I have posted two new photographs on the New Photo page. They are of the Lock of the Lowe’s Osprey nest with one of the parent Ospreys in the nest. I am not sure when the photographs were taken, it could well be when the parent were sitting on the eggs. On the second photograph you can see the camera that are used for the webams and for the security of the Ospreys. There is a very sophisticated security system at the Locks visitors centre to stop the theft of the Ospreys Eggs. Every camera installed is recorded 24/7 and the centre also has 24 hour security staff employed.

Two more Horses have sold for over 3 million guineas at the Tattersall’s Mare Sale today. These belonged to the late Robert Sangster, who died earlier this year. He was the biggest Race Horse Breeder and Owner, other than the Arabs. Paying this sort of money does not guarantee that you will produce winners.

Every Horses official birthday is on the 1st of January. The nearer that you can get to that date when foaling in that year, the better it is. A Horse born on the 1st of January has the whole year to grow before becoming a yearling, one born April/May time is then four or five months behind in maturity, and is more unlikely to race early as a two year old. Get the breeding wrong and a horse born in December will become a yearling a day or weeks after being born. That happened last year to a Broodmare that sold for over 2 million Guineas at Auction, this time last year. Both Bliss and Misty were born April/May time. Bliss matured much quicker than Misty and will probably race earlier.

We have decided that we are going to name Bliss and Misty with the original names that we chose. Bliss being the star that we think she is, deserves the name LIVE THE MOMENT. Misty is a very showy Filly, ITS ME is all about Misty. We had talked about naming Willow GYPSY when I was lucky enough to get it. As soon as I saw that the name had become available on the Weatherby’s list, when it was emailed to me I had to have it. I should think that Weatherby’s had got a lot of phone calls wanting it. The name suits Willow, I have wrote in the Diary before, that she very often wandered off and was with Bliss and Misty more than she was with her Mother, Lady.

The Quantock Red Deer cull was yesterday. I am sure that you will all be pleased to know that it was a complete none event and dismal failure for the organisers. In fact it has finished up quite an embarrassment and public relations disaster for the Quantock Deer Management Group, as both the ITV and BBC local news covered the event with lengthy filmed recordings, one news item also went out nationally.

The League against Cruel Sport was monitoring, as were other Deer conservation Groups, but it seems that they were not needed, as few if any Landowners answered the call of the Management Group. The Group who ever they are, seem to be making themselves out as custodians of the Deer Herds on the Quantocks, but have got the feelings of the Landowner wrong, as far as this cull was concerned.

The custodians of the Deer Herds, and most around the Country are the Hunts. You know my feeling on hunting. But if the hunts were still legal, this cull would not have ever been contemplated. If the cull had gone ahead there would have been many Deer that would have been injured by misfiring and inexperienced people shooting. The Local Hunt would have been needed to hunt the injured animals, to put them out of their suffering. When ever injured Deer were seen and the Hunt notified, they would go and find the animal.

The Deer numbers have to be controlled. Farmers and Landowners will not allow the Deer to continually eat their crops. Believe me a medium size herd of Deer will eat a lot of crops in a few hours. At Denbury we don’t see the Deer as a big problem in the Winter, in fact for most of the year they are not. They do eat a lot of our grass. In the spring I would be concerned if there were large numbers of Deer eating the grass that we make our hay with. If I were an arable Farmer I would not be best pleased if they were eating my Winter Wheat.

The Deer down the valley, just before the Badgers were fed, were a Roe Deer and her Kid. I don’t know if you saw it, the Doe chased three other Deer out of the field. By the look of it she was not allowing her kid to feed from her, and is starting to wean it off of her.

Denbury is no more than a couple of miles from the Quantock Hills, from where most of the Deer that visit us originate from. I was concerned about the cull.

There are four new photographs on the new photo page. You will need to scroll down to the bottom of the page to see them, as I was shown how to upload photographs and it was easier for me to add them at the bottom rather than change the sequence. I have a little more learning to do. If you are unable to see the new photos try refreshing the page.

The first new photograph is Misty being ridden before both Bliss and Misty were taken for their first ride in the woods. The second is of Bliss. The third and fourth is when Bliss and Misty having their legs washed off after returning from the wood, They look quite calm, but this photo was not showing what really happened. Both Bliss and Misty dislike having their legs washed. Not many Horses do, but they do get use to it. Both Bliss and misty were jumping about and turning away at the time.

Elaine, that was a Roe Deer on camera this evening. I think that the camera moving may have frightened it off.

We would like to try to get more self sufficient at Denbury. To cut down on the running costs of the farm, but also to see how far we could go in self sufficiency as an experiment. Our first project that we did was earlier this year, when we sunk a bore hole to supply the Farms water. We had various means of supplying some of our water, but it was unreliable and needed to be tested regularly for bacteria. We used water from springs to water the livestock and the Farm House water was supplied from a well that we have in the kitchen. The well was closed up when we moved into Denbury. We knew that it existed by the previous occupant. When we found it, it was right in the centre of the kitchen, so we decided to make it into a feature, by having it built as an old stone well. We had a round oak top made with a hole, so that we could put safety glass in, to save any children who may have decided to sit on it, from falling in, with the glass top we are also able to see down into the well.

Another reason for our own bore hole was that earlier in the year we had suddenly became responsible for over half of a mile of under ground water pipe that ran through other peoples Farms. Although we were given the right for access on to the Farms to maintain the pipe, we were unsure how long the pipe would last before it needed to be renewed. Even a small leak would cost a fortune to repair, but worse was that the pipe may have had a leak, that we may not have noticed. We could then have had over a short period of time, a massive bill of thousands of pounds for lost water.

With having the well and springs on the Farm, we knew that we had a lot of underground water. Where the best place for a bore hole was, we had no idea, so we contacted a water diviner. When the diviner came, he was not the romantic image of an elderly grey haired gentleman with a forked willow dowsing stick. He was a rough looking overall-ed bloke with two un-fluxed bent welding rods. But they did the job. Within a few minute the Diviner chose the spot in the orchard where the water would be. It was only me doubting his ability, his speed and my suggestions that he looked else where and tried other locations. In the end he had made his decision, the first place was it, and he suggested after a few measurement against his body that the bore hole would supply twenty eight gallons of water a minute.

A few weeks later the bore hole was started. It should only have taken a couple of days to drill and line the the sixty metre hole, but the drill went through five underwater rivers, causing the river bedding to be washed into the hole, so that the liner when put in could not go down to the desired depth. The liner was taken out and the bore hole re drilled. Much to the relief of everyone on site the second drilling was successful, and a bore hole of a little under fifty metre was drilled and lined. If the hole had started filling in again, another site would have had to be found. The water pump and all ancillaries were put in and the water tested. Farm land very often has bacteria soaking through to the water courses. Our test results were very good with no bacteria or other problems. The results are measured from one to ten, the higher meaning problems. Our result were all zero. Because of having holiday cottages we put in an ultra violet water purification and filtration system. It is the best water that we have tasted, and probably one of the best decisions we have mad on the farm. I don’t know how much water bills are, but I should reckon in the region of