Apologies for not having written before, but I have a really good excuse! It appears that having to give up
the bulk of your career/passion that you have work in all your life, having to give away 99 percent of the birds you have loved all your life, seeing all the staff leave, selling this property which has been a nightmare, but it nearly d and finding and buying a new house has been a little more stressful than anticipated. - Amazing really!! I had a haemorrhagic bleed in my brain on June 3rd. Having fed and walked the dogs, done the bird, rode my bike to the livery yard, rode a friend's horse and rode my bike home, I sat down to watch the Church Service at St Paul’s Cathedral for the Queens jubilee and my sight went peculiar. When I tried to read, I could make no sense of the words. So, phoned 999 and an ambulance came. They said I should go to hospital which I did and finally at about 12.00 midnight was admitted to hospital after blood tests and a CT scan.

After a total of two session in Hospital I am trying to keep calm and quiet - that is bloody impossible! Our volunteers, some of the staff and my neighbours have been amazing, they have taken me places as I am not allowed to drive at the moment, they have chopped up and skinned food for the birds and fed them, done the baths and aviaries and even taken the dogs for a walk as well as helping with the mowing of which there is a fair bit to do! 

As well as helping with all the baby Hen Harriers that we are managing for Brood Management this year So, there we are a very valid excuse I would say. 

 So where are we in finishing off. Still trying to finish the sale of this place, which is taking tar longer than it should have done, but it nearly there now. I have found a new place very close by but am not shouting about it until it is a done deal. We have nine vultures (three Cape vultures, two African White Backs, One Condor – Real – and one Egyptian Vultures – Cara) Holly’s two Verreaux’s Eagles and two Harris Hawks, Domino and Tork still to go to Wales when there are aviaries for them. The two young condors and Keats the White Tailed Sea Eagle are
over there already with Adam. Holly has been over with her parents in a very large very yellow van full of stuff, two falcons - Kuli and Marvel, and Flax. The falcons are staying over there. 

So 13 birds to go for Wales The six I am keeping, Hare (Indian Tawny Eagle) Hemp (Eurasian Eagle Owl) Coll (Savigny’s Eagle Owl) Corsair (Lugger) Windward (Merlin) and Pinotage (elderly Egyptian Vulture). Will all stay here until the buying of the new house is done and aviaries built for them which will hopefully be able to happen in August. There are two kites and one African Fish Eagle still to be collected That just leaves two male Lanners to find a home for now, one is a great flyer and one is for breeding.

We are hearing great things about all the birds that have gone, particularly those who were demonstration birds here before they left us. 

However the dogs hate it as there is no one here to mug for sandwiches or get stroked by, so a lot of the time they have to put up with just me. We are now in the waiting stage of this house sale being finalised and all the stuff that needs to happen when buying a new one. Once that is done I guess we will be running around trying to finish up an clear every thing to leave it as tidy as possible before actually moving.