JM31/3/08

NEWS FROM SCOTLAND

Reports by Joe Murphy

Received an email from John Tyerman regarding my mention of the Barcelona Challenge in a previous column. John wrote: ‘Dear Joe, It is a good few years since I last met you, which was at The Edinburgh International show, when I came u pto judge.You may recollect that you drove Linda and I back to the airport and I had bought a pigeon which the airline refused to allow me to take on board. You kindly took it home and sent it down to me in Surrey via Amtrak. Strangely enough Linda and I also celebrated 40 years of marriage this month having married in 1968 and had our first home at Earlston Police Station. You may recollect that I raced the doos there and the late John Carmichael and Joe Newcombe were the top men there at that time. It all seems such a long time ago Joe. I went to the police in Hong Kong, then back to Surrey and Northern Ireland, but have been retired a few years now, and still enjoying my pigeons here at Bracklesham Bay, near Chichester.

'You recently spoke to Ian Gill who clearly was very enthusiastic about the Barcelona challenge race being run by myself and John McGee from St Pol Sur Ternoise in France. I don't know if you realised it was me who was involved, but I must thank you for the mention in your notes, and I would hope that Scottish fanciers feel it worthwhile to have a go at £165 per bird which I feel is very reasonable considering we have to keep the pigeon, train it and pay all race fees over a 2 year period. A reserve can be sent and if it remains after the young bird racing this bird can be activated to race the following year on payment of a further £165, and we will accept stage payments to suit fanciers. Last year we were late starting as John and Lou did not actually arrive in France till the end of February 2007, so by the time we sorted out the club memberships and licences etc we were into April. Our first entries were from your good friend Dale Newcombe, and this if one of the reasons I am also contacting you, as I know he is very ill. We are delighted to read that he is responding well to treatment and I would ask that you convey our best wishes to both Dale and Karen. I would be grateful if you could tell him that his two entries are looking well and have just been paired up by John at the French lofts. I saw and handled them when I was last over and they are two crackers and I am sure they will race well and give a good account in the Barcelona International in 2009. We have around 100 birds in the Barcelona loft and these yearlings will likely race from Limoges, Cahors and Brive this season.Our 2008 entries are now starting to arrive and next week Douglas Owen is coming down from Dumfries with entries from himself, Andy Wilson, Ramsay Dalgleish and Karl Gunther, and I shall be having a few days in France, showing Douglas the Barcelona birds. Syd Collins is also hoping to enter a team from several top lofts in Northern Ireland, so with birds from Wales and England, plus France it will be like the five nations rugby competition.We are also in correspondence witha top fancier in Florida and he seems hopeful that a team will be entered from USA. Anyway as you know Joe, the Barcelona International race is now accepted as the world's most prestigious race, with 26,000 plus birds competing from all over Europe, so it would be great to see our loft doing well. I've been 5th and 7th BICC Barcelona but our birds are always behind due to the channel, so hopefully the new location will see our UK pigeons on a more even keel.

'I was speaking to Richard Howey today and we reckon it was about 1989 when we both judged at the Edinburgh Show. Richard has the John Carmichael pigeons like me and we regularly exchange birds and have done so for many years, so we are in regular contact. Linda is from Dunfermline originally and she has had a lot to put up with me over the last 40 years. We have four children, Pauline 38; Barry 37; Angela 34 and Jonathan 25. We have three grandsons and Callum aged 11, lives with us and takes an interest in the pigeons so I hope this continues. We took the family back to Hong Kong 2 years ago where Angela was born and the two eldest went to junior school and it was a great family holiday.

'I think you will be able to devote more time to your pigeons now you are no longer having to run around chasing information to publish on behalf of the SNFC, a press officer's job is really a thankless task. I have been on the NFC Committee here for seven years so am well aware of the pigeon politics and it is never easy to please everyone. I also run our National marking station and this involves many hours of my time, but thankfully I have quite a few good local fanciers who help willingly. This year I will be spending more time in France with John and Lou at the Barcelona lofts and usually I take a few birds across for a toss, so this is beneficial really. Last year I had four on the night in the Pau Classic, 3 in the BICC Pau International result and they all had various tosses in France when I was over at our French lofts.I have in excess of 40 channel races each year via the various clubs I participate in and I could say my birds are pretty well used to flying the 100 plus miles of channel from the French race points. What fanciers forget is that the Channel is often very rough with strong winds and rain squalls even in the summer months, and as I am only 100 yards from the sea I know how changeable the weathercan be .Last year some 30 birds landed on the Selsey lifeboat in bad weather about 12 miles from the Sussex coast, and many slipped off into the sea. The crew were amazed to see our pigeons flapping out of the sea and back onto the lifeboat, where they remained until the boat returned to Selsey. Needless to say the crew had been prepared to rescue our birds from the sea and made a full report of the incident on return to base. It was featured in the local paper and out of interest I reported it to the RPRA Show of the Year Committee, who later donated a £500 cheque to the Selsey lifeboat. From liberation times we believed the pigeons came from one of the Classics that had liberated in France that morning, so a happy ending for them.

'I always look forward to reading your column as I am always interested in what is going on in Scotland. You did a very good job for the SNFC and I hope you continue your writings for many more years and good luck to you and Kevin with your racing in 2008 best wishes yours - John Tyerman’.

What lovely letters from John and again very interesting. I was intrigued by the part of the Selsey lifeboat saving the pigeons. Regarding the start of John’s letter I wrote back and told him I could not remember taking him and Linda to the airport or sending the pigeon down later in the week, I must be getting old. Margaret said, ‘you have done so many things like this over the years that you just take it for granted that it is part of the pigeon sport. There are many fanciers like John Tyerman who remember things you have done for them and they never forget your kindness and you should be proud’. My face was bright red but in a way she is right and it was good to know that John remembered this small act of thoughtfulness, here is another instance where fanciers work together to help one another out.

Earlier this week I received a call for help from an Irish fancier Ken who had a Scottish pigeon in his possession (don’t want to give his surname in the event he may get into trouble). Ken was coming to a wedding in New Lanark and wondered if I could help him in the respect of telling him which area the bird came from. The bird was a Lanarkshire bird and I asked Ken to leave it with me and I would contact the SHU to find out the owner and hopefully arrange some help for both fanciers. The bird belonged to Billy Bilsland and I contacted him to tell him about the above, Billy contacted Ken and he is going to meet up with him this week end at the hotel the wedding is being held at to collect his bird. This is what our sport is all about helping each other even in a little thing like trying to get a bird back; well done to Ken on making sure this bird made it home to Scotland and both Billy and I thank him for his sportsmanship.

This week in the Loft

I have not had time to write this the past few weeks due to various other items mostly assisting fanciers with their concerns they may have had. I wrote about Joe from Ayrshire and he was on the phone the other night saying he is trying one or two things out and he has seen an improvement on his birds which is great. I told him that last week I added DMG Plus+ to my drinkers along with the Orego-Stim and I have to say the droppings and down feathers on front of the nest boxes and perches every morning told me that this was a good combination. Joe is going to try it and I told him to purchase it from Dazer in Peterborough their number is 01733 351888. My first round of eggs from the stock birds has been a disaster with Kevin only ringing 7 youngsters. I noticed in the press about how quite a number of fanciers have had problems with birds coming off the youngster and quite a number found dead the next morning. We lost a couple of pairs like this and I put this down to bad luck more than bad management and it has happened to better fanciers than Kevin and I over the years. The second round are due to hatch this week and let's hope we have better luck this time, I will keep readers informed of their progress. The strange thing is the birds are looking great and are in excellent condition and there is no explanation for what has gone wrong, by the way I do not use nest felts which some think has been the problem.

