Granddad, Granddad You're Lovely - Clive Dunn

With the days getting fewer and the Gods seemingly against us it seemed unlikely that I was going to see my Australian leg of the family before I left. Commander Bernard York of the Royal Australian Navy has been given a 3 years 'draft chit' to Bristol, England and with my trip already unchangeable we were destined not to get together before departure. However there's more than one way to skin a cat and as looked out of the farm-house window

an unfamiliar car was approaching. Who could it be? It wouldn't be too long before I was to find out that it was none other than

BERNARD and my youngest daughter LISA freshly arrived from Sydney, Australia,

complete with my latest Grandson BENJAMIN, who I had not met before,

along with brothers ALEXANDER and FREDERICK who I saw for just a short time on my second visit to the continent.

The eldest of these, Fred, seems to be following in Grandpa Bagsy's footsteps as he is an Atlas addict,

who without prompting and at the age of 3 can point out most of the countries of the world when asked. He in turn is passing this skill on to middle grandson Alex who I guess will 'do the honours' as Ben gets older.

Not always easy to make contact with young children who you hardly know, my favourite book proved to be the common denominator in this instance.

Having thought our paths were only going to cross, it was something of an emotional moment as I was able to make contact with these fine lads and what better place than Parley Court Farm.

Having had little contact with farm animals they, plus Mummy and Daddy, seemed overjoyed to

to get 'hands on' with CHICKENs, Goats

and HORSEs but were reluctant to climb onboard.

ALEX with the local SWANs.

 Come on lads, keep up with Grandpa.

 BENJAMIN and DADDY.

Alex taking a roll in the wet grass just before dinner.

Hugh, Janet, Daryl and Cath had invited us all to stay for dinner

giving them all chance to experience the very best of Farm House Cooking

It would seem that Alexander and 

Frederick loved Janet's Chocolate Pudding and Cream almost as much as Grandpa Bagsy - hope it won't be too long before I see you all again, and GOOD LUCK with your new adventure in life.

THANKS also to the Dampney Family for once again being 'True Friends'

I'm A Pheasant Pluckers Son - (Part II)

No sooner had I announced the unlikelihood of another country joining the readership, than along comes the Republic of Rwanda. Another African nation is more than welcome to the Blog, and it is hoped that the new reader will extend Rwandan numbers by passing on The Bagsy Blog LINK to all Families and Friends. Just to bring our new readers up to speed, in just a few days time now I will be embarking on the next adventure that should take me in a westerly direction for at least 5 to 6 months. So WELCOME and hope you enjoy the read!

 RWANDA

It must be all the excitement, at least that's my excuse, that firstly I forgot the sighting of a White-rumped Sandpiper at Longham Lake yesterday, then to change the 'header' photograph on the first day of the month. Of the latter, I was soon reminded by my mentor John Gifford for which I thank him.

Amid some beautiful Hampshire countryside the shoot continued,

with the occasional appearance of a ROE DEER and a single, full antlered, Fallow Deer.

Both BEATERS and

DOGs, HEBE again, were fully employed

while at the end of the shoot there was the usual wash-up discussing the merits of the day.

Other than this,

c2 TAWNY OWLs were seen but not photographed,

these images coming from the archive.

There was also an unexpected MOTH which I hope someone might identify for us,

while the final count amounted to just 35 birds of the 450+ reared and put to the wild this year.

From there it was back to the farm and a most welcome dinner of Panage Pork, Dauphinoise Potatoes and Vegetables accompanied by a good red wine. Pudding consisted of 'home made' Banana Cake and Chocolate Brownie.

For me the best was still to come, by way of about the best Stilton Cheese I've eaten along with an excellent Port.

A day right out of the usual for me, but if this is an example of the country/farming set then I'm already hoping for a return visit. I'd like to extend a hearty THANK YOU to all who made me feel so welcome and part of their day - it was simply MAGIC!

I'm Not A Pheasant Plucker - (Part I)

Knowing well the controversy that surrounds hunting of all kinds, it would only be fair to issue an 'advisory notice' for those who do not care for the pursuit to log-off now!

