STACK NEWS ISSUE 5 - December 2001
Gosh it's December AGAIN. Time to write another edition of Stack News! Jayne's made a start by compiling a list of diary highlights, so we'll try and stick with a rough chronological order this time.
Just too late to report in the last edition, Roger went on a four-day tractor driving course last December, for no particular reason - just got a call from Duchy College one Thursday and started the following Monday (they'd had lots of cancellations and wanted to make up numbers!).
Our garden now has a six-foot tall chair made from hazel wood, cut, then bent & assembled by Roger on a greenwood furniture-making course that he completed in January.
Whether all this learning befuddling his brain explains why he drove out of the petrol station without paying we may never know - but the police were very understanding of his February misdemeanour! Later that month we both attended a course on local geology, including a field trip to examine what is below the skin of The Lizard (The Lizard is the most southerly part of mainland Britain). This was to be the last organised 'outing' for some time as restrictions on visiting the countryside were imposed due to the outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease (FMD) which thankfully actually never reached West Cornwall.
In March, Jayne was still able to do her voluntary work at the RSPCA centre, although dog walking was much curtailed with all footpaths closed (FMD). It was at the RSPCA that Jayne splashed industrial cleaner in her eye, and was very lucky to escape with no permanent damage - perhaps saved by her contact lens that was terminal!
Readers of last year's Stack News may by now by wondering why there hasn't yet been any mention of badgers. Well the good news (for the badgers) was that our wonderful ministry of agriculture were so busy slaughtering cattle during the FMD outbreak, they had to put the badger killing 'on hold', until May 2002. Meanwhile the West Cornwall Badger Group (WCBG) held its first proper 'badgery' public meeting when John Starnes a long experienced badger campaigner gave an inspiring slide talk. April also saw WCBG at the Penzance Green Fair - our stuffed badger generating lots of interest. Please note new web http://www.badgers.org.uk/westcornwallbadgers/. Friends from London, Sarah and Steve, came down to visit, after which Jayne risked the vagaries of train travel up to London to visit her mum. Perhaps we shouldn't mention the smelliest event of the year - emptying our 'septic tank' drainage system! The highpoint of the month was definitely the Camborne Hill run by 'Puffing Billy' a full size replica of the world's first steam car built to celebrate the bi-centenary of this achievement by Cornish engineer Richard Trevithick - more info at www.zawn.freeserve.co.uk. We are not sure who was wheezing most - Billy, or Jayne who had a cough that persisted for ten weeks!
May started on a sad note when one of Jayne's favourites at the RSPCA, Fagin, was put to sleep due to alleged behavioural problems (just as well we don't apply the same rules to humans!). A trip to north Cornwall, to collect two market stalls kindly donated to WCBG was just in time for the St Ives Harbour Day festivities. The high winds and our lack of experience in putting the stall up provided the onlookers with some great entertainment as we struggled with plastic sheeting and metal framework 'puzzles'. Then we had a weekend away to the National Federation of Badger Groups (NFBG) AGM in Warwickshire, stopping off at The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust Reserve, in Slimbridge - isn't it a shame they mutilate the birds to stop them flying away! May also saw the emptying of the last two boxes from our move to Cornwall way back in '97, and WCBG's first badger watching event - a magical evening sitting in the woods. Friends Les and Cathy (all the way from Edinburgh) stayed and we enjoyed our first walk to Greenburrow (part of Ding Dong mine) which had been 'off limits' since February (thanks to the FMD crisis).
In June Smartie, Roger's mum's Jack Russell terrier, stayed overnight whilst she was in hospital having a cataract removed. Jayne badly bruised a toe, and that was just beginning to stop throbbing when she sprained an ankle (the other leg). WCBG had a local 'double act' of PC Jack Tarr (Wildlife Liaison Officer), and Paul Kempson (RSPCA Inspector) giving a fascinating talk on their work. WCBG also had stall at Penzance Mazey Day and at 'Mammal Tales and Tales' day at Tehidy Country Park. We rounded off June by attending a workshop on sand dune ecology.
Having been kept waiting for a year by our previous builders, work on our new link building finally started with a new team on July 4th. Six weeks later we had the shell of our entrance hall/utility/pets room and Roger's workshop, all to be topped off by a large timber deck. As Stack News goes to press, Roger's list of yet to be completed house jobs seems almost endless, but the basics are all in place so that we can seriously consider getting our own dog(s) now. WCBG activities included Falmouth Green Fair and a badger rescue and rehabilitation course. A sad conclusion to the month was the death of friend and neighbour George Wallace who had always made us welcome in his home hamlet of Tredinnick.
Elaine King from the NFBG travelled down to talk at the August WCBG meeting and stayed with us, as later in the month did friends from 'the smoke' Les and Carol and their new lurcher, Xena. Bob Jackson, who works with Les at LWT, also dropped in with his wife and 2½ dogs - as he calls his great Danes (2 adults, 1 puppy). One dark Thursday morning on her way to the RSPCA, a badger, (of all things), ran into Jayne's car (honest) - fortunately it recovered after about 20 minutes and ambled off.
Monty our chinchilla gave us a big scare in September when he collapsed. We rushed him to the vets and spent the rest of the day nursing him. Later the same evening he seemed to recover and has since been fine. The Royal Cornwall Show, postponed from its usual June date (FMD) went ahead without the customary livestock competitions but was still an enjoyable day out. This month was also our last nature field trip with Dr Paul Gainey who is taking time out to write 'the definitive guide to seashore life in Cornwall' - should be a goody!
October saw Professor John Bourne (the government scientist in charge of experimental badger killing) addressing the WCBG meeting. Two friends, another two Johns (Moloney and Boyce) came to stay. We had a great day out at a lurcher-racing event, and attended a fascinating course on land snail identification.
November was quieter apart from Roger's chainsaw course. Holly, a (very cute) cocker spaniel, came to stay for a few weeks while her people explored New Zealand, and unfortunately, Fierce Freda, our "wind up" elderly hamster passed away towards the end of the month.
December has started with a WCBG stall at the Cornwall Animal Hospital, plans for at least one addition to our pack (Jayne has her eye on a greyhound or two at the RSPCA) and of course writing Stack News.
So that’s about it for now - or we'll have to print this even smaller! Best wishes for the festive season from
Roger and Jayne
