adzyvilla

I used to go with a mate, every year (for 7 years) from 2001. I did go again a few years ago, but it wasn't the same going without my friend. The way we did it was quite simple, but also a bit dodgy. We both bought a season ticket (every frame of every game on one half of the draw) and we both had our favourite players, so sometimes we would get the same half, sometimes different. These season tickets also included all the semis and the final. We would then decide which games we wanted to see (sometimes I would only go and see one session) and so we would book the time off work and book a hotel (usually the cutlers as it was 2 minutes from the crucible) and the train there and back. Now for the dodgy bit. All the games we didn't want to see, we put on ebay (you used to be able to resell tickets on there in those days). World snooker used to send individual paper tickets for every session in a season ticket, rather than just one ticket for the whole tournament, so it was very easy. The buyer just had to pretend to be either me of my mate. Most years we made so much money reselling that it paid for the season tickets, the hotel and the train, so we went for free! Best part was, you became a preferential fan after buying one season ticket, so we always got one offered to us each before the rest of the tickets went on general sale. It's all changed now of course and you can't do it like that any more. Getting married stopped me going in the end. I saw some absolutely amazing games in that time, met all the great players, had a few drinks with them too, even played a couple of frames with Jimmy White one year in the exhibition hall. We never got closer than row 5. Most of the centre section of the seating (directly in front of the tables) is reserved for world snooker employees and sponsors (such as embassy as it was back then) and the rest of the closest seats are for hospitality (maybe first 3 rows), so it's no surprise you see the same faces on the TV at games. We met so many of the same people there year after year, I should imagine that very few tickets ever come up for general sale that the occasional fan can get.

Spoilt ballots are counted and officially recorded, but the numbers do not have to be made public. My wife has just got back from counting votes here in norfolk for the day.

In the clean room, we will regularly mess with each others toolboxes. It's common to come back from lunch and find it covered in masking tape, or empty with all your tools laid out on your bench, or padlocked with someone else's lock. We also have fun with the vaccum lines, and if anything is left lying around that shouldn't be, it's often to be found vac'd down, items including a cycle helmet, shoes and someones lunch have had the 15psi treatment. Not long after I started, I got in one morning to find the job I had been working on had been put in a vat of water and placed into the industrial freezer (-40) overnight to freeze into a solid block of ice. Had to go into the oven for a few hours to defrost. Hilarious.

I totally agree. We (as country sports enthusiasts) have been on the back foot for years constantly having to give ground and keep the peace, not making any waves whilst our opponents pick off bits of our legally enjoyed past times. We have to play by the rules whilst being harassed and even trying to defend ourselves seems to be viewed by some as too aggressive an approach. It's high time our organisations stuck up for us. Public opinion is often misrepresented by our opponents as a stick to beat us with. From conversations with work colleagues or friends, most couldn't care either way what we do, there is just a very vocal minority out there causing trouble.

That was my best guess too, those pigeons are obviously seeing something I'm not!

Not a lot about in my neck of the woods either (mid Norfolk). Thought there would be some good sport on the flailed maize strips but very little activity when I have had time and my scouts tell me the supply of birds has dried up all around. Oddly enough, the only places I've seen any real numbers seems to be on rough grassy areas and field margins. Walking the dog early yesterday morning, I put 30 or 40 up off on the scoots of a big ploughed field. Closer inspection yielded no real explanation for them being there and not on nearby osr/drillings. Very odd.

1981 Mk1 golf gti. Bought from a scrap yard with no engine but good bodywork when I was 16. Engine and gearbox bought the following year and fitted by me over the summer amongst other things. Dad put it through an mot for me as a present for passing my test and I promptly drove it into a wall a few days later. My friend bought it off me as his project car for college and he did a first class job of restoring it and still owns it over 20 years later.

Swb shogun

I was merely pointing out that I'm not keen on my council lying about why they are raising taxes. I am fully aware that central government have cut funding for all sorts of local services. I would rather Norfolk had just called it a council pensions surcharge which is what it is. As it goes I don't think anyone would mind paying more for genuine services be they social care, housing or buses.

