peter pandy

I do believe you have missed my point of view Steve as I have never at any time denigrated Race Controllers and my point is A CONVOYER SHOULD BE TO MY MIND A FANCIER OR X FANCIER NOT SOMEONE CAPABLE OF DRIVING A TRUCK. and please dont forget to include the addition of Mr when using surnames as it is bad manners.

Have you been speaking to Wee Mary ?? as she says I am fat and lazy although I keep telling her I am an invalid carrying pure muscle. Anyway enough of that as the Cocks which were out to-day put in an excellent shift of 2 hours at speed. A treat to watch and it has been noticable in the past that when their is a lack of wind the birds do not put in the same effort as on a windy day such as to-day.

I for one dont put any blame on Race Controllers as they are only working on any information from a third party and have to put their faith in them. What I will say is that when I was Race Controlling I insisted that the convoyer was a pigeon man as he knew how to look after them and when the birds were wanting released. Perhaps this is where the problem lies. All fanciers that I know can tell when birds can be liberated just by looking at the sky and take cloud cover with wind speed as an indication of good returns something an ordinary layman is impossible of doing.

In the loft I have been scratching my head as to why over the last couple of days Late Bred Hens are turning into Cocks as four have apparently turned sex wise. With them out on alternating days and a richer feed they are indisposed to flying more than thirty minutes before popping down and only returning to the sky when interupted by a Seagull which I am sure they take as a peri with the narrow wings they have. The Jackdaws dont worry them in the least and would appear to be roof mates so all in all from the four hours of freedom to do as they wish I ascertained they would be stretching their wings for ninety minutes but not at a speed that was forthcoming when Barley was included in the rations. My feeding method at the moment is 4 parts Beans,Peas and Tares with 1 Part Frazers Winter Mixture to which I add 1 handfull each of the following Linseed,Hormoform and grated Cheese mixed in then 1 handfull Palomas Power Mix which coats the mixture and given at 1oz per bird daily, Crivens they dont half look good..

Steve, If it was up to me, Their would only be North South East and West Sections..and as for moving between them take it up with "The Bridge Boy" LOL

Aye they did that but it was unconstitutional as it was not proposed last year as a rule change which it should have been. Rule 8 Line 5 of The Constitution.

Nearly forgot in all the excitement the PostCode lottery of Section changes was dumped..

Wee bit when it should be a big bit with the one and only donut now Junior V.P. after the President resigning as he could not get an Emergency Committee forum,,The Race Controllers resigned en masse and were not replaced and all in all the 150 approx attendance were suitably entertained.

So very sorry if you have missed my drivel this past wee while as this machine decided to go on strike however its had a good kick up the backside and is back doing my bidding..

Sitting on the bank watching the cold water going past and fish not biting makes you want to pee at your age, when you could be ensconced in the loft watching your future enjoyment !!! You will return Gordon as Arnie retorted..

Sitting here at my desk and watching the rain teeming down on my security cameras had me reminiscing about real champion pigeons which were few and far between in fact I suppose I have handled easily 100 National winning birds and on reflection they came in all differing sizes. I suppose it is all down to what your preference is and I know many will disagree with my selection of what I personally would wish my team was like however they are virtually impossible to breed as they come along themselves and are the opposite of their parents so they have to be a "extraordinary" size. To start with the Cocks must be large and bold headed, Chests that are extremely large, Not overly large in body length with wide rumps and here is the cracker they MUST have short stubby wings. Hens are the same with cocky style heads, bodies like submarines which are virtually the same width from front to back and they too have short stubby wings. So there you go...MY IDEAL PIGEON...and its 14 years since I had one like that in my hands.

Up and about to-day and down to the loft through a water logged garden although I have umpteen rubber mats down which have allowed grass to grow through the holes and it was still squelching underneath, Oh well it is Winter. In my last post I inadvertently put the wrong readings down for my barometer But no-one noticed the error !! Anyway 99.1 and 98.8 should have been 29.1 and 28.8 ins, The best barometer is the toilet water which disappears in the event of lows.. Being the 1st of the month the birds were treated as usual with FlightPath on 1Kg feed then when all cleaned up extra rations given to appetite. The young Dk Cheq Hen laid her second egg at mid-day to-day and after feeding her Nest Mate went and sat on the eggs, I now know which is which and will make up my mind at a later date regarding the outcome. Found another young Cock in amongst the Hens section so he was promptly moved through. All have been confined to the loft of late and appear happy enough with their circumstances with none moping and activity is high either in the nest boxes which they command from the block of wood they stand on or scratching about like chickens in the straw. The Hens on the other hand are quite happy on the plastic "V" perches where the droppings roll off into a trough underneath.. :lol:

