Doc Holliday

Ok, so now I've had a few more in the bag since this, there have been no others with that strange discolouring on the crop. It is odd that both cock birds had this issue and yet the hen didn't. Both had a very strong smell about them and what leaked out of the vent destroyed the dustsheet I wrapped them in (just to keep them contained until I got them home. I've also hung the other birds for several days, or longer over the colder days, with no issues. This must have been some kind of virus or infection. Would avian flu have this effect or would it be something else?

Hi All, As per the title, I'm looking for a venison supplier, ideally west Kent or east Sussex but will look further afield if the reliability is there. I was in touch with a guy but I've had to keep chasing and now he's gone quiet which tells me he either doesn't want the business or can't fulfil it. Looking for a reliable recommendation so I can build a good on-going relationship. We are experimenting with a few ideas as to how we want the meat/carcass prepped but I can go over this with anyone put forward. Many thanks.

Evening all! You know how, when travelling down a country lane, you'll sometimes clip a stupid pheasant or 2 as they fly up to get out of the way. Well, last week I had 2 do this and, rather than let them flap about injured and/or go to waste, I did the decent thing and dispatched them humanely 😏 Even though it was fairly warm last week, I managed to keep them cool-ish, one of them did start to smell a bit 'high'. The other started leaking a bit from the vent. After 4 days I thought I'd best prepare them. One had a very unusual purple-ish hue to the crop (see photo). I haven't seen this before. The other was unaffected. On further prepping, both birds thighs had a deep maroon colour to the thighs (see other photo). I wasn't sure if this was connected with the purple crop but it was in both. The one without the purple crop was the one leaking from the vent. Both birds were from different parts of the same estate. Thanks, Doc

Went out yesterday near Seaford with bass rod and lures. Not for the first time I've drawn a blank using lures. I spent nearly £400 a few years back on bass lure fishing kit (rod, reel, lures, etc.) after watching a few Henry Gilbet videos on YT. Although I enjoy the time going fishing, occasionally it would nice to hook a lovely bass. Maybe I'm going in the wrong conditions (it was a lovely still day yesterday with very little or no wind), or maybe I need to be fishing at dawn or dusk. Or maybe I'm just having some back luck which, without, I'd have no luck at all. Keen to know others successes or failures where seafishing with lures is concerned.

Just wondering if anyone has had any first hand experience of the aforementioned? I see his face cropping up regularly online and have even sat through a couple of his 'webinars'. Actually, that's a lie. I sat through the same one twice! I have no doubt the guy is a class 1 schmoozer of the first order but I am curious if there is any substance to all his bluff & bluster. I also have no doubt that he makes his money by exploiting those who are keen to 'get rich quick' using ForEx as the dangling carrot, but honest reviews seem to be rarer than what you may expect to fall out of the rear end of a rocking horse.

I will have a look at the new indexing arm and the 3 D mags, thank you. Other than that, as everyone acknowledges, it is an excellent air rifle. The guy in the gun shop is just doing what he is paid to do and sell guns, but ut is a bit odd he didn't ask why I was wanting to upgrade.

Hi all, I've been considering upgrading my AA S410 Carbine just recently. I don't have any issue with it, per se, except that the magazine doesn't always rotate. This can be annoying, especially if you want/need to reload quickly. I have tried new spring arms and magazines. Works ok for a short time then back to not always rotating the mag. I had a chat with a guy in my local shop who suggested either the FX Dreamline Classic (not sure if they do a Carbine version) or the Weihrauch HW110K. The FX weighs the same as my AA (2.8kg) but it doesn't come with a moderator so would be wondering if this would affect the accuracy? The Weihrauch HW110K (classic or Carbine) weight isn't stated but I'm guessing the carbine will be lighter. I have to be honest, I didn't like the feel of the Weihrauch in my hand of with my cheek on the comb. The guy in the shop said although the FX is better built, the Weihrauch would win overall against the AA & FX. Thoughts?

