Pompey Mick

I have no axe to grind against the RPRA, Roland,and I think the fees they charge for top-quality administration are a pittance in todays terms. Of course we do need a 'governing body' I've never said otherwise, but with declining membership the financial load on each member will surely increase with each year. What I am saying is do we need an office as large as 'The Reddings' with the small working staff that is involved in running the RPRA. Could there not be an almagamation with the BHW offices as both organisations are linked. Also, will there come a time when we will not be able to afford an Executive General Manager, once again can this post be linked with the running of the BHW.

Excellent work, Carl. I'm just getting into Corel Paint Shop Pro X2, will I be able to produce work anywhere near your level.

I feel the two main areas in the RPRA that could be considered a financial luxury are the General Managers position and 'The Reddings'. Do we really need a 'front office' face who serves no administative duties apart from representing the RPRA in the Public Arena & Media. Is the Reddings cost effective or could we downsize and realise a valuable asset. Saying that, the general staff at the 'Reddings' always do their best, the new transfer system is a massive improvement on the previous one ( even at the cost of a pint of bitter, almost). The Email distance provision is a godsend and they always try to help if you have a bird reported by a non-fancier. Every Fancier has his own Agenda and we need an umbrella like the RPRA to give the Sport some kind of Unity, as the old saying goes: You can please some people all of the time, and all people some of the time, but you can't please ALL of the people ALL of the time.

Finally got deliveries on Thursday, BHW, NFC rings, but still no Club issue. The RPRA is sending me another batch just in case the first lot has gone astray. I'm not getting at Posties, Mark. At least you had a go, the H&S guys didn't give our lads a chance. They didn't try to come up with any alternative to 'no delivery' and to try to contact them was an absolute joke.

It is with a heavy heart that I pen these words, my younger Brother, Tony, sadly passed away this morning at the young age of 57. He had become increasingly ill with the dreaded big C but even though it was expected it was, and still is, a shock. He spent most of his working career as a popular publican in Portsmouth, his main pubs were the Blue Anchor, The Harvest Home & The Kingston Tavern. He had to give up being a publican fifteen years ago when he had to undergo a heart transplant. Although born into a pigeon family he never had much to do with the birds due to his busy work commitments. With the extra time on his hands following his transplant he started to get involved in pigeon racing flying (with his Brother-in-Law, Wayne) as Steere & Johnson in the Portsmouth Columbarian. Local fanciers flying with the old Portsmouth NR Fed and more recently the Southampton & Dist NR Fed will know him from his work involved in the transport of the race birds. Never one to let his personal battles overcome him, he lived his life to the maximum he could achieve, enjoying every day that came as a bonus. To all those that may have had the pleasure of his company , please raise a glass the next time you are in a pub, ‘to Tony, my Brother’. Mick Johnson

Still not got any post ,no BHW or Rings. I'm living in Portsmouth, but I think the Outer Hebrides has probably got a better Postal Service than I'm experiencing. would have thought that the Post Office could have come up with a safe method of delivery by now, my last Post was on Mon 4th Jan.

Its only the International Race that need to be clocked with a rubber as well, unless they've had a rule change.

What is the situation elsewhere with postal deliveries. Here in Portsmouth we haven't seen a Postie since last Tuesday. The kids are expected to walk to school though, and we haven't missed a milk delivery but still the H&S guys stop our once great postal service. Still no BHW or Club Issue rings. Its not only our Football Club that's a shambles it's our Postal Service as well.

I get mine by post, and to date have not received it because its 'too dangerous' for the posties to work.

No Post, No Bhw and NO RINGS yet, thanks to the Health & Safety guys at the Post Office.

Has anyone got the BHW this week,(I haven't got mine yet) and if so did they print the article & photos I submitted about George.

