January 2010 Archives

Birds are in the news today.

There's an owl in trouble over its noisy attempts to attract a mate, while a nationwide count this weekend will attempt to measure how badly birds have been hit by the bad winter. More people than ever before, it seems, have been putting out food for our feathered friends this year - which is good news for the birds and, indeed, for opportunists such as Bracken.

Cute pet time.

The dog above comes from Francis Pawle of Bruisyard in Suffolk. "Full of classic terrier traits, Piglet is an extremely energetic and bossy three-year-old Jack Russell cross," he says. "Originally a rescue dog, her typical day now involves chasing startled pheasants, mice or her own tail."

The cat below comes from Lizzy Collins of Weston-sub-Edge in Gloucestershire.

Never thought I'd see a government minister posing as a rapper.

To be fair, it is for a good cause. Here's Northern Ireland's Minister of Ag and Rural Development, Michelle Gildernew, with the microphone at the launch of a Breakfast Rap children's competition.

The contest is calling on kids to write a fun and informative rap song which celebrates breakfast and Northern Ireland food. She's pictured here with Ulster Farmers Union Seeds and Cereals Committee Member Tim McClelland, and youngsters Scott Aston and Nadine Shirlow. 

Today's cat is Boris.

According to owner Chris Archer of Hulland Ward in Derbyshire, Brois likes going for walks with the dog, climbing trees and roofs and anything else he can find that's dangerous.

"He's very friendly, but can't purr and sometimes likes to bite me," says Chris.

For fear of being accused of animal favouritism, I'm posting a cute cat and a cute dog photo today.

Felix (seen trying to help propagate some hyacinth bulbs) belongs to Chris and Pat Howland of Pagans Hill near Bristol.

Seeing as we're on a roll with pet photos, I thought I'd share this one with you. It was sent in by Maurene Morris and shows her son Michael and his hamster Bender (aka the Mad Mouse).

"We got Michael the hamster to replace his sister as she was going away to university - and for some reason our daughter thinks this is an insult," laughs Maurene from South Kyme Fen in Lincolnshire.

"On the night I took the photograph, Michael insisted on releasing Bender, thinking that it was hysterical to wind his mother up with a hamster running loose in the sitting room."

Some deer news.

I was surprised (OK, a little disturbed) to read about this couple in America who have a pet deer. You're probably wondering: What's so unusual about that? Well, this one lives indoors, is toilet trained and eats linguine.

Also, an albino deer has been spotted in the Italian countryside. Maybe he's related to Dorking's famous (now-deceased) albino squirrel.

With just two days to go before the voting closes, the contenders are frantically trying to whip up support.

Tori Fairey and Anna Simpson have even managed to get themselves into newspapers in a bid to take this coveted title, while Joe Tyson is set to make an appearance on Radio York in the next day or so.

Channel 5 - obviously short of people to interview - have asked me to go on TV to talk about the competition (I'm not, I should point out, a competitor).

Anyone doubting that farmers are sexy, should check out this piece in today's Independent - it reckons Stone Age farmers from the Middle East were a big hit with Western European women.

See the shortlisted 10 and cast your vote.

The first new vegetable to hit the shelves in almost a decade is due to go on sale in M&S next week.

Just don't tell Wayne Keble...

The photos of cats on bird tables has prompted a flurry of great pet pictures.

Thanks to Ian and Julia Hawley of Brentingby in Leicestershire for showing us this adorable pair.

It's Mr Toon (aka Toony) and black lab Bracken. 

Toony is a 16-year-old neutered tom who Julia's had since a kitten.

Apparently, he divides his time between mousing and snoozing - the latter preferably in a sunny spot in the garden or, in winter, on a bed.

"Although they are best friends, he is the boss of Bracken and the younger farm moggy, Tiger Frosty, who lives outside," says Julia.

"He can wrap my husband, Ian, round his little finger with his assorted demands for food, being let in, being let out, or getting the prime spot for a snooze on his lap. He is an affectionate and very individual little chap who is greatly loved!"

The picture below shows Toony after an obviously productive hunting session...

He's been dubbed "Britain's most unlikely millionaire" - but farmer Fred Johnson is waiting with bated breath to hear the outcome of a campaign which could determine the fate of the Staffordshire Hoard.

This was the biggest-ever find of Anglo-Saxon gold - and it was discovered on his land near Brownhills, Walsall, last year.

This new public appeal has been launched in a bid to raise the £3m-plus needed to buy the artefacts and keep them in the Midlands, rather than see them split up and sold on the open market.

The hoard, which comprises 1800 items and has been buried for 1300 years, was valued at £3.3m last November - money is set to be shared by Fred and the metal detectorist who made the discovery.

Historian David Starkey described it as "entirely male gangland bling", adding: "This is the Rolex watch and gold chains of a gang leader."

Here are some pictures which appeared on Field Day last year shortly after the hoard's discovery.

And there is an interesting piece in The Times about Fred's first visit to see the items unearthed on his farm.

I'm looking forward to the new series of MasterChef, which starts next month.

To whet your appetite (no pun intended) here's an interview in yesterday's Observer with John Torode.

