Categories
webcams

A very dear and special friend of mine Linda Greaves…

A very dear and special friend of mine, Linda Greaves died today. I am going to tell you a little about her, not as an obituary, but because people need to know of special people in this world, like her.

I met Linda many years ago, by our common interest in Horses. Linda when I met her was the Co founder of a Riding for the Disabled Centre in East End of London Docklands area. Linda opened the Centre not for personnel gain, but for her love of Horses and the desire to help the disabled and poor in the East End of London, to give them the opportunity to learn to ride Horses. The Riding Centre started in arches under an old viaduct close by the London Docks, and within what is now the London City Airport. The Horses stables were made of old pallets and abandoned timber. Under Linda’s guidance, many Children, Disabled Adults and Children were taught how to ride and look after the Horses. Although the Riding School was ram shackled, the Horses were looked after and cared for as well as any Horses could be.

When the regeneration of the London Docklands started twenty five plus years ago, Linda was the equestrian advisor for the Developments body, and with her help, guidance and dedicated hard work, she was able to secure for some of the many Horses in the East End, accommodation in purpose built stables. Most of the Horses were working Horses, who previously were stabled in conditions that would have made you want to cry if you had seen them. Nearly fifty Horses were given homes in super high quality stables, with all the facilities, and a live on site Caretaker. Unfortunately over the past few years the Stables have been neglected, by the current undesirable owners of the Horses, and it looks very much like that they will be pulled down, if they haven’t already.

About ten years ago, the ground that the viaduct was built on, that housed the Riding School, that Linda had founded was needed for development, the opportunity came about to get a new Riding School built. With Linda’s dedication and hard work she was able to secure a very large amount of money for the funding of a purpose built Riding Centre for The Newham Riding School and Association. And what a Riding School it is. It has a full size indoor Riding Arena and Sand School, a wonderful American Barn Stable complex for the Horses, a Barn for their hay and straw and in the past couple of years a building has been built for live in Grooms, a Caretaker and a large hall for teaching, all in the middle of the Dockland area. We went there in July 2006 for Linda’s Retirement goodbye. That was the last time that I saw or spoke to Linda, for she made herself a recluse from then on. She told me that she was dieing a few years ago, when she visited us at Denbury for a day. We offered her a cottage, but she would never stay away from her home, if she could return within a day.

I respected Linda’s desire to be reclusive. She would not have wanted pity in her last days. She died a spinster aged only 62. A few years ago she was awarded an MBE for her services for her life longs work, It was presented to her by Princess Ann the Patron of The Riding for the Disabled at Buckingham Palace. If ever a person deserved an award, Linda did. Although I have had no contact with Linda for over a year, it was still a shock to hear that she had died. I have and will miss her for all she has done for me over the years that I have known her. When ever I had problems with Horses my first call would be to Linda, she had forgotten more than I will ever know about Horses. She will be missed.

Linda’s last visit to Denbury was to come and see two Horses that I was to put into syndication for racing. We talked about the names that we may use. Linda suggested a French name, Joie Du Vie, meaning Joy of Life. We gave that name to a Filly, but she never raced. A few weeks back it came important for me to try to get the name back, to be able to name Bliss with. I have been trying ever since to trace the new owner of the named Horse, from a person who knows the owner. Last night I had practically given up. This afternoon I got the call. Strange. Even stranger just before I went to feed the Badgers, I asked if that after Linda’s death should I put the Witches Mask and Hat on when I fed the Badgers. We decided I would, it would have made Linda laugh, we decided. As some of you witnessed, the cameras went down just after.

I hoped that you may of thought that it was Mrs.Farmer who had fed the Badgers tonight. There has also been some strange visitations on the Ghost Cam tonight. Have an interesting Halloween.

Elsie, that was the Ewe Lamb that I had taken out of the fenced area. I have put her back with the rest of the Sheep, to see how she does tonight.

Categories
webcams

This morning I left the valley camera pointing to the…

This morning I left the valley camera pointing to the right hand wood, hoping that you would be able to see the beautiful colours, as the leaves on the trees start to change colour. With the valley having woods on both sides, we are surrounded within a sea of fabulous shades of brown, orange, yellow, green and red. The camera will never be able show the display as it is when you live here, but I hope it gave you an idea of how the valley looks at this time of year. I think the valley looks its best in the Autumn, unfortunately it last only a short time, even less in a windy Autumn, when the trees can be made bear overnight. It is then that you think of the long winter that is on its way.

Last winter was very mild here. The Horses were out in their field until late November. We could do with the weather we are getting now to last for a good while longer. It is only the rain that make us get the Horses in of a night. With their turnout rugs on the Horses are much better off being out. I must admit it also makes it easier for us not having to muck out the stables every morning. A few year back we started to have rain early in September, the Horses had to be stable very soon after. I remember that at the timed we worked out for how long it had rained for. It was over a hundred days that rained for none stop. Every day we were soaked through. I hope we never get that again. This year it has been so mild and dry that most days we are able to leave the Horses rugs off during in the day.

We have got to start thinking about weaning Willow off of Lady. Willow is now six months old and the time is very near. If you don’t wean the Foals you can cause them problems. Their Mothers know when it is the right time and will sometimes start to kick out at their Foals when they try to feed from her. In past years we have had two Foals to wean off each time. It makes it easier as we are able to put the Foals together away from the Mares, who we have to put in closed stables for about a week. With Woody loosing her Foal it is going to be difficult for Willow. Willow hangs out with Bliss and Misty a lot of the time. If Bliss and Willow had been staying on the Farm, instead of going to France we would have been able to shut Lady away, leaving Willow with the Youngsters. We need to decide how we are to Wean Willow soon.

The Ewe lamb is doing well now that she is not in the the rest of the Sheep. First thing this morning I went to look for her. I thought that when I called out she may of come my way. When she didn’t I thought the worse, but I soon found her, close to where I had seen her last night.

Categories
webcams

Elsie I am sorry I have no way of putting…

Elsie, I am sorry I have no way of putting photograph on to the website at the moment. We are in the process of updating the website using the URL beta2.denburyfarm.co.uk. I will speak to the person who hosts my website, and the camera streaming, in the hope that he can make it possible.

When I changed the cameras over this morning, I could see on the lake camera, that the Ewe lamb that I had introduced into the small flock of Sheep in the fenced off area around the Lake, was not looking to good. I did think that she was dead and I changed the camera over whilst I went to look at her. Even when I got next to her she did not move, only when I lifted her head was there any sign of life. When I tried to get her to stand she just flopped over. I picked the lamb up and laid her in the barn. She was quite wet from the rain in the night, I dried her off with a stiff rub down. That made her perk up, and soon she was eating a little of the hay that I had put in front of her.

When I first put the Ewe lamb in with the other Sheep she wasn’t eating that well, and I found her a little weak one morning. After that scare I thought that she was settling down. I should think that although I have seen the Ewe lamb eating, she has not been getting what she needed, and with the rain last night it made her a little weak. I left her in the barn whilst I went in for a coffee. When I went back half an hour later to check her, she was gone. I found her close by, she was eating the grass and was looking a lot better. I checked her after we turned the Horses out, after their night feed and she was looking good.

Just before I fed the Sheep tonight, I had a quick look to see if I could see the Ewe lamb. I don’t know why, as I was going to give the Sheep their hay straight away, but something seemed to be telling me to check the Sheep. When I got to them I only counted ten. I thought that the missing one had probably jumped over the electric wire. As it was only one missing and the fence was still up I would normally leave looking for the missing Sheep later, if not in the morning. Again something told me to look in the stream. Just on a bend I could see a little bit of white, it was obviously the missing Sheep. I called out to her, when she realised it was me, she walked towards my way, it was a Portland so I was able to grab hold of one of her horns. The help that I had called for arrived, and between us with one in the stream pushing and me pulling we got the Ewe out.

Categories
webcams

Any thoughts of a lay in this morning were quickly…

Any thoughts of a lay in this morning, were quickly dashed when Willow started to call, letting us know it was breakfast time. There really is no point of the clocks altering twice a year. The animals know when it is feeding time. The Horses and Sheep are waiting by the gate at the times they expect to be fed, the same time as usual. If I fed the Badgers by the clock, they would be long gone thinking that they would not be getting food. I try to stagger the Horses and Sheep feed over a week or so after the clocks alter. This way they are not stressing by the gates.

I don’t think that I have ever told you that there is a stream that runs the whole way through the Farm. The reason it may be of interest to you, is that on the Dog camera, that we mainly show the valley on, the stream runs through the overgrown area in the middle of the field, past the Buzzard pole and the trees in the middle, that some of you made a face of a while ago. That is why the Deer are very often feeding in the overgrown area. There the Deer will find lush feeding, like watercress. They also drink at the stream. We always find Deer footprints in the tree area. The stream is also the main reason that the valley sometimes get a thick mist come down in it. We are very lucky to have a stream like ours on the farm. It helps bring in the wildlife and allows the livestock to drink from it.

