Man, 90, Fulfils 30-Year Dream of Seeing Cuckoo at Edinburgh’s Floral Clock

After waiting 30 years, former teacher George Thomson has finally seen the famous cuckoo bird emerge from Edinburgh’s floral clock—a wish he’s held onto since a school trip gone wrong in 1995, tells the BBC.

Back then, George led his P7 class on a 100-mile journey from Aberdeen to see the mechanical cuckoo at Princes Street Gardens, only to discover the clock wasn’t working.

«One of the kids asked why the clock had no hands—and that’s when I realized it was under repair,» George recalled.

Now 90, George’s son took him back to the clock to fulfill his birthday wish. As the cuckoo popped out, George raised his arms in delight.

«If I hadn’t seen it today, I’d have gone cuckoo myself!» he joked.

The floral clock, planted in 1903 and home to a mechanical cuckoo since 1952, features over 35,000 flowers. The bird emerges every 15 minutes.

The special visit included a welcome from park ranger Ricki Keenan, a touching family poem, and plenty of laughs.

«It felt like a reunion 30 years in the making,» said George’s son. «They finally met, my dad and the cuckoo.»

George summed it up simply: «It was worth the wait.»

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