Well you may have noticed that I like Runner Ducks. There’s one on my logo, on my website banner and they also feature quite a lot in my cards and prints.

It was a love affair that started when I was a child. It actually came from one of my aunties, who I used to stay with regularly in her little Cotswold house. She would take me to an animal sanctuary called Folly Farm in Worcester which always delighted me but the main event for both of us was the long necked ducks. In the spring they would hatch ducklings and chicks in an incubator and for about 20p you could buy grain and feed them. All ducklings are cute but there’s just something about those tall fluffy guys that did it for me.

Indian runner ducks — ‘3 Runner Ducks’ which I sell as a card and a print

Fast forward about 11 years and I was 18, visiting the beautiful town of Ubud, Bali. Ubud was a very quiet place then compared to now. The Western World hadn’t yet discovered it’s ravishing scenery and architecture and there wasn’t a Ralph Lauren shop on every corner. Me and a friend had hired mopeds and went out into the surrounding countryside. There is a hue of green in Asia that I have not seen anywhere else in the world, it’s so vibrant and I would go as far to say my happy place. Whilst we whizzed down the empty roads something caught my eye milling around in the distant paddy fields. Runner Ducks! I knew they were called Indian Runner Ducks for a reason but it didn’t ever occur to me that I would find them in the rice paddies of Bali.

Turns out they are extremely beneficial to the farmers as they protect the crops by feeding on the weeds as well as insects that may damage the rice crop. What’s more is they also give back by fertilising the soil with their poo! Pest control patrol at your service.

Well there you have it, my obsession started as a young child and continues to this day. One day I would love to own a flock, or a brood as they are known on land. For now I will continue to paint them and stare at pictures of them on the internet. If you have a chance check out Duck, Death and the Tulip by Wolf Erlbruch. It’s a beautifully illustrated children’s book (very suitable for adults too!) which deals with death and the afterlife and features a lovely Runner Duck.