When the Tass and Kye are taken for a walk down the valley, you often see them go in to the tree area, this is to get a drink from the stream. It is not a very large stream, on average two foot across and no more than a foot deep. There are a few areas were it may be three foot wide, it get deeper in the Winter and can run very fast. Kye when she goes to get a drink from the stream very often she tries to swim in it. She hasn’t worked out that not all water is the same depth, so she lowers herself down thinking that she will be able to swim like she can in the lake.

We were lucky tonight Sue. Fortunately Tass and Kye must have just been having a roll. We know it when they roll in Fox scent, it horrible and they need to be bathed.

That was a Deer last night Pat, I had been following it earlier in the night and it laid down where you could see the glow. The wire has been run to put up another couple of IR lamps further down the valley so that we are better able to see the wildlife down that end. Mind you if it gets as misty as it has tonight in the valley it will be a waste of time. I saw the mist starting to form as Tass and Kye were ending their walk. We had quite a lot of rain today, then this afternoon a bit of sunshine and now it has got quite chilly. That is why we have the mist this evening. It may go later.

Categories
webcams

font color red As Badgers don t use clocks we…

As Badgers don’t use clocks, we will be feeding them from 5.30pm ish as from Sunday when the clocks go BACK.

It was in February 2003 when Lady was cut, about eight week before she was due to Foal. I first noticed the injury when taking her rug off in her stable to give her a brush . There is no point letting the Horses get cold in the Winter, so their rugs may not be taken off for a few days or so. When I noticed the injury, I could not believe what I was seeing, on her offside rear was a gaping eight inch wound. I immediately called the Veterinary. I could see that the injury was a few days old, so it would not have been able to be stitched, but it was obvious that lady was going to need antibiotics. I checked all around her stable to see if she had cut her self on any protruding object. I was blaming myself that I had put her in a stable where she had got the injury from. I had only put her into the stable that she was in a week before. The stable is the only one that faces onto the Farm Yard, making it easy to check on her condition before we went to bed. We did not have webcams then. We constructed the stables into a pretty old local stone building with stone pillars. We left all of the old original fittings in the building, so I thought that Lady may of cut her self on one of these, although the rug she was wearing would also have been damaged, the wound would also have been messy but this wound was clean, as if slashed. I took out any thing in all of the stables that may have caused the injury.

As I thought, because of the age of the wound there was no way that it could be stitched and there was a good chance that it would get an infection in it, so you would be stitching in the infection. We found out about a healing gel that would also help to stop any infection. This needed to be put deep into the wound and to my shock my finger went in nearly three inches into the muscle. It took many weeks, but eventually the wound closed, without Lady getting any infection. The injury has left her with a very nasty scar, and a hate of injections that I had to give her with the antibiotics. Lady has never put her ears back at me, although I was the one who was causing her pain, when I was treating the injury. But when she see a Veterinaries, she doesn’t want them near her.

A few days after finding Lady with the injury, whilst watching the television, I suddenly realised how Lady had got the injury. It must have been getting on for a week before she had received it, when one afternoon as I was going outside I heard a commotion near the stables. when I got to the stables I found an elderly man with a small Yorkie type dog arguing with two Ladies, who were doing the Horses. The man who had strayed off of the footpath, was being aggressive, in a threatening manner. I told him to clear off, but he stood his ground and I needed to get in between him and the Ladies to get him to move away. I followed him back to the foot path to make sure that he had left the Farm. When he reached the footpath he turned towards me, I will never forget his words. Remember he told me, I will be back. You know I reckon he may well come back again, not to slash a Horse, but as a challenge to himself. I had better not catch him.

No Elsie, the Sheep didn’t go to Market, something came up that stopped me taking them. They will be going next week.

Pat, I never get it right, I usually hear it on the evening news the day before, then I alter the clocks.

Categories
webcams

font color red As the Badgers don t use clocks…

As the Badgers don’t use clocks, we will be feeding them from 5.30pm ish as from Sunday when the clocks go BACK.