Retired President

Received a short note from John Barlow thanking me for my kind words following the end of his SHU Presidency; he appreciated my remarks and also my writings over the years especially in respect of the excellent coverage you have given the SNFC. (Some people have made remarks that the SHU would have been finished after the split in membership but I don’t believe that as Scottish Fanciers wanted their union to disband however there were many out to do it terminal damage and they did not care if it survived or not. John Barlow was like me in the respect that he stood up and was counted and he steered the union onto the level playing field it is in today - Joe M). John said: ‘I’m proud in what I managed to achieve in my time as SHU President and I don’t regret doing the job, however it was time to go. Likewise Joe you should be proud of what you have given the Scottish Pigeon Fancy. I enjoyed our time on the SHU Centenary Committee and it was good to deal with straightforward people who are doing their best for the wider interest of the sport. I will remember this time fondly as you did the SHU proud at an important time and gave us the impetus and publicity required; THANK YOU JOE, and maybe our paths will cross from time to time and we can enjoy a pint together’.

I thank John for his letter and his kind words he is without doubt one of the best presidents I have had a pleasure to work with in my dealings within the sport. He was always up front and showed no malice to people who did not agree with his decisions or politics on the sport which speaks volumes of the man.

SHU

Received a letter from Linda Brooks updating me of progress with the sparrowhawk research project which has been pulled at the last minute. ‘Postponed’ is the expression the minister is using however this will still take place in the autumn. Linda has updated some text onto the SHU website however she is looking for photographs of injured and killed pigeons that she can use as this will be more graphically illustrated the carnage we have to put up with because of raptor attacks. Therefore we are putting out a plea to fanciers who have had attacks to contact the SHU or myself with BOTH details and if possible a photograph of your dead or injured birds. Once we have compiled a file we can then show the Minister what we are up against. Many of you may remember that I wrote that the Minister promised us at our Centenary dinner that he would have this project up and running by the autumn and I intend to see he keeps this promise. If you have had your pigeons attacked or killed can you please send this information direct to the SHU office at their new email address; enquiries@shuonline.co.uk where Linda will collate all the information. If any fancier only has an ordinary photograph then can they send this to me and I will scan it and send it onto Linda by email from my house. Can you please remember to supply the details and I will also forward this to Linda. While on about the new SHU Web Site you can now report SHU stray bird now on line by writing to strays@shuonline.co.uk This will be a great benefit to the fanciers throughout the British Isles as they can now report a SHU pigeon within seconds and do not have to keep trying to phone the office. So please keep these 2 web sites in your address book as they will come in handy throughout the year; my thanks to Linda for her news and lets hope fancier supply her with the details she is after.

Young Bird Exchange

I have received a few phone calls from the fanciers who are taking part in this sporting challenge young bird swap and they have indicated that they are swapping a pair of pigeons with each other. I have no problem with this so long as I have the ring number of the young bird which is taking part in the exchange competition by the last old bird national this year. Everyone must be on the same footing and therefore I ask the 28 fanciers who are taking part to contact me at this time with the young bird ring number. When you think of it a pair of top quality pigeons for £25.00 the bargain of a life time however this is just typical of the sportsmanship these excellent fanciers taking part. It will also give these long distance fanciers added interest during the young bird season as they keep in contact with each other on the progression of their young birds. Mike Currie wrote and said ‘I think that everyone taking part in your exchange Joe is going to enjoy young bird racing this year with the added excitement of watching for your exchange bird. I honestly think Joe that this fantastic idea of yours will take of beyond all expectations in the coming years and many fancier will be wishing they had taking up the offer of joining your exchange, many thanks once againJoe yours in sport Michael Currie’ .Another letter regarding the sporting challenge is from Mr R White from Kings Lynn in Norfolk who wrote ‘Dear Joe can you please send me a copy of the sporting challenge quiz DVD I have enclosed the £10.00. You put a lot of work into the pigeon game and it is much appreciated down here. I particularly look forward to reading about your distance contestants in the sporting challenge. Good luck to you and your son Kevin for the new season’. Well Mr White within the next couple of weeks you should see this years entries in the pigeon press, I have only one or two small details to add and then it can be sent away. This year we have 15 participants and as you will soon read they are as different as chalk and cheese, which to me makes it all the more enjoyable as these fanciers prove how individual they really are. Thanks to Mr White and the others who have supported my sporting challenge by purchasing a DVD on the quiz after expenses all monies raised are going to the sporting challenge administration. I have receive a donation from a top fancier who wishes to remain anonymous and I appreciate this fantastic offer of sportsmanship of the highest order. He was so impressed with my young bird exchange that he has agreed to purchase the trophies for this event; THANK YOU kind sir for your generosity.

