Jim Neal

😂😂 You've got a sharp tongue today!

I've given that my best shot but it's written in a style that's not particularly easy to read. The words seem to bounce off my eyes! There are parts of it that seem a little biased, and also parts which seem to be opinion offered rather than raw facts. Thanks though, it was interesting to read even if it's a little long-winded! 👍

You gave him the best life anyone can give a dog. The pain of losing them never really goes away but the happy memories last forever. Rest easy now lad.

The problem is this: Many people who only shoot feel that fox hunting is like someone drowning, grabbing on to their leg so they drown too. A lot of people in shooting don't feel any connection to fox hunting and don't wish to be "tarred with the same brush" so to speak. The brutal truth is that hunting foxes on horseback with packs of hounds was no longer able to justify itself. At the moment, shooting birds with guns is (just about) able to justify itself because it is "producing food" but that argument is consistently undermined by the antics of some individuals and shoots. I fear it won't be long. My son is 5 years old and I can't imagine him being an old man who shoots game and pigeons. By then it will probably be made law you have to hug a bunny at bedtime.

Possibly the same shop my Dad, after much badgering, bought my fishing "starter kit" consisting of crappy little fibreglass rod and cheapo reel! I think he got me half a pint of maggots and we used a scavenged ring pull off a drinks can as a bite indicator! I vaguely remember Aira Force, it made a mist that got you wet even standing some distance away.

You're missing a trick here mate. When they've got marigolds on, hands in the bowl, they can't fight you off so easily. Works best after beer #4 Disconnect the machine

Who are "we" ? That's the question. Many people assume that shooting and fox hunting automatically belong in the same box - it's the same people doing the same thing. That opinion is held by people involved in those activities and also people who campaign against them. There are lots of people who shoot who feel no affinity whatsoever to the hunting fraternity, and vice-versa. This debate has been done to death, it always goes round in circles and ends up in stalemate! "We" are "people who kill animals for sport", that's the bare truth of it.

Some good family friends used to have the guest house called Mosscrag in Glenridding. I'm not sure if this is its official title but the beck running alongside the road was called "Rattlebeck" because when it carried lots of flood water you could hear, and even feel through the ground, the rocks rattling along its bed! We visited a fair few times and I've seen it in full flood. I wouldn't want to fall over that wall into it. I can understand why the EA would not be very happy with someone setting about it with diggers because surely that would have destroyed all the character of the beck? I have memories of playing in there as a youngster, with a fishing net, jumping from rock to rock trying not to fall in. I rarely came back with dry shoes 😅 I caught my first ever fish on the banks of Ullswater just along from the mouth of that beck - a brown trout just about legal size to take. I have very fond memories of Glenridding

The Environment Agency, both now and in their previous guise as the National Rivers Authority, carry out the exact same process to watercourses in the name of flood prevention. The only difference is that this landowner has probably made a much better job of it.

Of course, you're absolutely right - what's being taken in shouldn't be slowed down, otherwise it may lead to avoidable loss of life. I'm pondering whether the airlift effort could be increased to make extra capacity to evacuate. I'm thinking of it from the other direction: if extra aircraft were sent over to evacuate people, they could take some goods with them on the way there, thus increasing the aid sent over! I think it's pretty plain to see though that the UK government at least is not interested in opening the flood gates to refugees at this moment in time. I think they're happy to let Poland and Slovenia deal with it for the time being. Quite possibly the UK is more able to supply more hardware than Ukraine's nearest neighbours so each plays their strongest card I suppose. Not sure if you've misunderstood me, I didn't mean the aircraft should fly in to Ukraine; the airfields they're currently using must only be within 30 miles or so of the border.

I know exactly what you mean and I was thinking along those lines. I can fully imagine the massive extra amount of time it would take to herd people aboard at one end and then get them off at the other. And that’s not even considering what the hell you’re going to do with them at the other end. Maybe they should hire in some of the recently redundant Ryanair and EasyJet staff who could expedite the process? They can turn round a 737 shipping boozed-up scousers back and forth from Tenerife in less time than an F1 pit stop! I struggle to imagine that the current airlift efforts into Eastern Europe, maybe a dozen planes in the air at a time during day hours, is the maximum combined capacity of all the western countries currently active in supplying aid. That’s my feeling. I know there’s a large chunk of reality getting in the way of that ideal scenario!

Here's a thing to ponder over. I've been watching one of the flight radar websites with much interest, seeing what military planes are where. At any one time there seems to be in excess of 10 or 15 military transport/freighters (C-17 Globemasters, C-130 Hercules and Boeing passenger-type jets) travelling over Europe, doing round trips to Eastern Poland and Romania not far from the Ukraine border. They're British, Canadian, Italian and American planes (also, a U.S. Stratotanker flying out of Mildenhall seems to be keeping the big boys topped up). I'm presuming these must be the deliveries of "aid" in whatever form from the western countries, shipped by air to the nearest viable place and then transported over ground into Ukraine. So are these planes coming back empty? I know it's a very simplistic view but surely if people desperately need evacuating from the region there would be scope to get them on those planes for the return trip. Probably a paperwork thing.

Might not do the car engine any favours running on jet fuel but would be interesting to see it take off! 😅

No space, too much rice & pasta in the boot... I just paid £0.95/L for LPG at a local independent place, I think Morrison's still has it at around £0.75/L but it's a much longer drive.

Absolutely no signs of petrol station stupidity round here up until now. I've been and filled up all 3 vehicles and 6 jerry cans just in case. 😂

Friends with benefits. A smart arrangement 😉

Wow, that's a bit of an Achilles' Heel 😦 explosive projectiles bounce off them but they get wiped out by a stove 🤔 It will be interesting to see if there's any reliable info as to whether the petrol bombs have indeed disabled any of the Russian armour. It looked quite tanky to me!

What impresses me the most about that is the coordination and accuracy of the many cocktail throwers - they got it bang on! Unfortunately if the video had continued for another 20 seconds we'd see the petrol soon burn off and there will be no harm done to the tank other than a bit of cosmetic difference. Good morale-boosting propaganda for the Ukrainians though

Yes. I'd guess there needs to be a good mixture of other attractive habitat rather than just the grass on its own.... and of course the birds need to be there in the first place!

What about Bottas, he's a good guy. Couldn't overtake a moped though!

Lloyd if you were nearer to me I'd be happy to dig you up as much of that stuff as you can carry. When it's allowed light it gets very dense and makes great flushing cover. Work a couple of dogs through a big patch of it and the birds pop up literally from all over the place, it's good stuff for rough shooting over

Absolutely. I keep one feeder going in each drive until at least April but it sometimes depends on how much wheat we have left over at the end of the season. I've got my feeders very well vermin-proofed and keep the squirrels down so it goes quite a long way. Takes a lot of effort though!

Good job 👍 Post some pics!

I'm not a Fernando fan, due to things way back in the past, but I have respect for him as a driver. He is aggressive but fair when he senses he can challenge the cars in front, and when defending too. When he's in the mix he spices things up, so having him there makes for good entertainment. I'd liken him to the Black Knight - he has to be there for the show to happen but you always want the good guy to beat him. I've just thought... Lewis is black and he's also a Knight so that kind of screws up my theory a bit, but you know what I mean 😂

That's more of an elephant tunnel than a duck tube 😄 I think your trouble would be making it so the nesting material stayed in place, the wind will just blow it out. Plus it won't look too pretty.... I used the available material I had to hand, which was 1" gauge chicken wire. It's not the best because it's too squashy - the tubes end up flattening so I'd definitely recommend going for weldmesh as per the way they do it on the video.