December 2009 Archives

This cute card came from The Limousin Society.

And while I'm on the subject, Happy Christmas to all Field Day readers. I'm having a short break, but will be back in the early new year...

Scientists at Kew have discovered almost 300 new species in the last year, according to this article in The Independent.

I went to Kew for the first time this year, incidentally. The Treetop Walkway is amazing...

Another nice Christmas card. This one from the Tenant Farmers Association.

My favourite card of the year. It's almost made me feel slightly Christmasy. Or maybe not...

Christmas tree news.

It might have been 6ft when they planted it out in the garden, but one family's Christmas tree is now 50ft tall. See pictures in The Daily Telegraph (click on the word 'next' above the photo to see successive pictures). 

And apparently there's a Christmas tree installation at Tate Britain which, according to The Guardian, is "unpretentious, melancholy and exact". Maybe I'm missing something here - but it just sounds like a Christmas tree to me.

I seem to be in a minority of about one because I like sprouts.

So I was interested to hear that a Kent shopkeeper has devised an ice cream made of them (it also contains chestnut puree, crushed roasted chestnuts and cranberry sauce). It's on sale at the Whitstable shop.

It seems he could be onto a winner - because the humble sprout is experiencing a renaissance, according to latest press reports.

Best not tell this navy man...

Wondering what 2010 has in store for you? Well here's my farming horoscope. Or should that be a horror-scope...

Aries 21 March - 20 April
A tall dark stranger will appear in the early summer (possibly the farm assurance inspector) and a man will come from the east bearing gifts (beware, he may well be a tractor rep from East Anglia). A new figure will become important. He is a special one. A chosen one with great powers. The bank manager. He will complain about your overdraft and speak in strange tongues. Show him your cashflows. Be calm and complimentary about his gleaming new Mercedes E-Class and don't mention bankers' bonuses.

Taurus 21 April - 21 May
The sheep will escape on the 6th May, which won't be that much of a surprise, seeing as they escape most days. Some sheep will also die on the 12 June (again, what's new?) Cut loose and be unencumbered by convention. Take your shirt off and wear shorts. Beware sunburn, though. And watch out for mice running up your legs in the harvest fields. Feed wheat will hit £150/t on 21 June, less than two days after you sold it all forward for £100/t.

Gemini 22 May - 21 June
Your split personality will be more evident that ever. Both of you may decide to open a farm shop. But you also lose concentration early so you'll both forget to staff it some days. Two tax returns will arrive accompanied by two demands for £10,000. Business will not be helped by the new lady vicar tripping on a loose tile and landing on an upturned courgette. Your border collie will bite the postman on a tender part of his anatomy in May, causing some conflict in his Uranus zone.

Cancer 22 June - 22 July
A strange alignment of the planets will cause the cat to be sick on the hall rug and you may see things in a new way (that'll be those new glasses). The wheels will come off a project - and a tractor. It'll rain hard each time you get the combine out in August. September will be a time of conflict, with the shepherd demanding a pay rise. A young person will come into your life in July. His enthusiasm will be great but his abilities small. He will break all around him. There will be a gnashing of teeth and a wailing in the morning. Yes, the harvest student has arrived.

Leo 23 July - 23 August
2010 will be a good year to tidy your life and conduct a 'life laundry'. You might as well make a start on the yard while you're at it, too. Whether it's relationships, your career or just getting on with some of that paperwork you've been putting off, it'll be a time to buckle down and complete jobs. You'll fall out with a relative over who gets to drive the combine and who has to spend nights in the drier. There'll be a gale on March 14, but you'll have bad wind for most of that month. A much longed-for envelope will arrive from the RPA. It will contain two 5-drachma pieces and a half-eaten pork pie.

Corny, cracker jokes are as much a part of Christmas as turkey and chocolate. But if you like them to have a farming theme, here are a few...

Why did the foal cough?
Because he was a little horse.

A vicar sees a young farmer struggling to load straw back onto a trailer one baking August day.
"You must be worn out, my child," he says. "Why don't you rest a minute, then I'll give you a hand."
"I better not," the young farmer replies. "The old man wouldn't like it."
"Don't worry about him," the vicar says. "Everyone should be entitled to a break."
The young farmer repeats how his father wouldn't be happy.
"He must be a real slave driver - tell me where I can find him and I'll talk to him."
"He's under that load of hay."

Why was the farmer hopping mad?
Because someone had trodden on his corn!

An old farmer and his wife were standing beside the pig-pen when the woman announces that, as the next day is their golden wedding anniversary, they should mark the milestone. "We could have a hog roast," she says. "Let's kill a pig."
The farmer hesitates, then replies: "I don't see why some poor pig should take the blame for something that happened fifty years ago."

For more jokes, click below.

A nativity scene constructed out of fruit and veg has sparked controversy on a Sussex farm.

The exhibit at Tulleys Farm has been criticised because the animals and people in the tableau are made of fruit and vegetables.