 A cold and frosty morning there's not a lot to say about the things caught in my mind!

Don't Go Away - Oasis

This was the scene at Parley Court early this morning where rain and mild conditions were dramatically replaced by a heavy frost and almost continuous bright sunshine. The lower image shows, once again, the 5th fairway on the Golf Course which magically cleared of flood water overnight.

While I fight no corner for of against the Pheasant Shoot I have to say that my invitation to

was one of the best days of my year where I met a large number of lovely people

while learning so much more about our countryside and its management.

There is just something about farmyards that fascinate me, so I wasn't slow to both meet the company

 

and to poke my nose into the barns, outhouses, stables etc

where I found the farm cat taking 40 winks.

 

Soon it was time for 'Shoot Captain' Hugh Mullens to brief both 'guns' and 'beaters' (and the 2 observers including myself) of the strict rules, regulation and ethic of the day.

 

 All take up station for the first beat

while the first bird escapes unharmed despite 'point blank' range. This shoot was restricted to Pheasant, but as a result of the beaters c5 Common Snipe and singles of Woodcock and Grey Partridge were also seen.

Needless to say, not all birds were so lucky, giving my friend Hugh's dog Shoofty a chance to show her skills.

After the first beat there was time for conflab while the

collectors (Alexandra and her Springer Hebe),

 

BEATERs

GUNs

and ON-LOOKERs chance to relocate.

BROWN HAREs were also in evidence, but numbers are not known, along with lots of Redwing, Fieldfare, Blackbird and each location Nuthatches which went berserk vocally when firing started.

After a full morning walking the estate a hot Bovril drink was served with sausages, with the beverage hitting the spot perfectly.
End of another month and the Stats remain fairly healthy. Only one new country was added to the list, Swaziland, but given the total has now reach 175 that may not be too surprising. UK continue apace towards the magical 100,000 mark as both Croatia and Slovakia broach the 3 figures, leaving Austria teetering on 99.

