ‘George: A Magpie Memoir’, is published on 27 April.