Both Bliss and Misty are dong very well being broken to ride. Both have been backed and didn’t flinch when sat on. There is still a lot of work to do with them, but being able to sit on them without any protest is very good. Mind you I have said it before, both of the Fillies are very laid back. That only comes about when Horses are handled well from birth and are treated with kindness. They then have no fear of anything that you do with them, just completely trust you. We never have had any youngsters that have been a problems when breaking them. We have had a family on Holiday this week, with two young girls, they both ride, they have helped us when Bliss and Misty were worked with this week, whilst being broken, leading and long reining them. It is good for the Fillies to have other people handling them, and I am sure the two girls benefited working with the Horses. As both girls and their Mother can ride, they rode out on Arnie with us. They were both a little concerned to be riding such a big Horse as Arnie, they had never seen such a large Horse, he is a big lad at 17.3hh, I struggle at times trying to put his head collar on when he doesn’t help and lowers his head. He really is a gentle giant. I have been offered large sums of money from a few people who wanted to buy him. I can honestly say that no amount of money would buy him or Breeze.

This afternoon the Veterinary came to give Bliss and Misty, their flu and Tetanus injections for when they go to France next month. Again both were very good and didn’t make any fuss at all. Lady is the complete opposite, I am sure she know the sound of the Veterinaries car, if she is in her stable she will go to the back, I am sure she is hiding from the Veterinary. When the Veterinary goes into her stable, her ears go back and she is not very cooperative at all. There is a good reason, I am not sure if I told you about when she was deliberately cut. Let me know, if I haven’t I will tell you tomorrow.

Elaine, I wasn’t watching the webcams this afternoon, and I haven’t seen any Birds feeding others on the feeders. That’s not to say you didn’t. Any thing is possible with wildlife, but you not would expect them to be feeding their young at this time of year. Mind you I am no Ornithologist or expert on Birds.

Categories
webcams

font color red As the Badgers don t use clocks…

As the Badgers don’t use clocks, we will be feeding them from 5.30pm ish as from Sunday when the clocks go BACK.

Off course the reason that is given for the clock change twice a year, is that it allows Farmers to start work in the light. The Farmers that I have spoken to in the past, really don’t care one way or the other. It messes up our work on the Farm every time the clocks change. The animals still expect to be fed at the same time. I suppose we finish our work earlier, and I managed to get the Telescope working more often. Every time the clocks do change there is talk of Parliament going to change it. They need to hurry up.

The Bird and Squirrel feeders have started to be used more in the past week. There was so much wild food we were not having to fill the feeders as much as usual. Every year the Woodpeckers disappears for a while, they seems to have come back earlier this year. A new Squirrel is using the feeders, it must be a new one as it hasn’t worked out how to open the lid of the Squirrel feeder yet. There is also a couple of Birds that I do not know using the feeders. They look like large fluffy Finches, I am sure they must be very common, but it is the first time that I have seen them on the feeders.

Elsie the Sheep that you saw was asleep. I also thought that it was ill. I had introduced it with the rest yesterday, it was one of the two Ewe Lambs that we are keeping, the other one drowned a few days backs. We also took one of the Ram Lambs out of the paddock yesterday. If I get time, it is going off to market with the others that are stabled on Saturday. I wish you could have seen us catching it yesterday. It is a bit wild and has not been in the fenced area for long. My two Lads and myself went into catch it. Every time that we got it cornered, it was so fast that we missed it as it got past us. It jumped over the electric fence wire a few times, fortunately it jumped back in again. It also jumped into the stream and somehow from standing jumped out without touching the side of the streams five foot bank. In the end one of the Lads got fed up running around after it, took a running dive and caught it. Did he get dirty. He had mud on him from head to toe.

Categories
webcams

It was too cloudy to put the Solar Telescope camera…

.It was too cloudy to put the Solar Telescope camera on today. Looking at the Sky, they will not be on tonight either. I had set the Telescope up as best as I could last night, but it was not working as it should. I was having to adjust its position constantly. The idea is that when the Telescope is aligned and had a GPS fix, you are able to select an object in the Sky on a hand controller, last night it was the Moon. By pressing a goto button, it goes automatically to the Moon and tracks it. For some reason it is not tracking as it should. The Telescope is in an Observatory, a couple of hundred yards from the Farm House. We have motorised the Observatory and with the help of a computer in the Observatory, the Telescopes computer and a lot of wiring, we are able to talk to both the computers remotely from a computer in the Farm House. This gives us full control all of the functions that the Telescope has in its computer. The Telescope has a library has over 145,000 objects stored, that you are able to makeup guided tours as well as suggested best of the night tours that can be selected. The problem with me taking that option would mean that I would be continuously having to go to the Observatory to change the lens. I will get some one to make some tours, that need only one lens for each tour. Next month Mars is a must to look at. I will find out more and hopefully with the weather being favourable, we may be able to see it on the webcams.

Of course the weather in the UK does not allow for the Telescope webcams to be on as much as i would like. Now that it is getting dark earlier, I don’t mind starting the Telescope working. In the Summer, by the time you get the Telescope working, it is time to go to bed. I wont leave it going all night until I sort out the tracking problem. If I can do it I will. I don’t like being defeated. Getting as far as we have has been a challenge. We are the first in the World doing Telescope webcams, so we have had no one to take advice from. I have just nagged Telescope House who I purchased the equipment from.

The injured Badger Cub was feeding tonight, I zoomed in on the injury to make sure that it was the one. I could see the scar. I had thought that it had got an infection in the injury and died, but it looked well alive, although its coat looked a bit dull. I should think that it has got over the worse and will live.

Categories
webcams

font color red The Astro Webcams are working I am…

The Astro Webcams are working. I am having to adjust them remotely. So please be patient.

We have made up our minds about Bliss and Misty. Both are going to France to be trained for Flat Racing. I could never imagine us sending them to the Auction this week, After speaking to a very good French Trainer over the past couple of days, who we liked the sound of, and who we have managed to come to an arrangement to keep the training fees to a minimal amount, it was a very easy decision to make. The intention is that once the two Fillies are broken to ride out, they will be going to a training establishment very close to Paris. The expected day of the two Fillies leaving Denbury is the 19th of November, arriving within twenty four hours of them leaving.

We are going to France to meet the Trainer on the 20th. We are hoping to arrive on the same day as Bliss and Misty. I wont fly, so we are travelling by Eurostar. The journey time now that Eurostar leaves from St.Pancras to Paris, take about two hours fifteen minute. It takes us longer to get to London from Somerset. I will tell you more tomorrow, as I am messing about adjusting the Astro Webcams.

Elaine, we do have a very expensive Solar Telescope, that you are able to see Spots and Flares on the Sun. Time is the biggest factor. But I will try.

Elsie. Do not let you MP tell you what is not true. Ask him if he has read all on the Badger and Bovine TB. Obviously he has not. And remember that a MP works for you.

Categories
webcams

I had thought that after the Government s Independent Scientific…

I had thought that after the Government’s Independent Scientific Groups report in June, that call for a Badger Cull had been put to bed once and for all. I expected the NFU to have their normal whinge, to try to show that they are an effective force in UK Farming. They haven’t been that for a few years now. Their membership mainly comes from a large number of people who insure with them.

Today’s announcement by Sir David King the Government’s Chief Scientist, that Badgers should be killed to stop the spread of TB in Cattle, is not based on any new scientific evidence, just the five so called well respected experts, accessing the the Independent Report that a Badger Cull would need to be extensive, that would cause it to be an over expensive option, with no guarantees that it would stop the spread of Bovine TB. The immediate areas of a Cull showed a drop in the incidents of the disease, but it moved the disease to adjoining areas. It seems very much like that our Chief Scientist is being nobbled. And what else do you reckon that he has suggested. Any Culls should be in areas ringed by Motorways, this would stop any Badgers from escaping the Culling areas. It would be a good idea if the Government advertised for a new Chief Scientist.

Professor John Bourne the Author of the Independent Scientific Groups report himself seems to agree, going by the report that I have read. Quote, Professor John Bourne, author of the ISG report, said Sir David’s recommendations were not consistent with the scientific findings of his report but were “consistent with the political need to do something about it”. Make you wonder, I would say.

Cattle based controls that need for Cattle to be tested for Bovine TB before any movement, are reducing the incidents of the disease, after the short time that it has been in force. That should continue to see if it does make significant improvement, before any Cull is considered. That is if any one has a right to decimate our wildlife for a few shillings.

Diary farming in the UK is in decline, and will become more so with the UK Supermarket importing more of their milk from Europe and beyond. The biggest decline was when in the 1990’s large numbers of Dairy farmers took massive Government subsidies to stop producing milk. Nothing to do with TB, that they did very well out off, by the payments that they received for TB infected cattle, far in access for what the Cattle were worth.

Out of 47000 people who were asked if they would agree to a Badger Cull, 95% said no. The Badger is an important part of our wildlife and should never be Culled, unless it was a threat to our lives.

Janet, joining a Local Badger Group will give you the opportunity to get involved in Badgers and let you know what part you can be involved in, if a Cull does go ahead. If significant numbers of people lobby their local MP’s they will realise what the people feel about the Culling of the Badgers and make representation to Hilary Benn the Minister for The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, or you could all write to him yourself.

Elsie, There are eleven Sheep, the one that died was not one of the group that you can see on the webcams.