My second Lucky Owl at David Ogilvy’s Chateau

I apologise for the quality of the pictures: they were taken with my mobile phone, an antique by today’s standards – four years old.

I keep asking my colleagues for a new one with all the trimmings, but they refuse because they say I would drive them crazy by asking stupid questions about how it works.

I thought you might like the views, though. They were taken at Touffou, David Ogilvy’s chateau where I spent the weekend. The one showing the old geezer is a view of the courtyard; the other is a view from my bedroom at 6. a.m.

The first time I went there I recall that we rescued a baby barn owl that had fallen out of its nest and put him somewhere warm to recover.

In the middle of Saturday night – Sunday, really, I suppose – I heard a noise at the window. When I went to investigate I saw, to my astonishment, a big white or greyish owl, who looked at me gravely for a second or so before flying away.

Nowadays I guess people associate the owl with Harry Potter. In ancient Greece they were the symbol of Athena, goddess of wisdom. At breakfast Herta Ogilvy told me that owls are a harbinger of good fortune.

For nearly four years I have wanted to run an event at Touffou; I have even had some discussions about it. Maybe I should ask the wise and lucky owl’s advice on what to do.