NEWS FROM SCOTLAND
Reports by Joe Murphy
Our last old bird national was from Clermont with the birds being liberated at 06-00 hours with no wind at the race point and going by the reports the birds cleared in one batch and headed north. The channel was clear with an east to north-east wind turning south-east over the mainland however there were thundery showers expected over central Britain. The forecast for the Saturday was 10 times worse so the race controller had no option but to release the pigeons and everyone I spoke to who had pigeons at the race agreed with this decision. However as we all know in thundery weather you get an erratic race with some pigeons coping with the conditions while others just cannot handle the thunder and lighting and this is exactly the kind of race we had.
Firstly let me congratulate the people who timed on the day with the winner a very good pigeon to Brian Love in Dumfries timed at 15-32 doing a velocity of 1449. As soon as this time came on the SNFC web page everyone was looking for birds and expected a fast race but alas this did not turn out to be like this. On checking the SNFC website it looked like we were going to have a ‘disaster’ with very few pigeons being recorded however nothing could be further from the truth with 102 pigeons timed on the day and the open positions won the following morning with the last open pigeon doing a velocity of 715 (believe it or not to the same town as the national winner). Kevin and I got one later the 2nd day but too late to make the result and I said to Kevin that our birds were not good enough on the day as the birds timed in ‘WANTED HOME’ so well done to each and every one of them.
One disturbing fact from this race is that the members are not supporting the SNFC by updating their web page and I have said it in the past but we need to have a RULE that ALL members MUST report their arrival within an hour of timing their bird or they will be disqualified. This will not go down well with a lot of people but at the present time the members of the Scottish National are stuck in a ‘time warp’ and need to move into the 21st century. Just because we never reported timing a pigeon in years ago does not mean we cannot do it now. Just look at other organisations throughout the UK and Europe and you can see a probable result develop in front of your eyes. All you have to do is phone in with your name, official number, town you live in (some instances your distance), the ring number of bird and time the bird is clocked. Then not long afterwards you can see the race unfold whereas at the present time all you have is a name, section and time of bird and even with this there is sometimes no town just a section and time of bird. Anyone who does not know the geography of Scotland has no idea how the race is progressing. For example let us take the above race: B Love Dumfries at 15-32, Rome Annan 15-44 and then so on till J Doig Cardenden 17-18. Now the above lofts are the first 3 in the race but many people looking at the site will say to themselves ‘Where the hell is Cardenden? but here is the problem, it is 67 miles further north. We need to move with the times and that time is NOW. Another example why we should move is for the sake of the club’s ‘Clock convenors’ that come from every area within the national. The majority of these people are fanciers who have pigeons at the same race and want to time in the same as everyone else. However when they look at the SNFC website there are not a lot of pigeons in and they therefore agree that the clocks can be opened the following day. Yet when they open the clock station they find quite a number of birds timed in and in some instances irate fanciers who could have had their clocks opened the night before and one of these days someone’s clock will stop after they have timed in on the day and all hell will break loose.
BICC News
Received an email from my old pal John Tyerman the president of the BICC who wrote: ‘Hi Joe, saw Kevin had been well up in the recent SNFC national Ypres result so well done. It has been a very difficult 2 weeks racing here with poor overall returns from the NFC Tarbes, and the Barcelona International. I got 2 home this afternoon (a day late) from St Vincent but overall this weekend's returns from Bergerac and other French events are not very good with many birds missing. The weather was not good and there was plenty of heavy rain in France and John McGee informed me that it had been raining solid for the past 10 days at Hernicourt, in the Calais region. My first NFC Tarbes bird was clocked at 12-21pm and is currently lying 45th in the provisional open result - I also timed a mealy hen later in the day and she had really flown hard to get home. The photo I’m sending is of Linda and I with our grandsons Jimmy and Alfie - with me holding the wee blue pied hen that won 5th open in the recent BICC Agen International - it was good race for me as I clocked all 5 entries to be 5th l 65th , 106th , 126th and 134th open.(well done Joe M) The BICC National are at Le Mans this week so I will have a few birds there - this is the race that Richard and Jamie Combe did well from last year, timing early next morning into their lofts at Elphinstone. Hope you are all well and my kindest regards John’.
Linda & John Tyerman with grandchildren Jimmy & Alfie
Results
Angus Federation news from Anne Carrie who informs us that 23 members sent 115 birds to Clermont with the SNFC taking 1st & 9th places is David Liddle of Forfar with Eric Galloway of the same club in 2nd spot. Les McKay of Inchcape is 3rd with J McKay of Forfar in 4th place Carlie Cameron of Arbroath is 5th with Willie McKnight of Montrose in 6th place. W Hamilton of Inchcape is 7th with Ian Scott of Forfar taking the next 3 places.
Arbroath RPC had 2 members sending 16 birds with the SNFC to Clermont liberated at 06:00 with No wind at the race point taking 1st place is Charlie Cameron with a 2 year old doing 859 velocity. In second place is Kevin Murphy with a 3 year old blue cock that won from Alencon this year he was doing 584.