Co-presenter Gregg Wallace, meanwhile, has opened a London cafe, Wallace & Co, where he'll be dishing up veg grown on his Surrey farm.

Well done to Alastair who made it through last night's So You Think You Can Dance.

The farmer's son's routine was fab, although it was a bit nerve-racking as he ended up in the dance-off. His Facebook fan page has already got nearly 600 members...

I also loved Tommy and Charlie's dance.

Don't forget to watch So You Think You Can Dance tomorrow night at 6.30pm on BBC1.

I've just been chatting to the farming contestant, Alastair Postlethwaite, as he grabbed a few minutes' break from rehearsals - and I'll definitely be voting for him.

Alastair's a real-life Billy Elliot, having attended dance classes by chance as a boy (a mate happened to go, so he tagged along) only to find his prodigious natural talent took him to the Royal Ballet School at the age of 11.

"I live in the middle of a farming community in Lancashire," says the 28-year-old, who's made it to the finals of this nationwide contest offering the winner £100,000 and the chance to dance in Hollywood.

Presented by Cat Deeley and featuring 'Nasty' Nigel Lythgoe as one of the judges, the show sees contestants attempting to master different dance styles each week.

"Nigel calls me farmer boy, but I'm proud of it," laughs Alastair.

"I was born to be a dancer," he adds. "Whether it is ten people in a studio or ten million, it makes no difference to me!

"I absolutely love what I'm doing at the moment, but I also love going home. London's too busy!"

Alastair, who'll be performing the Cha Cha Cha with Mandy on this week's show, reckons he nearly didn't apply for SYTYCD. "I only auditioned on a whim. And I felt sick with excitement when I heard I'd got through!"

The experience is, he says, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in terms of the exposure it brings and will help his dancing as he could face styles as varied as hip-hop, jazz, Broadway and lyrical, along with the chance to work with world-class choreographers and mentors.

He's picked up a lot of supporters and his routines are popular with the live audience (his mum and dad are travelling down from Sollom to support him).

The world's oldest dog, a dachshund cross terrier, has died.

Otto had to be put down just short of what would have been his 21st birthday (making him 146 in dog years).

Devastated owners Peter and Lynn Jones from Shrewsbury have received condolences from the Guinness Book of Records, who gave the sausage dog his title last October. Otto had to be put down after he developed a stomach tumour.

Peter told the press: "It's devastating. He was like a son. My wife is still crying."

The couple put the dog's long life down to "plenty of love, plenty of good food and regular check-ups at the vet's".

The oldest dog of all-time, Aussie sheepdog Bluey, lived to 29.

There are pictures of Otto on the Daily Mail website.

Snow prompts animals to show considerable ingenuity when it comes to finding food - and this cat, Bracken, is certainly showing initiative.

"I don't know how she managed to get up there - but I think she was waiting expectantly, hoping for a bird to hop into her mouth," says Vicki Poole of Enville in the West Midlands, who sent me the lovely picture.

Bracken was originally found abandoned in a hedge with her brother, who was given the name Bramble.

Seeing this picture made me think of another cat that adopted similar tactics...

And while we're on the subject of dogs, look at these two little fellows. Can't make my mind up whether they're incredibly cute or disgustingly ugly.

Also, an interesting piece on the BBC about pet grief (that's us grieving after they die, not the other way round. Obviously).

As someone who's been to Crufts on a few occasions, I've been following the controversy over pedigree dog breeding with interest.

I'm going to the Independent Inquiry into the Breeding of Dogs report launch tomorrow, but The Telegraph is outlining some of its recommendations today.

The claims of 'mutant' inbreeding prompted the BBC to drop its Crufts coverage last year and even resulted in EastEnders coming in for criticism.

It's back. Lots of us woke up to snow again this morning. According to the BBC, much of the country has been hit. And residents of this village will presumably be hoping the cold weather doesn't prompt another invasion of wild pigs...

I came into the office again this morning to find everyone talking about Preston lad Alastair Postlethwaite.

As you'll remember, the 28-year-old - who's from a farming background - is competing in So You Think You Can Dance.

Alastair entered the world of dancing as a youngster when he insisted on following his then-best friend along to Saturday morning ballet classes.

After graduating, he performed in Swan Lake on a European, UK and West End tour and he's also been in Cabaret with Wayne Sleep.

He told the local press: "Half of the family are basically farmers and the other half of the family are mechanics - so I decided to become a ballet dancer! It seemed like the obvious thing to do!"

He's even got a Facebook fan page.

This all rather reminds me of The Barrow Boys' bid to win last year's Britain's Got Talent.

Some bird news. A couple of great pictures of bald eagles in today's Telegraph and the incredible story of the Arctic tern's migration in The Independent.

Here's an original idea - apple crisps.

They're made using home-grown apples hand-picked on the Fermor family's farm in Kent. Once picked the apples are washed, cored, sliced, dried and packaged to create this healthy snack.

