Georgie, the Egyptian Goose

In November 2021 an Egyptian goose suddenly appeared by the pool after a very severe storm.

We didn’t know where he came from, but the man down the valley also had a pond, so it may have been from there. His wings were clipped, so he couldn’t fly away, which made the mystery of his arrival all the deeper.

He made himself at home, swimming in the pool and feeding in the grass. John bought a bag of wild bird seeds and, because of John’s unbelievably gentle aura, Georgie, as he named him, soon got into the habit of feeding out of his hand. 

He gave us great joy. The cats got used to him and our little ‘family’ settled into a routine, with Georgie making the pool his home. 

I was reminded of the time when, as a little girl, I had been pecked on the leg by a big white goose at Driscilla’s Park in Sussex !!

Georgie, however, was much gentler and never aggressive. 

Throughout his time with us, he became quite the Facebook character and folks would take an interest in his progress, asking about him if I didn’t mention him for a while !!

Slowly, over the months, he pulled out his clipped feathers and one day we saw him flexing his new wings.

In a couple of days, he was gone.

We never saw him again, although every so often a couple of geese would land, wander around then take off. 


 

Then, out of the blue, on the 15th November 2025, a small flock of geese flew in. Father, Mother and 6 ‘teenage’ goslings. They lingered on the grass. We quickly tried to find the food and failed. Cameras came out and we called “Georgie”. He seemed to respond, but we didn’t get too close. The family walked up to the pool, but didn’t dive in. Then, as if by some hidden command they flew away in V formation. 

We are convinced he was looking for John, who, sadly, died in May 2023. 

Thank you, Georgie, for showing us your beautiful family, I am very grateful.

Author

  • Miriam was born in Lewes, East Sussex, in 1948. For the last 76 years her life has revolved around the gift of music. At college in the 60s, she learned the guitar and became enamoured with folk songs, which led to a 4 year career as 'Miriam Backhouse.' The First Lady of Folk”. She still tours Europe every Summer. In 1977 she married John Erasmus and moved to South Africa. Miriam and John (who died in May 2023) shared a love of music and raised a family on these talents, playing music from Opera to Rock’n’Roll and Nursery Rhymes! Her life has trodden many paths: musician, sound worker, educator, model, seamstress, puppeteer, actress, wife, mother and grandmother. Now, Miriam is a journalist, and shares her adventures in South Africa and on her travels.

    YouTube link.
    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnpj8REUlOzHPXnPnULwpKg

    Facebook link.
    https://web.facebook.com/miriam.erasmus

    View all posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *