Saw this cool horse at a show I did, uncomfortable to ride though

Good God where does the time go, I am sitting here only writing this because Mary Catherine said she missed my blogs and I then realised how long it is since I wrote. Having said that I am supposed to be sort of resting, which I am not good at. Last year I hurt my neck, I have no idea how and no it was not on a horse! I have not got on one since I broke my back, although I have every intention of doing so at some point again. I don't know how I did it, but suspect that it may have been when putting birds away at night because occasionally I wallop
my head on the top of the housing and that makes you jerk away. Anyway, it has been painful on and off for about 7 months. However recently it has got much worse and the day before yesterday I could barely move my head and have not been sleeping, so I went back to my very nice Physiotherapist Abby whom I can thoroughly recommend and she was a little horrified at how it was, and now I am wearing a bloody neck brace, which is not particularly attractive but does help, that, pills and gin seem to do the trick, but I really do need to get it sorted out.

Flying falcons in a neck brace is pretty interesting!!

Recently that idiot chap Robin Page has been writing about how 'do gooders' are saving birds of prey and bird predators to the detriment of all other wildlife, and when challenged in another newspaper where he got the scientific proof for his mindlessly stupid statements he said he never listened to the science!! What he and so many other people fail to understand is that if the environment is not right for birds of prey, it is not right for all the creatures great and small that make up the biodiversity that supports them. As I often state (possibly tactlessly) at demonstrations is that the only animal that breeds when there is not enough food around is us! Mind you a good friend of mine pointed out that an acronym for Robin Page's name is Boring Ape - oh how perfect is that!!!

OK so what has been happening. We have a beautiful baby Condor girl and Carl Jones is bringing the second egg this coming week. Cotswold Wildlife Park very kindly gave us some Turkey Vulture eggs, one of which has hatched and is an enchanting chick. The four baby Barbary Falcons are being looked after by mum, the Lanners have two of their babies and we gave one to the Luggers as they keep laying infertile eggs and we are hoping that having a chick will encourage them to get it right next year.

The Verreaux's Eagles having laid four fertile eggs last year of which we got three lovely girls from have laid four infertile eggs this year damn it. So a change will happen with them in the autumn. The Mountain Caracara's have actually laid eggs and not eaten them this year so we have some of those in the incubators and fingers crossed for them. The Brahminy Kites have two beautiful babies who are going to be staying with us to join the flying team. We are building two ponds in the flying ground, and the staff are taking bets as to who is going to fall into them first. The big money is on Mark, with I suspect me as the second choice! As with all breeding seasons there are the down sides and the Merlins have laid infertile eggs this year and the Hooded Vultures have broken their only egg damn it. However we have some plans to help them in the future.

Being charitable is making a difference and will hopefully make an even bigger one once we get moving in the right direction, all of which needs only funding and we will get there.

The gardens are looking superb, just amazing, it is a joy to walk round them at the moment. There is a new fence round most of the Centre (four feet high and dog proof) and lots more plans of things to come.

You should come and see - and soon.