Yesterday I had to go to Newent, and I went to our butchers and by chance they were cutting meat off the large leg bones of cows. The dogs love these bones and they are safe for them to eat as they don’t splinter, plus they are really good for their teeth. And I am lucky, all the dogs are very good with food, they will always let me move them, or take the bones away, they really are a dream. So it was with interest that I gave them and the two puppies bones this morning. It was without doubt the most peaceful morning I have had, not a murmur to be heard, and…….. both the puppies were good about having the bones touched, moved and removed, even Sedge, who I did have my doubt about. He now has eight adult teeth and Acer lost four of her baby teeth yesterday, so she has a huge gap in the middle – it looks very cute!

The blokes got the last of the foundations done and Mike then got all the lines in for starting the brickwork, it is starting to look something – hooray. Robin and John and Kieran started on putting up the new nest boxes in the small falcon/owl block, they got four up and the owls were moved into the aviaries. We carefully designed the boxes with steeply sloping rooves so that the birds could not sit on them and put droppings all down them, so imagine my dismay when the barn owl male was happily sitting on the top of the sloping roof!!!! Grrrrrrr!! However I suspect once they work out that they can go inside they will prefer that option. I am very glad that we are getting on with this, I am always worried if the birds don't have all they need, and these look great I have to say, what a team!

Holly got birds flown and cleaning done, Julie and Sue got all the mats in the Hawk Walk cleaned and whoever said that astro turf is easy to clean is either insane, doesn’t clean it properly or has never done it. It even says easy to clean on the back of the stuff which proves that whoever wrote it has never cleaned it. I have always maintained that it is a nightmare to clean and I am right!

Simon and Holly took the eggs from the Indian Eagle Owls, poor love she was so wet and the eggs were very grubby – she should have used her nice new nest box. Amazingly the eggs are all running and Simon has put them in the incubator. Poor Simon, he has not had much respite from babies and eggs this year. I am hoping the Indian Eagle Owl will recycle in the nest box and we will allow her one baby to rear.

I think I achieved things today, but I would not swear to it. Still one thing done is a move forward and I should not forget that. The two new Luggers arrive tomorrow, which I am looking forward to, I have come to the conclusion that I actually like training falcons more than most other species, I guess because I have flown so many and because it is a challenge to get them to fly well to the lure. It is however a more difficult time of the year to train young birds, with winter coming on, the leaves off the trees and the weather a little difficult – to say the least today! Although we did have a very nice school party who were a pleasure to take round and fly birds for, I did laugh quietly to myself as I saw them paddling in the big (huge) puddle next to the flying ground, with Indigo helping them!

My fields are saturated, and the water run off is impressive, however at least we know where to put the drainage when we start it in January.