I was thinking about getting back into this. I used to do it some 30 years back. I just spoke to the one decent inland shop down this way that does sea fishing tackle (Maidstone Tackle) and happened to mention my intentions and was surprised when they guy said I should double check on the local regs, etc., and did explain why, although the area I am considering doing this has very little human/animal traffic and I will be present for the duration of the tide coming in and going out again. However, I did do a quick check through DEFRA & the local authority, plus a Google search but there seems to be precious little info on this. Does anyone know of or has had any experience with the legal aspect of this? Thanks!

Having had progressively worsening osteoarthritis of the right knee, amd following seeing a specialist, I have a decision to make. Osteotomy or a partial knee replacement. I know there are pro's & cons for both and that is why I would like to hear from anyone who have had either, especially the former as this is the one I'm considering. The recovery is longer, which is potentially the biggest downside for me, but you have more longevity & have your own knee. Partial knee replacement has a quicker recovery but the downside is not as much range of movement plus will only last about 10 years. Thanks in advance.

In case you hadn't realised, they're all as mad as a box of frogs 👍 It's the ones without any cats that tend to catch us out. The ones with cats are easy to work out how mad they are. The more cats, the madder. (sorry welsh1, hadn't meant to drag cats into it but it is purely for scientific purposes 😉)

Well, Mrs H and I are off on our holi-bobs next week. Only nipping across to French France for a week's glanping in Brittany. Do folk still change up money like in days of old or is it all done on plastic these days? If the latter then we only have debit cards. Should really get a credit card but don't really believe in them, per se. They're handy in terms of protection but that's it. Anyway, where does one get their euros from? Post office? They have zero commission but the exchange rate looks a bit naff. In real terms, to change up £500 it will be costing me the best part of £20. Any other places to buy euros, except banks as we all know they like to give one a good shafting whenever they can. They don't even have the God damn common courtesy to give you a reach around!

Just things which didn't seem to directly relate to the topic header subject. A couple of posts got deleted when someone mentioned needing to be fully vaccinated to enter France, in spite it being dropped by the authorities at the beginning of the month. I happened to address the fact that they weren't actual bona-fide vaccines in the true sense of the word, you know, in the sense that some posts can meander. Anything that questioned or criticises the censorship from the powers that be. That kind of thing. Nothing radical, in the sense that it was emotional or a personal attack on anyone. Nothing specific, just in general. As you were a moderator how stringent were you instructed to be? What was permissible and tolerated? Obviously, hate speech and verbal attacks on an individuals personal beliefs should never come in to an intelligent debate. One for Teal, maybe. How long was the main website running before the decision to start a forum based around pigeon shooting and other country pursuits and how long to get it to a point where it became self sustaining, so to speak?

After joining and trying to use a camping forum recently (as Mrs H and I getting in to camping), I had to throw in the towel after about 6 weeks. Other members were fine, it was just the admin and mods. I know you guys have standards to meet and it isn't a democracy, per se, but the forum in question was practically socialist in the way they redacted some posts and even delete whole posts, plus restricting ones ability to post replies and new threads. So, it led me thinking if anyone, outside of Teal and his crew of mods, have had any experience of starting up and running a forum or even just working within one moderating.

Mrs H & I are looking to do a stint in French France for our annual break this year. BF seem to have limited sailing from Portsmouth to Cherbourg but having looked at all their options, it comes in at over £540 😳 DFDS were a bit cheaper at £352 but then we have about 4.5 hours driving to get to the campsite and there isn't any real saving in travel time if we went via the channel tunnel as it's about an hours drive to either Newhaven or Folkestone. What we save in crossing via the channel tunnel we lose in extra driving time (6.5 hours to campsite). Still, the crossing wouldn't an issue if the weather was a bit choppy. Just wondering if anyone has been camping over the water recently and how they found the charges to get across. Also if anyone has a Club Voyage card they'd care to share with me then that would be truly appreciated.