Well, Santa's came and went and took our Flu virus with him so Wee Mary and I have been cough free since, The relief is beyond belief. I have a barometer in the loft and a couple of years ago it dropped to 99.1 and has never been lower since, Well this morning it dropped to 98.8 when the weather was at its worst and wondered if it would have any affect on the Flock regarding hunger or any outwardly signs and the only phenomena was a Cock laying an egg. Yip I could hardly believe my eyes as this very Dk Cheq which I had down along with his nest mate as Cocks has turned out to be a Hen paired to his nest mate which is also a very Dk Cheq and I am extremely tempted to leave them be and see what transpires. However I digress as their appears to be no noticeable difference with the inmates when a weather low passes through as their normal consumption of feed was not affected. This past three years has been a nightmare especially for Wee Mary and thankfully the nightmare is finally over, allowing us to get back to normality as an elderly couple who will never again do anybody any kind of Samaritan kindness. Writing "Natural" on Basics has helped me get through as it has directed my mind away from our problems and some may feel it is selfish on my part but Mary was never left to suffer alone and I have had on occasion prompted her to help in memorising many aspects. I will finalise by wishing ALL OUR FRIENDS on Basics a PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR and Lang may yer lum reek.

Killin is an FK postcode and is further West than the whole of Lanarkshire, But like Del, I agree, this is a smokescreen to divert the problems of inadequate transporters amongst other problems the management don't want discussed.

Aye yir right their "NOT". I jumped 350 miles to get into Sec E and in hindsight wished I had stayed whaur a wiz ya daftie...

Ya big toe rag stirring the jobbies.

It is not just Del who will see a change but all in Bonnybridge and Denny will be shifted into Section "D"..And Balerno fanciers moved from "D" into Section "B".

Aye John, just not as nimble on my pins as I used to be. Trying to shake off this Australian Flu bug is as hard as trying to get my wallet to show itself tae daylight.. Down in the loft all is as it should be although I have had to cut the rations back with too many showing a bit of fat due to the inactivity and lack of exercise with the inclement weather keeping them in their quarters mind you they look well and are quite active with Cocks calling to the Hens in the other section. With Xmas just a few days to go it only leaves me Wishing all on Basics A Very Merry Xmas from Wee Mary and I.. :santa-dance:

I would doubt if Eddy knew what a calliper was, But if memory serves me well he could at times be a wind up merchant.

I was asked recently what Eddy Newcombe's wing theory was ?? I never knew he had one was my reply, however I made enquiries and he did have one which was "They must have two"..

Aye well that's it over for another year and I could not make the last two due to this virus Wee Mary and I have which was a pity as I thought my best chance of a card has passed me by. To one and all regulars may I wish you all A VERY MERRY XMAS and catch up with you next year. :santa-dance:

Thanks for the kind words Archie.. On getting up this morning I decided to give myself a good shake and put mind over matter regarding the way I was feeling so down to the loft and noticed the straw bedding was sparse in the middle of the floor where the feeders are positioned, obviously where the birds are pecking about for any stray feed that has been dropped so after watering I took myself to the local agriculture store for another couple of bales. The attendant was telling me their was an acute shortage of Barley straw and they could not find another supplier so its back again to-morrow for another couple although where to store them is a problem so the greenhouse will have to suffice. No doubt some fanciers will be pairing up soon to have youngsters on the darkness !!! To win a couple of meaningless races !!! They need their heads examined IMO. In a recent conversation with like minded sensible fanciers with the sport at heart we concluded that mob racing was detrimental to our sport and it was the view that you can send as many as you like but you have to nominate 10 to compete with, the rest entered as trainers only, therefore making it fairer to all concerned, You can hear the mob fliers screaming as they would not win much. With the loft at minus 6 and open to the elements the drinkers have frozen over for the first time in many a year as it was all closed up in the past. The loft heaters would come on at zero temp ensuring no ice, but I was talking to John "Tiger" on the phone and he reminded me that in the past my drinkers were emptied 2 hours after feeding as the birds always have a second drink 1-2 Hrs after being given their daily rations. The important things we forget. As regards the inmates they are given their freedom on alternate days for a couple of hours and exercising well.

With Wee Mary and I housebound with some virus and not allowing visitors into the house, it has been a week of hell with both of us lower than a snakes belly and missing the Grand weans terribly. We can only hope we can shake the malady off soon. Down in the loft which has been a struggle, cleaning and general chores has been suspended till I am fit again and not so tired, The mind is willing,, The body isn't. With time to reflect on the future, I have came to the conclusion that time is not on my side so next year all my Yearlings and late breeds will go to the coast, Two year olds to 550 Miles and older birds to 600 miles. I don't suppose I will have many left at the end of 2018 but the clear out will be beneficial in the long run and "Natural" will be the only system. Young birds will be bred in Spring which is a natural time for wild birds and raced until the moult decides otherwise and hopefully I will be left with birds that are fed on high protein and the guts to get back. This was the way forward in times gone past and you were only left with the best in constitution and homing ability.

Sorry about that Charlie, Hope to make it next week.

In the loft it would appear the Late Breeds have decided they have moulted enough feathers so almost all will be racing next year holding their last 2 secondary flights. With gales and inclement weather forecasted for the next few days the windows are up on the veranda till it passes. Wee Mary will be looking after the inmates as I have a heavy cold developing which stopped me from getting up to Clarkston show this evening for the usual torment from so called friend's. "Get Well" cards with £50 notes included will be appreciated.. :emoticon-0140-rofl: