Well my beautiful field is not quite so beautiful today. I wanted to clean out the top pond and clear around it. There were five or six scrubby trees that needed to come out, and sadly a beautiful Field Maple that I have been worried about for two years and it was confirmed that it was dying and getting close to dead, so that went too. I am going to plant a new one to replace it. The pond has been dredged (well most of it - more to finish tomorrow) and a huge pile of sludge is now lining the fence of the horse field, it is not attractive, but I am hoping it will dry out quickly and we can spread it and reseed it as the grass there is crap anyway.

We are enlarging the big pond and removing some of the shrubby trees at the front so that we can see water from the flying ground. But it sure is a mess at the moment. I love doing this sort of thing but only when it is finished, I always have that feeling of - oh damn was this a good idea!! at the beginning of the job. But actually the top pond is going to look stunning fairly quickly.

I am still struggling with the new computer, I tried right clicking on the windows thing - in the old programme you could get to all your files and move them around easily, can you do it with the new one - oh no! I don't know where the desk top icon is and there are an increasing number of things that I find don't work. Aggggggggggghhhhhhh, I suppose I ought to be used to it because it always happens when I change computers.

Adam brought down a book called Birds of Prey Winged Master of the Sky, and it is just amazing how bad it is. The photos are a joke because they are so far from the right species that we all fell about laughing at it. I was going to email them and tell them that regardless of the statement at the front that says the publisher, author and editors cannot be held liable for any errors or omissions etc..............well if they deny responsibility who the hell is going to be!! It was published by Chartwell books inc. in the US and Kandour Books in the UK, interestingly you can't find an email address for either publisher, I guess they know how bad this book is!! And Michael Petersen the author should be ashamed of himself. It is sometimes difficult to get the printers to get it 100% right, but this book is amazing it has a staggering 26 photographs that are not the birds that are titled and not the bird he is writing about!!

Its been a lovely day, perfect for messing up the field, and really good flying weather, the peregrines went very well as did most of the other birds. Dusky Emperor is coming on a treat and looks wonderful in the air, my Goshawk is loose, although not quite as obedient as I would like and I chickened out of flying him today, with two diggers and two dumpers in the field, I need to choose a name for him now. And Delectable is wonderful, he can now fly from one bench to the other and gets so excited, the dogs are around when he works and occasionally try to knick he meat! He is a joy to work with and the public seem to like him as he bounces around!

I suspect I will not be riding this week, too much to get done during the day, but I had a good ride yesterday, Henry is always exciting, although not always in ways that I am expecting, however his emergency stop was much more impressive that the Range Rover we met on one of the corners! Nettle seems better, although slowing down fast, I hate it when they get to 12 years old. Still she is still coming down for coffee and lunch, so that bodes well.