"Obesity levels have reached an all time high," says Charlie Fermor. "My aim was to create a healthy snack that could replace the standard crisps that, at the same time, appealed to consumers of all ages. Apple Crisps are the perfect answer for everyone who pledged to lose weight in 2010."

A farmer's son from Lancashire is competing in the BBC talent show, So You Think You Can Dance.

Alastair Postlethwaite won his place as one of finalists in this nationwide contest, which features Nigel Lythgoe and Arlene Philips as judges.

Alastair went to the world-famous Royal Ballet School in London when he was 11 and now is hoping to win the hearts of the public and the judging panel in this primetime Saturday night dance competition.

Here's some more information about him on the BBC website and on Digital Spy. 

Farming people have a good track record on TV - remember Mark Evans from the Eurovision show.

For news on how the Arctic weather is hitting farmers, here's how FW's Focus writers have been affected, how milk producers have been disrupted and how livestock markets have been disrupted.

We've now got the shortlist of 10 in the Farmers Weekly Britain's Sexiest Farmer competition.

See the shortlist and cast your vote. 

Sunshine might be little more than distant memory right now - but the weather was obviously good for wine makers in 2009. According to a report in The Telegraph, it was a record year...

There's nothing like a warming bowl of soup in this snowy weather - so here are some recipe ideas from The Times.

You know I was talking the other day about pike having come back into fashion, well there is also a mention of them in Country Life's Countryman's Diary this week.

I rather like this quote: "Like many anglers, the pike man is obsessed with catching the monster, the freshwater shark that lives in the boating lake, attacking ducks, swans, nudists, bathers, swimming dogs, drinking donkeys, cows' tails and assorted animals and human extremities, together with toy yachts, picnic baskets and handbags..."

Heston Blumenthal has been voted 'Chef of the Decade' in a poll of readers of Sainsbury's magazine readers.

MasterChef, meanwhile, was named TV food show of the decade, which I'm pleased about because I'm a big fan of Michel Roux.

This is the picture that has been voted "winner of winners" in the Farmers Weekly 2009 Photography Competition.

John White's photo of an April scene in Shropshire won the arable category then went on to take 46% of the votes when we opened it up for readers to pick their favourite of the six category winners.

"The light was perfect and, although I took it originally in colour, I knew it would look better in monochrome," said John from Tettenhall near Wolverhampton.

See all 72 shortlisted shots here.

How nice. A Christmas present, held up in the post, arrived on my desk today - a bottle of SLOEmotion slow whisky. 

I haven't tasted it yet (it's still a bit early) but it says on the bottle: "The taste is predominantly aromatic cherry from the sloe fruit, a hint of almond from the stone, a pleasant hint of whisky and a smooth, rounded finish with a strong, warming glow."

Apparently, it can be drunk neat after dinner as a digestif or is great as a cocktail ingredient.

I was interested to read earlier that traditional puddings are experiencing a renaissance as comfort-eating - and people's preference for eating at home - rise.

According to The Grocer, value sales in the hot-served chilled desserts market have risen over 11% in the last year.

One of my favourite is definitely the Farmhouse Fare Sticky Toffee Pudding. It's delicious...

I hate seagulls - so was interested to read about this plan to combat them with birds of prey in Rhyl.

They could always call on the services of Merlin and Sin...

Will Mumford is a farmer with a romantic streak.

He's written his wife's name in huge letters across one of his fields in Cambridgeshire.

With the help of a GPS system, he marked out 'Emma' in 20m letters before sowing the field with wheat.

The name will be increasingly visible as the crop grows to anyone passing the land near Great Staughton, including those using a cycle-path near Grafham Water.

Just a quick reminder that today is the last day when you can vote for the "winner of winners" in the Farmers Weekly Photography Competition.

Incidentally, I've also just been reading about The Telegraph Christmas Appeal Calendar, featuring some of the entries in one of its photo competitions. 

Juice from the apples that inspired Sir Isaac Newton to discover gravity are among those included in a new heritage drink available in some Co-operative food stores.

Now, 1,000 varieties of rare and endangered British apples, including "Isaac Newton's Tree", which is identical to and originated from the apple tree in the garden of Newton's Lincolnshire home are included in the new drink - the Truly Irresistible Tillington 1,000 pressed apple juice.

Many of the varieties were threatened with extinction until The Co-op bought one of three identical collections 18 months ago, growing and harvesting the apples on its fruit farm at Tillington, Herefordshire.

The others were bought by the Prince of Wales and a Scottish collector, but The Co-op's collection is the only one being put to a commercial use - around 10,000 one-litre bottles of the drink are available in Co-operative stores.

The apple juice includes many varieties dating back to pre-Victorian times. Most were originally dessert apples, which eventually fell out of favour and became less fashionable than modern commercial varieties.

Among other rare varieties grown at Tillington, and included in the heritage apple juice, are Great Expectations, Fairie Queen, Northern Spy, Forty Shilling, Duck's Bill and Bloody Ploughman.

"These apples offer a real taste of British history and many of them have stories behind them," says Co-operative Farms managing director Christine Tacon (pictured).

"The apples were in danger of disappearing forever, so to be able to turn them into a delicious and unique drink is very exciting."