	Num	Perc.	Country Name
	88508	72.09%	United Kingdom
	9119	7.43%	United States
	1622	1.32%	Canada
	1344	1.09%	Australia
	1308	1.07%	Estonia
	1234	1.01%	Germany
	1168	0.95%	France
	1109	0.90%	Netherlands
	1038	0.85%	Japan
	849	0.69%	Italy
	822	0.67%	India
	788	0.64%	New Zealand
	752	0.61%	Spain
	742	0.60%	Philippines
	598	0.49%	Brazil
	556	0.45%	Taiwan
	491	0.40%	Sweden
	486	0.40%	Korea, Republic Of
	441	0.36%	Poland
	421	0.34%	Switzerland
	403	0.33%	Thailand
	396	0.32%	Belgium
	362	0.29%	Norway
	347	0.28%	Russian Federation
	280	0.23%	South Africa
	277	0.23%	Romania
	276	0.22%	Mexico
	273	0.22%	Turkey
	265	0.22%	Ireland
	259	0.21%	Malaysia
	256	0.21%	Peru
	247	0.20%	Indonesia
	237	0.19%	Finland
	232	0.19%	Greece
	200	0.16%	Portugal
	187	0.15%	Czech Republic
	184	0.15%	Colombia
	184	0.15%	Denmark
	182	0.15%	Argentina
	177	0.14%	Hungary
	167	0.14%	Singapore
	159	0.13%	Pakistan
	159	0.13%	Israel
	157	0.13%	Sri Lanka
	154	0.13%	Ukraine
	154	0.13%	Hong Kong
	151	0.12%	United Arab Emirates
	146	0.12%	Saudi Arabia
	120	0.10%	Bulgaria
	119	0.10%	Vietnam
	110	0.09%	Chile
	104	0.08%	Croatia
	103	0.08%	Slovakia
	99	0.08%	Austria
	92	0.07%	Venezuela
	89	0.07%	Oman
	88	0.07%	Serbia
	81	0.07%	Costa Rica
	72	0.06%	Anonymous Proxy
	72	0.06%	El Salvador
	71	0.06%	Malta
	70	0.06%	Europe
	66	0.05%	Egypt
	63	0.05%	Lithuania
	59	0.05%	Bangladesh
	57	0.05%	Madagascar
	57	0.05%	Qatar
	56	0.05%	Ecuador
	41	0.03%	Palestinian Territory
	38	0.03%	Asia/pacific Region
	37	0.03%	Slovenia
	35	0.03%	Guatemala
	35	0.03%	Luxembourg
	33	0.03%	Mongolia
	32	0.03%
	31	0.03%	Georgia
	31	0.03%	Iraq
	30	0.02%	Guernsey
	30	0.02%	Latvia
	29	0.02%	Morocco
	28	0.02%	Lebanon
	28	0.02%	Trinidad And Tobago
	27	0.02%	Dominican Republic
	26	0.02%	Jamaica
	26	0.02%	Macedonia
	25	0.02%	Satellite Provider
	24	0.02%	Belarus
	24	0.02%	Cyprus
	24	0.02%	Kenya
	24	0.02%	Yemen
	23	0.02%	Kuwait
	22	0.02%	Cambodia
	20	0.02%	Jersey
	20	0.02%	Lao People's Democratic Republic
	19	0.02%	Jordan
	19	0.02%	Algeria
	16	0.01%	Isle Of Man
	16	0.01%	Panama
	14	0.01%	Moldova, Republic Of
	14	0.01%	Maldives
	14	0.01%	Belize
	13	0.01%	Mauritius
	13	0.01%	Uruguay
	12	0.01%	Nigeria
	12	0.01%	Bahrain
	12	0.01%	Armenia
	12	0.01%	Bermuda
	12	0.01%	Sudan
	11	0.01%	Tunisia
	11	0.01%	Puerto Rico
	11	0.01%	Montenegro
	11	0.01%	Gibraltar
	11	0.01%	Barbados
	10	0.01%	Iceland
	10	0.01%	Azerbaijan
	10	0.01%	Namibia
	10	0.01%	Nepal
	9	0.01%	Reunion
	9	0.01%	Brunei Darussalam
	9	0.01%	Virgin Island, U.s.
	9	0.01%	Tanzania, United Republic Of
	9	0.01%	Bosnia And Herzegovina
	8	0.01%	China
	8	0.01%	Zimbabwe
	8	0.01%	Albania
	8	0.01%	Honduras
	7	0.01%	Aruba
	7	0.01%	Kazakhstan
	6	0.00%	Netherlands Antilles
	6	0.00%	New Caledonia
	6	0.00%	Bhutan
	6	0.00%	Faroe Islands
	5	0.00%	Guyana
	5	0.00%	Uganda
	5	0.00%	Ethiopia
	5	0.00%	Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
	5	0.00%	Guam
	4	0.00%	Zambia
	4	0.00%	Seychelles
	4	0.00%	Ghana
	4	0.00%	Bahamas
	4	0.00%	Syrian Arab Republic
	4	0.00%	Iran, Islamic Republic Of
	3	0.00%	Dominica
	3	0.00%	Bolivia
	3	0.00%	Virgin Islands, British
	3	0.00%	Myanmar
	3	0.00%	Cameroon
	3	0.00%	Gambia
	3	0.00%	Fiji
	2	0.00%	Macao
	2	0.00%	Falkland Islands (malvinas)
	2	0.00%	Botswana
	2	0.00%	Cote D'ivoire
	2	0.00%	Andorra
	2	0.00%	Paraguay
	2	0.00%	Grenada
	2	0.00%	Cayman Islands
	2	0.00%	Gabon
	1	0.00%	Afghanistan
	1	0.00%	Malawi
	1	0.00%	Haiti
	1	0.00%	French Polynesia
	1	0.00%	Uzbekistan
	1	0.00%	Suriname
	1	0.00%	Vanuatu
	1	0.00%	Saint Lucia
	1	0.00%	Swaziland
	1	0.00%	Turks And Caicos Islands
	1	0.00%	Monaco
	1	0.00%	Guadeloupe
	1	0.00%	Martinique