Mary and Joseph have onion heads, the three wise-men are apples and a turnip, the donkey is a potato, the sheep are cauliflowers and baby Jesus is a carrot.

I think the `vegetivity' is great - and anyone who's offended by it is probably the sort of person who spends their time looking for things to be offended about.

Here's some photos on the radio station Mercury FM's website, plus a clip of a discussion about it.

People who steal dogs are scum. No ifs, no buts. Scum.

So it was horrible to hear that a friend of mine had her car broken into and her dog stolen recently.

Archie is a black cocker spaniel and he was taken on 11 December from a locked car in Ticehurst, East Sussex.

The thieves smashed a window and took a crow-bar to the car to get him out.

The inside of his left ear is tattooed with TC2966, his tail is docked and he is intact.

There is a substantial reward on offer - far greater than his market value.

If you've got any information you can ring this number (anonymously if you'd prefer). 07970 521956.

The NFU has a reputation for being a serious organisation that champions British farming and provides professional representation for its members.

But it is good to see that staff don't take themselves too seriously - as this Christmas themed song illustrates.

It is NFU staff members singing their own version of The 12 days of Christmas' but with the words changed so it becomes "The 12 foods of Christmas'.

You can listen to the song in full on the UK Turkey website (sadly it is too large to upload here) or if you just want a taste of the lyrics here is what happens on the Fifth Day of Christmas:

On the fifth day of Christmas,
my farmer gave to me
Five Mince Pies,
Four Roasted Spuds,
Three Christmas Puddings,
Two Mulled Wines,
And A big fat juicy turkey!

Am I just feeling festive (and therefore charitable), or is this so bad, it is good?

This is a good idea - thousands of free meals will be given away in central London later today, as campaigners highlight the issue of food waste. The ingredients will be misshapen products, donated by farmers, which were thought unsuitable for sale by supermarkets. Here's what the Evening Standard has to say about it.

It's happening in Trafalgar Square - which is where I was recently for the 'farming on the plinth' exhibition.

Before you think I'm getting too festive with the talk of reindeer, here's a recipe for cooking the creatures.

Despite my best attempts to the contrary (which include tuttting at neighbours' Christmas lights and complaining about shoppers' madness on the high street) I'm beginning to feel slightly Christmasy. So I was interested to read this article in The Independent about the UK's only herd of wild reindeer.

This is why it's great to be British - because we host such events as the World Pie Eating Championships.

Barry Rigby took the honours by scoffing a meat-and-potato pie in 43 seconds at the Wigan venue.

"I am a big pie fan," he later told the press. "I eat between 10 and 20 a week at least."

The pies are 12 centimetres wide by 3.5 centimetres deep and must have a 66 percent meat content.

But the competition, which started in 1992, did not pass off without controversy, as this report in The Guardian explains.

One of the guys I mentioned in connection with the RSPB photography competition in Northern Ireland, Warren McConnaughie, has sent us this lovely picture. He's called it 'Dinner Time'.

Do you have a special marmalade recipe? Maybe a secret one that's been in the family for generations? If so, you might want to know there's a prestigious marmalade prize up for grabs in January.

A big marmalade festival is taking place in Cumbria on February 14, which includes a competition to find the best marmalades in the world, with 11 home-cook categories plus one for artisan makers.

Organiser of the competition Jane Hasell-McCosh, says: "January is the best time of year to make marmalade, as that is when Seville oranges are in season. We are sure that farms will submit some excellent marmalades and would encourage them to use the Christmas break to plan their category and entry."

More evidence of how strange people can be when it comes to animals.

The RSPCA have released details of some of the calls they've received in 2009.

One punter rang their emergency line to say a seagull was looking sad because it was sitting in the rain.

Others asked for help getting a spider out of her sink, complaining that a neighbouring farm smelt, and asking for advice because a cat wasn't purring.

More photos. After the Landscape Photographer of the Year comp, here are some from a National Trust comp which are on The Times's site.

And this Friday we'll be announcing the six winning photos of the shortlisted 72 in the Farmers Weekly photography competition.

Talking of pets, those clever people over at New Scientist have done an analysis of whether dogs or cats are superior. Fascinating stuff - but I'm afraid I disageree wholeheartedly with the result.

There's an interesting Christmas food Q & A with one of my favourite chefs, Michel Roux, in The Independent today...

One of the first fish I ever caught was a pike.

It only weighed three or four pounds, but I was nine so it seemed like a monster. I can still remember the sense of pride I got when, that night, we eat it. I don't remember it being particularly nice, but I'm told pike has come back into fashion these days and is enjoyed by such respected chefs as Clarissa Dickson Wright and Hugh Fearnley-Eat-it-all.

Bad news for many, then, because the Environment Agency is planning new byelaws which would make it illegal to keep coarse fish - such as pike, perch and carp - kept by rod and impose a maximum penalty of £50,000.