In Norfolk, they couldn't put the council tax up enough so they added an extra separate payment for 'adult social care'. But funnily enough, they still cut the funding for such things despite the extra income. Much the same as everyone else, services decline but tax goes up every year. Norfolk county council has an eyewatering pensions liability which will only get bigger and the poor unfortunate inhabitants are forced to pay. Much like the TV licence, council tax demands are becoming unsustainable, and they will eventually be forced to find a fairer means of funding local services.

Most enjoyable for me was my five years at bisley shooting ground as a groundsman. Sometimes hard, sometimes frustrating but with lots of good times and good people to work with. Went from there straight into another good job as a gfw/maintenance man on a hobby farm for a very wealthy family. No two days the same and had a lot of freedom as the boss was out of the country for over half a year. Gave it up to do very boring but well paying work in Motorsport.

I'm hoping to have an afternoon decoying on the flailed maize once the estate boys finally get round to it. Very lazy this year.

So, it looks like the end of the road for roost shooting this year. The unseasonable weather and wary pigeons made for a very frustrating afternoon. The rugby being on and Norwich playing at home meant we had a few less shooters out this afternoon and we suspected a difficult time ahead. I made my way to the usual place and dad decided to head over the river to the big wood to help fill a gap. Sounded like we had about 3 other lads out, but the banging was very sporadic and all seemed to be centred in the village end of the estate. I started well taking a snap shot through the trees that sent a pigeon spiralling down into the ditch at the edge of the wood. A flock went over very high just after but well out of range for me, they didn't seem to want to stop either so I settled in. Nothing for 20 minutes or more and frustration started to creep in. Whoever was in the wood far to my right seemed to be in the birds as a steady stream of doubles sounded out. My chance came when a single pigeon made to land just ahead of me. I fired twice and hit it with my second shot, but it limped off to crash out in the rape field to the east side. That noise made a pair of pigeons who had snuck in behind me take flight and I had time to get off my third cartridge but missed. Chances were few and far between after that and what I saw were high, wide and very wary. I decided to collect my meagre bounty and went rooting through the rape. Found it after much head scratching on the headland, a long way away from where I thought it had come down. Dad wandered over just after 5 saying he'd had enough, hadn't fired a shot (not even the obligatory crow) so we called it a day. I cut some sticks to put away for beating next season, as I probably won't be back here now until the first shoot day in November. Roll on decoying!

The village where I grew up had 4 pubs up until very recently. There is now only one proper pub, one is now a gastro pub, one a Thai restaurant and the last one closed down when the owner died and there is a big battle going on over its future. They all used to be busy and the remaining ones still are. On the plus side, the sports and social club has reopened after several years. I moved away a few years ago but still return from time to time to see my mates. My new home has over 10 pubs within walking distance so we are still well served, but there used to be over 40 in the local area.

I'll be out definitely. It usually tails off here at the end of the month, but some years back we were getting decent bags into the back end of march. Then it's back to reality. I would like to do a bit more decoying this year but work and family are always getting in the way of my fun.....

There are virtually none here in my part of mid Norfolk, has been the same for about 5 years. They did show signs of rallying last year with increased digging activity but that ended in the autumn. A bit further afield, during the season out beating I saw the odd one or two pushed out of cover but no where near what you used to see. On one of my permissions on the border with Suffolk, he reckons he's never seen so many and is out lamping them himself most nights. I might go ferreting there next weekend.

Not so windy conditions this time out, but a group of 30-40 pigeons moved off as we arrived gave us hope that the afternoon might be a busy one. Weather forecast promised 10-15mph southerly winds and partial cloud, so conditions were set to be good. Lots of banging around and about as the more enthusiastic lads were already out, and it sounded like a good turn out with several woods not covered last week now occupied. Dad took the opportunity to do a bit of training with his spaniel so didn't have his gun this time, relying on me to provide retrievals (possibly a mistake...). I had the semi out again today after a decent showing last week. It started slowly with ones and twos coming over but out of range for me, but a couple came in to a sitty poplar at the edge and I managed to hit one but missed the other with my last two shots and it flew away unharmed. The downed bird fell into thick ivy below it and hung up, so I left it for the moment hoping it would fall in time. The promised breeze never materialised, save for the odd gust and the birds just weren't there in the numbers we saw last week. I shot another two for several shots but only fired a total of 12 cartridges at pigeons in a disappointing afternoon. Young Teal the spaniel got to make a couple of retrieves and did well, but needs a lot of obedience work before she can be relied upon. Whether or not dad has the patience for this remains to be seen. Decided to pack it in early and had to shoot the hung up pigeon down. Hopefully next week will be better. Not sure what the other lads were shooting at all afternoon, as a call to the keeper later that evening had him scratching his head too.

