Inspiration Avenue - Talk to the Animals

I'm linking this post back to this week's Inspiration Avenue topic.  When I lived in Cambridge, and on particularly nice days, I would sometimes visit a place called Grantchester Orchard.  It's one of the most chilled-out places I've ever spent time.  Low picnic tables are dotted around amongst the trees alongside colourful deckchairs.  There's a tea-room, there's scones and there's always lots of people relaxing in the sun, reading books or writing or drawing - it's a real treat to go there.

The orchard and tea-rooms are over a hundred years old, so the local birds have had plenty of time to get used to the company of people, and the crumbs they leave behind.  The birds are so tame that they'll happily hop up onto the table while you're sat there and peck away at any leftover morsels of cake.  For my illustration, this relationship has progressed to something more akin to scenes from Disney's Snow White.  I reckon as well as cake, those birds savour a lovely sip of tea on a sunny afternoon.