Essex Young Farmers will be performing Aladdin this Christmas at Chelmsford High School for Girls in Essex.

It'll be acted, directed, choreographed and produced entirely by members - and is just one of many fundraising events they hold throughout the year.

Some nice wildlife photos on the Guardian's website, too...

After the guinea pigs calendar, I've just come across this ferrets go fishing one. It's fab. 

And while we're on the subject of these pesky little critters, do take a look at this photo of one which has been entered for the Farmers Weekly 2009 Photography Competition.

The lifesize Aberdeen Angus bull sculpure I mentioned a while back now has pride of place above the entrance to the Sanderson Shopping Arcade in Morpeth.

After its patina was finished by Richard Clarke from Chichester, the bull was packed on a wagon and driven to the Northumberland town.

It took 10 men to manhandle him, hoisting him up with straps.

Sculptor Judy Boyt planned to watch the animal winched into his lofty spot, but the crane arrived before her and the men were keen to get on, so she ended up missing it.

The bull is the talk of the town. Apparently, the size of its testicles is a particularly popular subject of conversation.

"But several farmers came up to me and congratulated me on getting them absolutely right!" says Judy. 

"Loose and bold, recording a story behind the animal," is how Judy describes her style.

"As an artist working on any commission, you eat, sleep, and live sculpture all the while until you have it in place." 

Joanna Lumley, who was present at the official opening, revealed that she has an interest in the bull as her great grandfather was a pedigree Aberdeen Angus breeder in Tilyfour in the 1800s. She named the Morpeth bull 'The Black Prince'.

More pictures below.

And while we're on the subject of rural services - here's a story in The Daily Mirror about a school with more teachers than pupils.

It's just occurred to me that I haven't had any pictures of cats in flowerpots on Field Day for a long time. So there's one above and a link to another one.

Interesting story on the BBC about a pig farmer-cum-art collector.

His favourite artist is Peter Howsen. Personally, I find his stuff a bit grim...

It's that time of year again, we've all started thinking about turkeys - and a great site to look at is UK Turkeys.

As well as information, recipes and a list of outlets, there's some fun stuff including a 'gobble gobble' ringtone, a '12 foods of Christmas' song, a turkey 'Gobbler' game and some (very corny) cracker-eque jokes.

The Ceremony of Christmas Cheeses at the Royal Hospital Chelsea saw Chelsea Pensioners standing shoulder-to-shoulder with troops bound for Afghanistan.

Among the Pensioners welcoming TA soldiers Lance Corporal George Anderson and Private Ben Gorringe to the hospital was 94-year-old World War II veteran Bill Moylon, who helped build the Bridge on the River Kwai while held a prisoner of war.

Every year British cheesemakers donate cheese to pensioners, a tradition that began in 1692 when the hospital asked a local cheesemonger to provide them with some as a Christmas treat.

This year, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Dairy Council supporting the ceremony, cheesemakers decided to pay tribute to the bravery of young men and women who continue to serve.

George Anderson, a 31-year-old estate agent said: "It makes you feel very proud to be doing your bit for your country when standing alongside brave and dignified Chelsea Pensioners, especially when you consider the conditions that they suffered and the length of their campaigns. We are on tour for six months whilst they were away and uncontactable for years."

Best of luck to vets Jim Houlton and Paul Milnthorp who are setting off this weekend on their incredible rowing challenge.

Heat, seasickness, alternate bouts of two hours sleep and two hours rowing, powdered food and the possibility of being blown off course will be just a few of the challenges they'll face.

They're attempting to cover the 2,935 miles (2,500 nautical miles) from La Gomera in the Canaries to Antigua in 55 days (it could take as long as 90 days) in their boat called The Reason Why.

Best of luck to vets Jim Houlton and Paul Milnthorp who are setting off this weekend on their incredible rowing challenge.

Heat, seasickness, alternate bouts of two hours sleep and two hours rowing, powdered food and the possibility of being blown off course will be just a few of the challenges they'll face.

They're attempting to cover the 2,935 miles (2,500 nautical miles) from La Gomera in the Canaries to Antigua in 55 days (it could take as long as 90 days) in their boat called The Reason Why.

We've featured farming-themed weddings on Field Day before - well here's one with a distinctly agricultural dimension. This was the cake at Richard Corbridge and Hayley McLeod's wedding in Bakewell, Derbyshire, recently...

TB has been back in the new this morning - because a scholar has claimed it may have killed Jane Austen.

The writer's death in 1817 was thought to have been a result of Addison's disease, a rare disorder of the adrenal glands.

But an expert in Addison's, Katherine White, has claimed that the symptoms Austen described are more likely to have been attributable to bovine tuberculosis, then common and often contracted from drinking unpasteurised milk.

Austen, who was was 41 when she died, often wrote about ill health and hypochondria, including in Pride and Prejudice.

And here, for Field Day's lady readers, is a photo of Mr Darcy...