It's been well used, and it shows. It started not firing the second barrel occasionally which didn't bother me enough to get it sorted, but it got to the point where it never fired the second so now it's getting sorted. No idea what's wrong though. Hope it's not too bad, I love that gun, it's like a part of me. I enjoy the challenge of really windy days. Cheers marsh man Well If I don't have a total mare I'll do another one next week...

I never know if people want to read these things. Thanks jdog!

Evening all. I don't normally post much but I think I'd like to share my outing with you Had an interesting afternoon in my favourite wood in 30+ mph winds. Last weekend was a bust after gun trouble, so first proper go this year. Strong flight lines with big numbers of birds moving through well into dusk. A good turn out from the other lads meant most of the surrounding woods were occupied to keep the bulk of the local population on the move. Father up the other end of the wood in the conifers, me in the poplars in the teeth of the gale, the scene was set for a busy afternoon. Took the semi auto for a change with my browning in the smiths for repairs. Couple of boxes of cartridges in my pockets, settled in about 2:45 and within minutes my first shot high and wide resulted in a downed woodie. Pure luck, as my subsequent half dozen failed to connect. Lots of traffic in the first half hour and another 3 in the bag for 5 shots and I'm getting into a good rhythm. A pause to collect the dead and pick up the empties (most of which have gone in the ditch). Change of tack and I moved to a different position after noting a lot of activity about 30 yards further up the wood. Nothing for a while, but then a pair for 2 shots in quick succession. Very exposed here and I feel like I'm being seen, with a few misses and lots of startled birds so edging back to my usual place I bag a another as I arrive which I moved from a sitty tree. A bit of a lull as the distant shots from other woods dry up, but sounds of a pair of approaching jays keep my attention, so I concentrate on them as they make their way up the wood towards me, only to break out across to the next belt about 50 yards away. As the light starts to fail, I can hear dad having a good go as the birds come in to the firs to roost, but I'm not finished yet, and get another singleton, a shot I was really pleased with being a good 40 yards and with the wind. A movement to my right catches my eye... Squirrel! 3 shots brings him down, but not out and he makes a break for it while I reload. Not quick enough though as my first hastily stuffed cartridge bowls him over on the ground and he's finally still. Getting dark now so I decide to call it a day and head back to the car, not before dropping a box of carts out of my pocket which go everywhere. Dad managed 6 for 12 shots including the now obligatory carrion crow (every time, I'm sure he just brings the same one with him every Saturday). Looking forward to next weekend when hopefully I'll have the browning back although I did well enough with the auto.

5 years out of the last 6 in it has snowed on cock day. We had 2 days back to back this year and it was a fantastic turn out on two very cold days and the bag of 168 on day 1 and 159 on day 2 did us proud. Shame I forgot how to shoot on the first day and spent most of it bothering clouds. Made up for it on the second day. Bring on the roost shooting!

I'd love to do more shooting this year, but I said that last year and ended up doing more or less the same as previous years. Pigeon wise, I tend to get out doing as much as I can in February, roost and decoying, then as the roost shooting dies down, I do less and less and by may, the guns are put away until November. Had my first go out on the foreshore last month, and this has awakened my hunger for more wildfowling, so I might see about a membership. Our guide was excellent, worth it for his breakfast alone! Step up the training of my dog, prepare her for more work next season.

Rockall?

Just purchased a 12 bore armsan a612 28" in synthetic black. Had choice of that and a hatsan escort. Wasn't much between them really, but I preferred the soft touch finish on the armsan. Very pleased with it so far, but will need a bit of extra length on the stock before it fits.

What a little smasher 👍