I've been looking for a while at getting a generator, not least because I think we may be in danger of some outages this Autumn/Winter, although I hope I am wrong. Still, I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. I'd be grateful to know what I would need in order to get by in the way of running a few lights, boiler (assuming we have gas), tv, router, maybe a washing machine (the OH's input 🙄), etc. Here's what I know. An inverter type delivers clean/stable power so is best suited for sensitive electronic items. A duel fuel would be limited to 3.5kw petrol/3.2kw propane. It is also quieter than open frame models by about a third (50db compared to 75db). I've spoken to a few suppliers and have received different advice from all. One didn't seem too sure either way and was very vague on any advice to the questions asked. Another spoke so quickly that I had real difficulty in understanding where we were with what in respect of models and outputs, etc. Another still said Honda were the market leaders but also carried a hefty price tag to match. He then volunteered another make (after saying all but Honda were made in China) saying it would be best suited for what I need. His recommendation was a Pramac P3500i. Any further info/recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks,

Tent purchase update! So, it came down to a toss up between Outwell & Vango, or so we thought. This was narrowed down to Outwell purely on their 'Quick & Quiet' magentic door closing arrangement, which the OH was taken with. We did a tour of a couple of other showrooms (those with tents on display indoors this time) and then saw the premium range from Outwell, the poly cotton range. We had a look at these and decided on the Springville 5SA. The only trouble was... there were none to be had. All still stuck in China! (Maybe a blessing in disguise here) On asking the guy what would be a good quality alternative, he suggested the Dometic Boracay FTC 3 TC. A nice looking tent but it lacked space. Well, enough to be kind of comfortable in. It turns out Dometic, who are part of the Kampa brand, do a 4 berth tent, the Boracay FTC 401 TC (Here). Didn't have one to show but he gave us an idea as to the floor space. So, after 2 hours or so, we said we would have to go and have a think and look over the techs & specs, plus the temperature was really getting up by now (this was on Tuesday). On looking over the product online, low & behold, we came across the Dometic Ascension FTX 401 TC (Here). What a tent! I could have bought this on the spot but the OH suggested we sleep on it (damn that sensible head of hers). It came down to 2 things. Firstly, if we put it away wet then where could we put it to dry out when we got home (too many plants in the garden)? Secondly, could we really justify the additional £800 for it? As nice as it was, and as good as it was that there were add on's we could get and the flexibility to do more things with it were a real attraction but... the sensible head won! Will be picking it up a week on Sunday and have a week in Brittany in early September on the radar, subject to getting the necessary paperwork to travel. Will post reviews of both tent & site/s.

Neither! It was at the Dudley Country fair. Apparently he still has the tie that he won off the guy who could 'Guess Your Weight'!

Ah, man! I really liked the look of that canopy 😔 I could see myself standing there with my morning coffee and looking out at the rain without the fear of it coming in, but I totally get your point and it is duly noted 👍 The ex-demo tent had us like that, as in how much UV can a tent take before it starts to become a bit 'fragile'. Again, good point and duly noted. Interesting point you make about the air poles being a bit of pain. I assume you are talking from personal experience or know of some who have? TBH, I'm not particularly fussed about the air pole/beams and I guessed there would be a trade off over stability, etc., but thank you for your prompt reply and advice.

Following on from my tent recommendation post, if anyone has been camping in Northern France, Brittany in particular, I'd like to hear about your experiences and any recommendations. Thanks in advance.

As per the title really. Looking to get some recommendations on a 4-5 man tent. I've done a bit of research this past week or so, and went to a camping store to view some tents they had on display. They had a couple there which looked pretty good. A Vango Beta 550XL and an Outwell Lindale 5PA. The latter was on offer as en ex-demo with a couple of hundred quid off, which was very tempting but then when we asked the guy how long it had been out and the expected lifespan, he kind of avoided answering, which made us a bit suspicious as to the integrity of the place, which was shame. Anyhoo, there seems to be a plethora of intel out there and as the OH has stipulated she wants some space and comfort then I'd like to know what level of hydrostatic head and denier of fabric to ensure that even if it does blow a hoolie then we'd still like to be snugs as bugs in rugs (?) and the tent won't be flapping about. I've a HH of 4000 would be sufficient but then the denier is only about 70-75, which means it's quite lightweight. I'm not too fussed whether poles or air are used, although the latter seems to be the way things are going. I did have a look at trailer tents as well and don't think they're for us. Still need to store the trailer when it's all packed away whereas a pole/air tent can be stored a lot easier.

