You read it here second - today’s offering comes to you from the pages of last Friday’s Daily Mail – the Richard Kay page to be precise.
On his page, Mr Kay offers us a small article which alludes to a certain Rio Ferdinand, footballer of this parish. Those of you unfamiliar with Mr Ferdinand may wish to follow that link. If you can’t be bothered, let me tell you that he is a Premiership footballer and multi-millionaire who has played for Manchester United for almost ten years.
This is what Richard Kay has to say:-
“He earns £120,000 a week, lives in a £5 million home and has a taste for flashy cars – but one thing apparently lacking in footballer Rio Ferdinand’s life is nature. For the Manchester United player has, I learn, asked for plans to be drawn up to build a large, barn-style home on an ecological reserve in the Cotswolds which is home to more than 4,000 rare species and just a corner kick from Prince Charles’s Highgrove estate.
‘Rio wanted somewhere secluded and away from the paparazzi, but it’s the rare creatures that live on the reserve that have been the real draw for him,’ says a friend. ‘He is particularly excited by the beaver colony which has lived there since 2005.’
In fact, a key feature of the 5-bedroom house, designed by architect John Pardey, will allow the soccer star to do just that – an elevated hide and jetty on the 80-acre lake have been designed so Ferdinand can happily observe the beavers in their natural habitat.”
Now I don't know about you, but I was comforted to realise that some of our high-earning (and utterly deserving) footballers have an interest in rare wildlife. Who would have thought it would be beavers?
How clever for him to have a special hide designed so he can enjoy the beavers and not be spotted ;-)
ReplyDeletePrivacy to enjoy a beaver whenever he wants.....I guess as he has that silly money he may as well................................
ReplyDeleteTrish - quite right. A man of his standing should, of course, be able to enjoy looking for beavers quite unwitnessed.
ReplyDeleteLibby - yes it's nice to think of him beavering away in the privacy of his lakeside gaffe, isn't it?
How can he build a 5-bed house in an ecological reserve? I suppose I should read the article, but I cba...
ReplyDeleteI'm still staggering at the thought of earning £120,000 per week!
Sarah - yup I agree with everything you say. As for money, I'd be happy with £120k a year! The money they earn is an obscenity.
ReplyDeleteCQ, he probably doesn't realise that a beaver is a fluffy little animal with a flat tail that builds dams. It's probably not the sort of beaver he's been used to..... And if he has such an interest in nature why does he want to build a pseudo-barn on top of them? I smell a rat... rather than a beaver!
ReplyDeleteWG - I'm not sure I know what you mean. Lawks! What other sort of beaver is there? Do tell .... ;-)
ReplyDeleteIn New Zealand we would call those creatures Growlers (we had a netball team named in honour of them). Sweet to know that he still keeping it real and very furry....despite earning a thousand a minute?
ReplyDeleteJody - Growler is a great name...and so appropriate...!
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