Walter swanston

Whats this about Oslo.News to me

Absolutely Steven no other race programme has been submitted.The only other choice would be to go with the Status Quo i.e. the 2010 programme and I would be surprised if that got much support.

For the avoidance of doubt the only choice on the cards tomorrow is either that the Solway Fed. does not set their race programme until probably early February 2011 after the SNFC have set their programme OR that we go with the programme set by the management committee and sent to each member on the sheet calling the members to the AGM. There has been a maximum effort to try and find out what the clubs think and the decision will be arrived at democratically by the membership.

Snow forecast for tomorrow in Dumfriesshire

The BHW today carries a series of letters between a welsh fancier ,an MP and the Welsh Assembly Government.Twice in this correspondense the claim is made that the SHU has been successful in persuading the Scottish Government to pass laws to ptotect pigeons from the raptor population.THIS IS NEWS TO ME. I can only assume that what is being referred to is the facility to apply to the local authority for a license to control a sparrow hawk around a pigeon loft.My question is this:does anyone know of a single instance wher this legislation has been successfully used.

Deeply sorry to hear of your friend`s passing Michael.I remember seeing him around your loft sincere condolences

Yes I thought I might drive down if the weather`s Ok

Retired, keeping a large garden being Secretary of my Pigeon Club and President of our Federation I do not know how I ever found time to work.I also spend a lot of time making a fairly poor attempt at being a fancier

Gotta admit it 78 in February

Well I am only moderately computer literate but I grow impatient over their insistence on giving the breeding pairs specific numbers.I forget which imaginary number I am supposed to have given each pair and become frustrated.I have had East Coast Software for three years and halfway through the breeding system I revert to a notebook and biro.I tried to talk to their Rep at Blackpool a couple years ago but I would have been better talking to the dug

Hi, I am a wee bit disillusioned with East Coast Software,can anyone recommend a good cheap loft computer programme.

Well Steven I bet you could guess!!

There is a corridor between the aviary and the sections which are completely open from roof to floor only spars separate them from the corridor they have constant fresh air.I believe this loft might have been influenced from a Belgian design

I wondered what members might think of the question of ventilation on my new loft.An aviary runs cpmpletely along the front of the loft and fresh air enters as it is completely open to the elements but adequately sheltered from the rain.Pigeons trap through three traps in the aviary over ETS pads and in to their separate Cock,Hen and young bird sections where their times are recorded on a base unit in the integral corn store.Air is expelled through a ventilation strip at the rear

The answer is staring us in the face for Scotland anyway, let us go on our own what do we need with London politicians who only come up here on overnight visits to lecture us and tell us "we are all in this together"As far as Nick Clegg is concerned if you talk and act like a tory you are a tory.I have all respect for the wonderful English people whom I have admired all my life but in my old age I am becoming more and more convinced that in Scotland we would be better on our own .

First of all may I congratulate the Lanarkshire Federation on reaching a decision.Our own Federation has a similiar decision to make very soon and I hope we can conduct our affairs with the same lack of animosity that Lanarkshire seems to have achieved.The Pergrine Falcon problem is quite clearly the biggest single difficulty facing our sport and I am sorry to say that no clear answer is evident.I have attended several political meetings recently and the number of MSP`s and officials who are members of the RSPB and who describe themselves as keen orthinoligists is quite concerning.Nothing concentrates the minds of politicians more severely than loss of power and as the 2011 elections approach next May I for one will be attending any hustings that I can manage, reminding aspiring MSPS of the enormous contribution that pigeon fanciers make to the local economy and asking our legislators if they are content to see a sport that is a way of life for many destroyed for the sake of birds of prey.

For the information of site members my understanding is that the applicant is backed by money from the middle east (I think Dubai) where these falcons are highly desirable.I would ask that members take care on this site I have already had one not too pleasant phone call.

The difficulty about such things as petitions is that only competent objectors are allowed to make objections to a planning proposal.I am not 100% sure what constitutes a competent objector but people can be a bit clannish down here and you have to be careful

Some two months ago I posted on this site to the effect that planning permission had been denied to a man wishing to construct a breeding centre for some 300 Peregrine Falcons at Westwater near Langholm,Dumfries and Galloway.The man has now re-applied for a smaller operation at the same site but is still intending to hack out up to 300 young falcons, the application will now be heard in Mid October.The prospects for racing pigeons would be horrendous and I have today written to the planning authority objecting to the application in the strongest terms.I will keep members of this site advised of the outcome of the hearing.

The Solway Federation is having all transporter baskets refurbished the floors of the wicker baskets are all to be recovered in a fairly thin but strong slightly corrugated rubber sheet for ease of cleaning etc.

Tell you what Novo10 interesting idea and might well be the way pigeon racing might go in the furure but at present my official line would have to be no comment.

In my experience the Scottish National Flying Club is always "the elephant in the room" whenever race programmes are being discussed

I conpletely agree direction is of vital importance and so important that I believe it can best be decided by the members at an AGM I know that this is a tortuous way of doing things but a race programme cannot be proposed until the question of direction has been settled.The race programme in our federation has been heavily critcised over the last year ot two so I am going to make a conscious effort to get it right for once.The idea of a 5 year committment is still in the backgriund.I hope you will agree that these matters are for the membership to decide, not me alone or my committee.

I do not believe that a federation should have its race programme dictated or even influenced by the national programme but increasingly I have begun to feel that I am in a minority in my view therefore surely I cannot be blamed for wishing to have some guidance fron the members on this controversy.

Steven it has been suggested that the Solway Fed should decide at the AGM wether to go East or West and then stick to that decision for 5 years,what do you think of that.See my newsletter next week.