Traprain Club news from Tom McLeod who wrote ‘Hi Joe nice to see you were both enjoying your holiday in Ireland. I must make a point of visiting my friends in Dublin and Tipperary shortly, looks lovely. In the Traprain Clubs penultimate race of our old bird season was from Weatherby the red card went to A S Thomson & son once again. The winning bird was a Van Dork bred by Taylor Bros of the Up North Combine fame. Second was wee Dod Hunter with a Gauld crossed Janssen cock on roundabout; Dod has had a good season lifting a few quid along the way with his small team of birds. Third again was A S Thomson & son. The finale for the old bird average was from Maidstone with the Scottish National and it was no surprise as to who won the race yes; the form loft of A S Thomson & son again blow the opposition away to take 1st club and 11th open in the Scottish National with the bird that won the Pentland federation open yearling race a few weeks ago the breeding was a Soontjens crossed Busschaert. Second club and 25th open national the ever consistent loft of John Bosworth and 3rd club 35th open national was Karen Newcombe of Kardale Loft fame. When you think that the national had an entry of 4472 birds competing, the above open results are great positions for such a small club. Congratulations to the partnership of A S Thomson and Son on winning the average and completing a wonderful old bird season; kindest regards Joe yours Tam McLeod’.
Obituary
Chrissy Anderson of Ayton. I was surprised when I heard the message from Trevor Shell informing Margaret and I that Chrissy had passed away on Wednesday 23rd July. She had not been keeping very well these past few months and had been in and out of hospital however it came as a shock. Chrissy and her late husband Roy were ‘great’ pigeon people the ‘salt of the earth’, down to earth and both called a spade a spade. They achieved some outstanding results in the SNFC over the years and I remember when their 2 granddaughters were born I asked Roy their names and he said ‘Rennes & Nantes’ as these were the 2 races he lived for. Chrissy was not one of those wives who would sit back and just listen to ‘pigeon chat’, no not her, she had an opinion and she said her ‘piece’. Margaret and I dropped into see her last September when we were down at the Scotland One Loft Race and she made us every so welcome. She was a ‘gem’ of a woman and to her only daughter Jane and granddaughters Victoria and Gemma we send our heartfelt condolences at the passing of such a lovely woman.
Tommy Boyd of Dumfries. It is with sadness that I report the passing of Tommy from Torthorwald in Dumfries who passed away in Dumfries and Galloway Hospital after a short illness. Tommy was in his 80th year and he had lived on his own since losing his dear wife Norma some years ago. Despite his indifferent health he had managed to continue racing the Carmichael/Kirkpatrick based family of pigeons he loved so much. To his son Tommy and the family I know that everyone will send sincere condolences at this very sad time.
Joe’s Joke
Murphy drops some buttered toast on the kitchen floor and it lands butter-side-up. He looks down in astonishment, for he knows that it's a law of nature of the universe that buttered toast always falls butter-down. So he rushes round to the presbytery to fetch Father Flanagan. He tells the priest that a miracle has occurred in his kitchen. But he won't say what it is, so he asks Fr. Flanagan to come and see it with his own eyes. He leads Father Flanagan into the kitchen and asks him what he sees on the floor. "Well," says the priest, "it's pretty obvious. Someone has dropped some buttered toast on the floor and then, for some reason, they flipped it over so that the butter was on top." "No, Father, I dropped it and it landed like that!" exclaimed Murphy "Oh my Lord," says Fr. Flanagan, "dropped toast never falls with the butter side up. It's a mir .
Wait... it's not for me to say it's a miracle. I'll have to report this matter to the Bishop and he'll have to deal with it. He'll send some people round; to interview you, take photos, etc."
A thorough investigation is conducted, not only by the archdiocese but by scientists sent over from the Curia in Rome. No expense is spared. There is great excitement in the town as everyone knows that a miracle will bring in much need tourism revenue.
Then, after 8 long weeks and with great fanfare, the Bishop announces the final ruling.
"It is certain that some kind of an extraordinary event took place in Murphy's kitchen, quite outside the natural laws of the universe. Yet the Holy See must be very cautious before ruling a miracle. All other explanations must be ruled out. Unfortunately, in this case, it has been declared 'No Miracle' because they think that Murphy may have buttered the toast on the wrong side!"
Joke 2
After being married for thirty years, a wife asked her husband to describe her. He looked at her for a while ... then said, "You're A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K." She asks ... "What does that mean?" He said, "Adorable, Beautiful, Cute, Delightful, Elegant, Foxy, Gorgeous, Hot. She smiled happily and said.... "Oh, that's so lovely ... What about I, J, K?" He said, "I'm Just Kidding!" The swelling in his eye is going down and the doctor is fairly optimistic about saving his genitals.
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 or to my NEW EMAIL ADDRESS at;
© Compiled by Joe Murphy
---
