Singing Chicken

Kath asked for pics of the ponies in their sleek summer coats. Well once the new computer is up and running I will be able to put on my own photos again. Unless I trawl through lots of old ones, I have none to hand. I didn't have time this week for much trawling as I had lots to do before the hols and for after I got back as well.

....and efts are young newts. Not newt tadpoles but 'terrestrial juveniles'. (Oh, that newt photo was one of mine. It was put on computer before the problems started.)I had to look it up after Helsie mentioned 'efts'. Fancy knowing that!

Sorry the Chicken has been quiet but I have had lots of work to tie up before going away (see below). When we come back we will collect our new home laptop then I will be able to blog from home and put my own photos up again.

I have had plenty to comment about but not the time to comment. Did anyone read about Yvonne the Cow? Not many seem to have heard of her and when Yvonne in our office came in on Wednesday and made horns on her head and said ‘Moooo!’ everyone thought she had gone bonkers, except me of course. A cow in Germany called Yvonne was being taken to new pastures but she broke loose and now she is at large and no one knows where. The authorities say she will be a danger to traffic and are ready to shoot her on sight. Of course there are the ‘save Yvonne’s who think this is barbaric. Well, can’t they just shoot tranquillisers and haul her away to somewhere safe? Killing isn’t always the only option.

It’s a shame ‘cow’ and ‘pig’ have derogatory connotations in the UK. Call someone a cow or a pig and you are insulting them. ‘Cow’ of course is only used on women. Someone told me that in Germany if you want to insult someone you say ‘You bottle!’ I wonder why ‘bottle’ should mean something rude? I suppose we use ‘lemon’ when someone is stupid but why lemon in particular I wonder?

Mrs. Swallow is still on her nest. Young are due to hatch this weekend. They will still be on the nest when we return.

Actually this post is ideally suited to a Friday but I'm never short of fauna for Fauna Friday and anyway I will be missing two because.....


... we are off to the northern shore of Lake Balaton on Saturday for a fortnight.

We went out last Saturday night to a concert (which wasn't very good but never mind). We were in a hurry so I left the dishes to soak. When we got back, look what I found walking up the inside of the washing up basin - a tiny little newt!
They often come in the house, but I think that one probably got in through the skylight and fell into the basin.
I don't have a wart on my pinkie: that must be some loose piece of fluff or something.

This is not my own pic to illustrate this post. I am having probs with my own photos right now so I tried to find a pic of a badly cut verge or hedge online to show what I mean, but I couldn't find one bad enough to show how awful things look locally!

I went a bit mad last week and did what I've never done before - write a long email of complaint to a councillor about the cutting of our verges and hedges. They did not need it and they look awful and I feel sad about the flowers and berries they have cut, the hedges they have hacked and the birds that live and feed there. I didn't get emotional or use over-effusive language, I just put down the facts and told them what I thought OUGHT to have been done instead, then I finished by saying it was a disgrace.

I have wanted to do this year after year but feel there is no point if I am a lone voice. They'll just label me as some 'tree-hugger'. However when I bought the local rag (because I had nothing else to line the car seat and Ludo's travelling box with for his annual vet visit!) I saw an article in there that a local wildlife conservation charity had told the Council off for cutting at the wrong time. When I have company, then I will happily add my voice. I'm very shy about popping up over the parapet (as you know).

The charity recommended no cutting until August. I think August is far too early so I told the councillor and the charity that I thought October to March should be the only cutting months, and even then only minimal, sensitive cutting, if any at all. In most cases it just is't needed.

Now all that rioting business makes it all seem quite a small, insignificant thing. It's absolutely appalling. Where do all those people come from? I just feel that each generation brings more disrespect, anti-social behaviour and lawlessness because each seems to me to be more liberally brought up than the last and disrespect just breeds more disrespect.

Above is a little Exmoor pony filly which was the supreme in-hand champion of a little show we went to on Saturday.
Our ponies were supposed to be going to the show as well. Well, Quasar was. Skylark was to stay at home because of all the problems we have had in the past getting him to go in the lorry (and come out again). Anyway, the driver rang to say the lorry had broken down and was off the road for a while, so we couldn't take Quasar in the end. I tried to find someone else to drive us but failed.
We decided we would still go, but just ourselves. It was quite a change, going without any ponies and all the time I found myself wishing she was there and thinking how she would have done in her classes.
The advantage of not bringing animals - apart from not having the horrible 6.30 am rise - is that you get much more chance to watch the various classes and to talk with everyone that you see year after year but have little time to chat to because you are busy getting one or other pony ready.
We did put ourselves forward for helping out in any way, but there was nothing for us to do, so it was all very relaxing.
I took Quasar out the next day for a ride and told her all about it. She didn't mind not going. Like me, she finds those events an awful lot of stress and hard work all for one short day and prefers her quiet little local hacks.

STOP PRESS! Mother swallow back on the nest since 31st July! New brood due to hatch on 21st, the day after we fly off on holiday. When we return the young should still be in the nest and due to fly a week later.I'll get some more nest pics using my red eye removal. Don't know if it'll remove the white eyes that fauna seem to get in photos.

There was a programme on telly last week about Ludlow. As I may have said, it's one of my favourite British towns. The presenter, Nicholas Crane, said how well connected it was by road and rail and that to the east there was Birmingham, to the north Shrewsbury, to the south Leominster and Hereford and to the west the - as he put it- 'uplands of Wales'. Right in the middle of everything then. Then he just contradicted himself by going on about how 'remote' it was. It's apparently more than 40 miles to the nearest motorway and airport. Is that supposed to be impossibly distant? I think those mileages, on the contrary, make it very well connected and accessible.
It's right in the middle of southern Britain and it's on 'A' roads and railway. People come from far and wide just to the weekly livestock market. How can it be remote? If Ludlow is remote, what does that make Scoraig or Land's End or Cwm Penmachno? OK, can't compare these as they aren't towns. So what about Stornoway or Truro or Llanwrtyd Wells?
Typical London TV presenter and London-orientated BBC. If it isn't in the home counties then it's some backwater. Motorways just bring more crime to an area, you know. I wouldn't want one anywhere near Foodyland.
By the way, there were lovely shots of Ludlow. Bet Helsie would have loved it.

For a bit of light relief, I googled Tunnocks. They have two great games on the website and descriptions and pictures of the products mentioned in my Snowballs post of last week. Here's a teacake to keep you going.