Diabolo

Some years ago I was lucky enough to win the BASC recipe competition with this tale of my first goose and the eating of it. But, as mentioned above, the best goose I have eaten was a Canada, shot inland, and cooked in the same way. I lost my faithful "skinny 14 month old springer" at the age of 15 two years ago, which dates the article. We had many further adventures, they say you get one "dog of a lifetime", and although my other dogs have been good, he was most definitely it. His last ever retrieve was also a greylag, involving a good swim, at the age of 13. I count myself lucky to have had him, now laid to rest in a quiet corner of the garden. Steve

Started my fowling career down south many moons ago, Canada and greylag were on the menu of course, but never saw a pink. Then my wife's parents moved to Spalding, I read a certain book you may have heard of called "Kenzie the Wild Goose Man(!)" and I went to look for the pinks. Fell in love with The Fens and The Wash, and caught a bad dose of goose fever. Joined local clubs and would make a round trip of 250 miles to get out on the Wash saltings. Fowling has led me to where I live now, which is on the edge of The Wash, just under a mile and a half from the sea wall on the Lincs. side. And the funny thing is I keep thinking on a quote from (I believe) Thoreau, and it is this: "Some men go fishing all their lives, without ever realising it isn't fish they are after." And I think I have at last realised it wasn't geese I was after. Not in the sense of trying to fill the freezer, numbers were never important to me. I never particularly liked the act of killing birds anyway, and tried going out without a gun for the morning flight, sometimes a camera , but it wasn't the same. Didn't get the feelings of elation yet remorse after taking down a bird. What Peter Scott called the ultimate sanction. Might as well have bought a scope and stayed up on the sea wall with the birders. So what was it then that made me direct my life towards my current position? Reading some of the above posts sum up my feelings also. I'm in my late sixties now, lame with arthritis, but still hopefully get out over the sea wall when I can, just to be close to the wildest of nature, which is the reason I do it. And when I cant - I can sit in my back garden in my dressing gown and slippers with a mug of tea while the skeins fly overhead! Steve

Had a large skein of about 100 pinks over my place this morning (about 12 miles south of Skegness on the Lincs. coast) heading north west. Are they usually around this long before heading off? I've seen hooper swans around as late as late April, but can't recall seeing the geese later than mid March. Steve

From the article quoted: "Power company Centrica has signed an expression of interest in electricity from the scheme." That ain't securing an investment. As soon as they did the most basic due diligence on Centre Port they'd shut the door on them. It's laughable. The same article: "Centre Port is now trying to raise £5m for a feasibility study." Their hundred quid of current assets won't go far. Shall we have a whip round?

I expect Centrica can afford to give them a bung though, ordinary shares valued at £364,627,475.21 if indeed they did. Could be FAKE NEWS!

Mind you, Centre Port Holdings much more impressive - incorporated as a business March 2022, value of company...a hundred quid! 😆 CENTRE PORT HOLDINGS LIMITED filing history - Find and update company information - GOV.UK (company-information.service.gov.uk)

I'm even more convinced it's a non-starter then! I mean, just look at the website, hardly professional for this day and age, links to a non-existent twitter account. I think the RSPB representative on The Farming Program was right when he said the whole thing looks like something done by contestants in the early days of "The Apprentice". Looked up the company information at companies' house for "The Wash Tidal Barrier Corporation PLC" (as listed on the website). Total net assets...two quid!🤣 THE WASH TIDAL BARRIER CORPORATION PLC filing history - Find and update company information - GOV.UK (company-information.service.gov.uk)

Is that the same company though? Peter Dawe runs that company, and I can't see any serious financiers wanting to invest in a scheme run by him, here's an article on one of his other "projects" Brexit Party candidate charging up to £100,000 a person for place at post-apocalyptic farm | The Scotsman

The surge tide of 2013 (biggest for 60 years) only came up about a third of the way of the sea wall on Holbeach Marsh, I went and saw it. I would suggest that all the countries complaining they are going to be submerged by rising sea levels build one similar. My house is 9 feet below sea level less than a mile and a half from the sea wall and I have no worries about flooding by the sea. It's another project fear to fuel the green agenda gravy train, as I have pointed out.

Personally, I believe it's a non-starter. There have been ongoing similar tidal barrier projects in Wales for some years now, none of which have come to fruition. In my opinion it's just another example of someone jumping on the "Green Energy" gravy train to get financial input to their business. Doesn't mean we can be complacent though.

Geoff Worral (of Tideline Books) wrote this in his preface to the Tideline edition of Kenzie, The Wild Goose Man. When he passed away his signed first edition of the book mentioned in the preface became available, and I obtained it a few years ago. Also with the book was a letter from Kenzie to Worral about some work he was to do for him. Interestingly he has crossed out his original street name on the letterhead and handwritten the new name of the street following a visit to him by the chap now known as King Chares the Third! Steve

Cecil is a bit of a character, he might have been just trying to flog me some expensive gun oil! Steve

Never use WD40, it's a penetrating oil and can get into the brazed joints and cause separation. I was told this by Cecil at the Gun and Tackle shop Whaplode who had in a Perazzi where the top rib had come adrift. Steve

Skeins heading west early mornings over Lincs side of The Wash not unusual now, skein of about 200 over Skegness yesterday midday (Tesco carpark to ne precise!), looked to be heading north. Steve

Just heard a small skein from my garden, I'm a mile and a half from the sea wall, Lincolnshire side of the wash. Steve