Dundee Federation of Racing Pigeon Societies

Willie Donachie the federation secretary has forwarded the 2007 trophy winners for inclusion in the column these are as follows;

Combine Average J.Duthie Vel: 1273.10

Old Bird Average J.Duthie Vel: 1320.83

Young Bird Average A.Thomson Vel: 1197.36

Three Longest Races O.B. Beattie & Telfer Vel: 1224.68

Three Longest O.B. & Y.B. Races Beattie & Telfer Vel:

Huntingdon Trophy (Leicester 2) J.& J.Hunt Vel: 1235.07

Maidstone Trophy Beattie & Telfer Vel: 1222.21

Falaise Trophy NOT WON ---------------

Falaise 2-Bird Average NOT WON ---------------

Young Bird Open Cup A.Thomson Vel: 1224.95

S.N.F.C. Young Bird Trophy B.McKenzie Vel: 1055.28

Heart Foundation Trophy J.McCafferty Vel: 1264.07

Rennes Cup (SNFC Alencon) B.Donnelly Vel: 932.05

Nantes Trophy (SNFC Tours) NOT WON --------------

R.Strachan Memorial Cup NOT WON --------------

(Best Ave. SNFC Alencon & Falaise)

Fancier of the Year Trophy A.Thomson 314 points

My thanks to Willie Donachie the secretary for the above details and my congratulations to the winners;

This week’s photographs

The 2 pigeons are from top photographer Jim Hannah of Blantyre and are from Dundee’s Bruce McKenzie and the Pride n Joy chequer hen was raced by Ronnie Wright and bred by Gordon Lyon. The other photograph was taken by Ian Cook photographer (01501 771418 if you want to phone him for a copy of the pictures I have used in my reports these past few weeks) and this week's is of John Barlow, David Liddle of Forfar and Chris Gordon at the Scottish Homing Union Centenary Prize Presentation.

This week’s Joke

Subject: 'Priceless'

In this scenario we will call him Joe. Joe wakes up with a huge hangover after attending his company's Christmas Party. He didn't even remember how he got home from the party. As bad as he was feeling, he wondered if he did something wrong. Joe had to force himself to open his eyes, and the first thing he saw is a couple of aspirins next to a glass of water on the side table; and, next to them, a single red rose!

Joe sits up and sees his clothing in front of him, all clean and ironed, he looks round the room and sees that it is in perfect order, spotlessly clean. So is the rest of the house. He takes the aspirins, cringes when he sees a huge black eye staring back at him in the bathroom mirror. Then he notices a note hanging on the corner of the mirror written in red with little hearts on it and a kiss mark from his wife in lipstick: 'Honey, breakfast is in the oven, I left early to get groceries to make your favourite dinner tonight. I love you, Darling! Love, Margaret’

Joe stumbles to the kitchen and sure enough, there is hot breakfast, steaming hot coffee and the morning newspaper and his son Kevin is sitting at the table, eating. Joe asks: 'Kev ... what happened last night?'

'Well, you came home after 3 am drunk and out of your mind. You fell over the coffee table and broke it, and then you puked in the hallway, and got that black eye when you ran into the door. Confused, he asks Kevin, 'So why is everything in such perfect order and so clean. I have a rose, and breakfast is on the table waiting for me??'

Kevin replies, 'Oh THAT! Well mum dragged you to the bedroom, and when she tried to take your pants off, you screamed, 'Leave me alone bitch, I'm married!!'

Broken Coffee Table £239.99

Hot Breakfast £4.20

Two Aspirins 38 pence

Saying the right thing, at the right time......

PRICELESS!!!!!!!!

Keep smiling and Please continue to keep the news flowing to Joe Murphy Mystical Rose Cottage 2 Flutorum Avenue Thornton by Kirkcaldy KY1 4BD or phone 01592 770331 after 7pm week days or my email address is joejmurphy@tiscali.co.uk