Morning all, It's been a while since I was on here last but, in my absence, I have been mulling over doing a pilgrimage (or a long walk, whichever way you want to look at it). I'm not a religious man, as such, more 'Spiritual' I guess, but the thought of going on a very long walk has held some appeal for me ever since I heard about the Camino de Santiago some years back. I think the BBC did it on the run up to Easter one year with their program of the same name. Before my knees started giving me some real grief last May, this was on bucket list, and I would still like to do it. I know you can break it down into sections but I like the thought of doing something 'Epic' like this just to see what I'd get from it. With knees in mind, I started looking at walks closer to home and had in mind The South Downs Way, some 100k or so (Winchester to Eastbourne). This is still on my radar as I love the Sussex Downlands but I recently came across the British Pilgrimage Trust and learned that the original Pilgrims Way has recently been revived as a British 'version' of the Camino, running from Winchester Cathedral to Canterbury Cathedral. The only thing that bothers me is that it seems to follow some of the M4, M25 & M20, which kind of goes against part of my reasons for doing it, to escape the hustle & bustle of modern day life and experience some quality solitude. I know parts of the North Downs quite well as well as local sections of the Pilgrims Way in West Kent so I am fairly familiar with what to expect. I'd like to hear from anyone who has had experience of any Pilgrimage they've undertook, which route they walked and what experience (good or bad) they got from it. Thanks in advance

Just a quick one for the coin/bullion folk out there. Which would you recommend out of sovereigns/half sovereigns or 1oz Gold Brittanias to start stacking with? Thamks

Correct me if I'm wrong (and I'm sure there will be several who will), but how on earth can a vaccine passport be legal and/or legitimate? It is basically saying "If you want to travel abroad then you HAVE to have received one of the recognised vaccines and show proof of it". Am I missing something here? If anyone wants to travel abroad, starting with the wonderful EU it seems, then the individual has to have had a medical procedure regardless of whether they want it or not. You want to travel? Then you need to get jabbed... twice! The UN decreed that, after the Nuremberg trials no government or country had the right to force ANY procedure on it's own people, or any people for that matter. That means that this was universally agreed that this kind of thing was never to be allowed to happen, and yet it is. What I don't understand is why EVERYONE would need to be vaccinated. Anyone who has received their jabs would be immune, technically, right? OK, I know the vaccine doesn't stop you from getting it (which is different to any other vaccine from what I understand) as it 'lessens' the effect of the symptoms (apparently) but anyone who has been vaccinated shouldn't be getting too hot up by thise of us who feel there is something not quite right with this whole picture. I'm not a conspiracy theorist but mandatory (and possibly enforced) vaccinations... so we can be free to travel... Really...?

Thanks for the replies, the sensible ones at least even if some were a bit judgemental. No one was talking about beating the lad. What his mother wants is some order and structure for him. She has tried to instill it herself but, as I say, the father undoes any attempt at this by telling him he can do whatever he wants. He acts more like his best friend than his father and there is no guidance or boundaries set by him. I've never had kids but even I know they need boundaries and it's the parent's job to enforce this, and whenever they are crossed then the parent needs to get to the bottom of why this happened. It's not through a lack of trying but she is desperate that he has some strong male figures to help guide him and feels that something with a military aspect (or even a martial arts aspect) would help him to understand his actions are not acceptable. His level of Aspergers is somewhat mild. He is just not capable of empathising with people (or animals for that matter). I took him shooting last year and he wanted to shoot anything that flew, walked or crawled. Yes, I found him hard work and had to keep telling him that this is not what shooting is about. But thank you for taking the time to reply as there are some things thst I can forward on to his mother and she can look at these.

I didn't want to go into all the details but, in a nutshell, parents are divorced and kids spend alternate weeks with each. Not ideal as there is no stability and possibly quite unsettling for the kids. The daughter (soon to be 12) is fine and very bright. The son (soon to be 14) is also very bright but has Asperger's so doesn't understand how to empathise with others especially where his actions are concerned. The mother (my friend) tries to instill some kind of regime but is undermined at every turn by the father. Yes, it is easy for anyone to assume anything without knowing the full facts.