Here is George with his 2009 Solent Fed YB winner

Happy 90th Birthday Uncle George On 7th January 2010 Leslie ‘George’ Johnson will celebrate his 90th Birthday, and most of those birthdays have seen an involvement in Racing Pigeons. Born on 7-01-20 in Buckland, a working-class area of Portsmouth, George first got involved with the birds at the age of 14 when he used to run the rubber for his Dad. George worked on the buildings in his early working life and then moved into the plastics industry until his retirement. Although always involved in pigeons through family connections it wasn’t until he moved into a new Council house in the vast Post-war housing estate that is Leigh Park nr Havant, just 5 mls NE of Portsmouth. Leigh Park offered gardens and open space something which was lacking in the tightly packed streets of Portsmouth and was (and still is) an ideal location for Pigeon Racing. Leigh Park was still in its infancy when he moved there and was very rural in the early days. A loft was soon erected and membership of the Leigh Park Invitation Club was sought in 1950 so that he could begin racing his pigeons and follow the family tradition in the sport. Apart from his Dad, brothers Roy, (My Dad), Jim, Cowan, and Brother-in-Law Jack Inch all had the pigeon bug. Cowan had raced in the ‘Delhi Arms’ a local pub, Roy in the Milton Arms and Jim & Jack in the Portsmouth Columbarian. His original birds were mainly Kirkpatrick to which he has added Busschaerts with newer introductions from local flyers Colin Angel and Kevin Bakes. The Race Team consists of a maximum 16pr Old Birds on Natural and a maximum of 20 Young Birds. All the loft work is done by George with Son (& partner) Graham helping out with the training and getting the corn. George flies South Road with the Solent Fed and North Road with the Southampton & Dist. NR Fed. And tries to compete in both Feds which can be hard sometimes with his relatively small team. The Club he now races with is the Leigh Park W.M.C. and has done so for the last 20yrs taking his birds to the Club on his trusty buggy. He is also the President of the Milton Homing Society. George has enjoyed his racing over the years and has had his fair share of success, 2009 being one of his better ones, He took1st,2nd & 4th from Bergerac the longest South Road race and promptly followed that performance the following week by winning the shortest North Road race from Marlborough. He then went on to perform a notable double that year by winning both the Solent Fed on the South and the Southampton Fed on the North from an entry of only 4 young birds on each occasion. Fanciers like George Johnson should stand as an inspiration to us all, 60yrs a fancier and still enjoys his racing with a good measure of success sprinkled in. Pompey Mick

My Club had two of its members pass away in 2009, Bob Rose who had reached 80 but was still planning for next year, and Mick Betteridge, in his late fifties ,who had no inkling of his illness at the beginning of the year. RIP lads.

I've got Jan 1st issue through the post today.

Blue skies & sunshine here in Portsmouth, very cold though, a lot of ice about.

Bright & sunny here at the moment, no wind for a change.

If you type in the postcode PO5 3LJ and go slightly south it will take you to Serpentine Rd (which crosses Southsea Common) which is where the transporters position themselves for liberation. http://www.bing.com/maps/?FORM=Z9FD

Not all areas have the 'Birds Eye' facility. John Zerafa's loft is less than 3yrs old, as is my own and they are both on the Bing maps with the 'Birds Eye' views.

If you have the 'Bird's Eye view' facility on Bing maps the images are much newer. It gives views of the same location from the four points of the compass by clicking on the compass points. http://www.bing.com/maps/?FORM=Z9FD One of our members has a large 'L' shaped loft and is easily seen, type in PO3 6BX ,zoom in and go to 'birds eye view' and you will see Kevin & John Zerafa's loft near the postcode marker.

Is this how most RPRA members view their Union

I've got a silver birch type tree next door with a loose bark and they seem to love it, always on the hunt amongst its branches. Thanks for all your replies.

Thanks for that info Lenwadebob, I shall leave well enough alone. I have had the occasional visit to the nestbox over the Autumn so my hopes are high.

Last year a pair of blue tits successfully raised a brood of chicks in a ceramic nestbox I have on my house wall. I have since inspected the nest and it is in pristine condition, a coarse base with a finer nest built on top. To encourage thebirds to return should I leave this nest as it is, or does it need to be removed ? I was considering removing the finer nest section and leaving the coarser base. Any advice will be welcome.

Have you joined the Bognor & Chichester Club yet, Rose?