STACK NEWS ISSUE 6 - December 2002
Welcome to the sixth edition of Stack News!
Bet you don't remember issue five! We mentioned "plans for at least one addition to our pack". Jayne still helps out at the RSPCA and on our journey up to London on December 14th 2001 we visited the centre to meet potential new pack members! Blue, a three year old greyhound, chose us, and we started adoption procedures before continuing our trip. We stayed with friends Les & Carol, and visited Jayne's mum, and also the Celia Cross Trust greyhound rescue kennel open day at Leatherhead.
During the impatient wait until we could bring Blue home, Jayne was involved in the formation of a new Moth group for Cornwall. This is a collection of folk who, like Jayne, enjoy recording what species of moths they find, in Jayne's case by setting a light trap most weeks both in our garden and in friends John & Pauline who live about 250 feet lower down than us. Over the last year Jayne has caught, identified and released over 5,000 moths of over 176 different species, (including three striped hawk moths - 'migrants' from overseas) and that doesn't include those that weren’t identified! June 16th was National Moth night and Jayne organised a Fox Club (the kiddies branch of Cornwall Wildlife Trust) event the following day to examine the previous nights catch.
We collected our new 'boy' on December 20th, and he soon made 'The Stack' his home, demonstrating his taste for banana cake by helping himself from the table when friends Lee & Hazel, visited with Hazel's parents. Just in case Blue developed a taste for the degus (south American rodents) or ratties, who moved into new custom built 'housing' within sniffing range of his night bed (he's got another one for daytime/evenings in the living room), we installed a TV security camera so that we could keep an eye on him from our bedroom. Needn't have bothered - he's too laid back to care. Which is really how he comes to be with us as he's a retired racing greyhound, but has never raced (at least officially). He likes a good run - but only when he's in the mood!
Fans of Cornish History will know that December 24th 2001 marked the bi-centenary of the first public demonstration of the motorcar. OK, it didn't look anything like a Ford Mondeo, and did rely on Welsh nuts (that's coal to you!) to generate a good head of steam, but hundreds of people, and at least one slightly bewildered greyhound, thronged the streets for the Trevithick Society's re-enactment of The Camborne Hill Run featuring a full size working replica of 'Puffing Billy'. You might know the song that the crowd sang at the top of the hill - the horses stood still, the wheels went around, going up Camborne Hill, coming down..(see http://www.zawn.freeserve.co.uk/)
A more regular part of the seasonal festivities are the Christmas lights, particularly at Mousehole (see http://www.penlee-lifeboat.co.uk/mousehole.html)
The New Year saw us joining the hunt! Our quarry proved an elusive beast requiring a two-day chase over half of Cornwall! On Jan 3rd, whist Blue guarded the entrance, our new sofa was cornered near St Austell, but it didn't make it to The Stack for another three months! Great service these furniture manufacturers!
The excitement continued when a couple of days later Jayne was out 'walkies' with Blue and they were attacked by pack of five dogs. Blue slipped his collar and ran! Greyhounds can reach 30mph+, and he was missing for six hours. During this time the RSPCA arrived for a follow up home check - nice home - no dog! Blue found his way home, and thankfully only suffered minor scratches & abrasions from running through the undergrowth.
The Cinnamon Trust is a charity that provides volunteers to look after pets when their people are incapacitated, and Jayne was contacted when Yvonne was hospitalised to look after her Vietnamese pot bellied pig (Daisy) and two large goats.
It was a turbulent year on the badger front, with DEFRA arriving in May to kill more wildlife in the name of science. Feelings ran so high that many of the badger group committee felt unable to continue, but the group survived to continue the opposition! We had a couple of talks, and stalls at Penzance Green Fair, and Heligan Country Fair. Our demo in St Just received good media coverage, and three badgers arrived at the door just in time for the vote at a committee meeting. Martin & Roger collected a very small cub from a garden shed near Lamorna, and with help from the RSPCA and a Newquay vet he was well enough to be taken to Secret World Wildlife Rescue Centre (see www.secretworld.co.uk/) from where he would eventually be returned to the wild.
On a sadder note, Jayne's much loved car 'Elsa' the Escort reached the end of her days, as did pet ratties, Sid in March, and Smudge in June. The death of another animal, a stoat, which was probably run over by a car just before we found it, led to a trip to vetinerary pathologist Vic Simpson. The PM report made interesting reading! Jayne spotted an injured sparrow hawk at roadside, and took it to our local RSPCA inspector for attention - unfortunately the prospects for it weren't too good.
We've both continued attempting to educate ourselves (better late than never??) - Roger even went to a Hedgerow workshop a week early, and wondered why the car park was empty! He's now doing a landscape archaeology course - that's climbing over hedges & looking at 'rubble'. Jayne has completed various work related computer/website courses, as well as a centipede and millipede course, and a water shrew workshop. Even Blue got in on the act - he has started doggy training classes, and is beginning to enjoy meeting new furry friends.
And of course there's still the Trevithick Society (industrial archaeology), Carn Brea Mining Society (mining history), and Cornwall Earth Mysteries Group. And, nearly forgot, Roger has at last completed our new bathroom - complete with spa bath.
So that’s about it for now!
Best wishes for the festive season from:
Roger and Jayne
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