Farm Walk
28/12/24 15:17
A sunny morning walk in early May.
Despite a runny nose from a head cold the smell of glyphosate from a neighbours field still assails me.
The farmers friend and wildlife’s foe.
"You could pour RoundUp on a ladybird and it wouldn't hurt it" says my friend Robert, a retired crop spraying contractor. "But what will it do to the vegetation the ladybirds sitting on" says I. "Oh it'll kill all that" says Robert. "So the ladybird will starve" says I. "Oh" says Robert.
I sit by the drainage ditch to compose this and see the heavy algae on the water, evidence of fertiliser run-off. I look across at my neighbours field of wheat, not a blade out of place, totally uniform not a weed in site.
But I am no paragon, stepping in our field called Peartree to see how the grass is doing and thinking about haymaking I step on a hen pheasant who is nurturing her clutch of eggs. I crush several but it's a large clutch so hopefully she will return and raise the rest. I feel guilty.
Despite a runny nose from a head cold the smell of glyphosate from a neighbours field still assails me.
The farmers friend and wildlife’s foe.
"You could pour RoundUp on a ladybird and it wouldn't hurt it" says my friend Robert, a retired crop spraying contractor. "But what will it do to the vegetation the ladybirds sitting on" says I. "Oh it'll kill all that" says Robert. "So the ladybird will starve" says I. "Oh" says Robert.
I sit by the drainage ditch to compose this and see the heavy algae on the water, evidence of fertiliser run-off. I look across at my neighbours field of wheat, not a blade out of place, totally uniform not a weed in site.
But I am no paragon, stepping in our field called Peartree to see how the grass is doing and thinking about haymaking I step on a hen pheasant who is nurturing her clutch of eggs. I crush several but it's a large clutch so hopefully she will return and raise the rest. I feel guilty.
Comments
6th December 2023
06/12/23 12:14
Gorgeous day, just a few high cirrus clouds. Lovely flying day with a very light breeze down 32 but the airstrip is too waterlogged to be useable.
This is the wettest year I have recorded since I started in 2006. 684.6mm so far and still a few weeks to go. Previous wettest was 2012.
The girls are 'hedge-laying' holes in the orchard hedge alongside the airstrip.
Cattle all look happy munching away on our lovely hay.
This is the wettest year I have recorded since I started in 2006. 684.6mm so far and still a few weeks to go. Previous wettest was 2012.
The girls are 'hedge-laying' holes in the orchard hedge alongside the airstrip.
Cattle all look happy munching away on our lovely hay.
Austin Healey Sprite
12/01/19 15:58
This time last year I finished restoring our 1958 Austin Healey Sprite. Since then she has covered over 1700 trouble free miles. Take a look at the photos in the Sprite Section
Avid Flyer
12/01/19 14:38
January 2019
12/01/19 14:17
All good intentions for this website but they didn't last long. So much has happened since I last updated I hardly know where to start.
I guess the most dramatic thing was being diagnosed with a Pheochromacytoma. Big word and it was having a big effect on me and also required BIG surgery to extract the offending tumour.
Here are the notes I made afterwards for the Pheo. Support group website:
In my forties I was diagnosed with hypertension and began treatment, I didn't think I had any symptoms but my headaches stopped after starting medication. As I was fit, active and not overweight I asked my doctor WHY, just one of those things he replied.
About 5 years ago I noticed that sometimes I awoke wet with sweat, it didn't bother me so I ignored it but did mention it to my doctor at a routine check up.
4 years ago I developed Erectile Dysfunction, I asked my doctor WHY, just one of those things he replied.
3 years ago I consulted my doctor about my nocturia he decided it was my prostate and I was refered to a urologist. I was told I had an enlarged prostate (well most men of my age have) he wanted to do a biopsy to be sure it wasn't cancer, I rejected this as too invasive and went for monitoring instead.
2 years ago I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic, my blood sugar was only just in the pre-diabetic range so there was no action taken. I asked my doctor WHY, just one of those things he replied.
In December 2013 I fainted for the first time in my life whilst skiing, I had just started a course of Alpha blockers to help with my "prostate problem".
Then the sweating started during the daytime, I was constipated and felt lethargic, by September I was doubting that I had the energy to go skiing this season.
When I mention "my doctor", actually it was a succession of locums who just looked at the symptom I was presenting with at the time. So I changed to another more holistic practice that has a much lower turnover of doctors.
Within a week of seeing my new doctor I was diagnosed with a Pheo. The tumor was first picked up by ultrasound and then confirmed as a pheo. by 24 hour urine test. Thank god for a doctor who could join the dots and didn't always assume the hoofbeats where horses.
I was then refered to Professor Brown at Addenbrokes in Cambridge. Prof. Brown is the foremost authority on pheo. in the UK and I am lucky that I only live 6 miles away. I was admitted for a day for observation whilst starting blockade with Phenoxybenzamine.
That was 2 months ago and the blockade has gone well but of coarse I have had to suffer extreme fatigue and feeling faint when standing. For those who like the numbers I have gained 14 pounds in weight as I have re-hydrated, I am now 175 pounds. My lying systolic BP is now 145 but standing it drops to 85. Standing around in queues makes me feel faint but I am still managing to walk 2 miles a day.
My other symptoms have gone, no sweating, no constipation, no erectile dysfunction, no nocturia (I only get up once a night now)
My tumor is over 8cms so I will be having open surgery which is a nuisance as it will take longer to recover and I'll miss this years skiing season!!!!!
I will report back as soon as I can post op.
Well all went well and I was back skiing 5 weeks post op.!! The next year I had surgery on my shoulder as I kept dislocating it and the next year more surgery to fix the incisional hernia the first op. gave me!!!!
All in all quite a time I don't want to repeat.
I guess the most dramatic thing was being diagnosed with a Pheochromacytoma. Big word and it was having a big effect on me and also required BIG surgery to extract the offending tumour.
Here are the notes I made afterwards for the Pheo. Support group website:
In my forties I was diagnosed with hypertension and began treatment, I didn't think I had any symptoms but my headaches stopped after starting medication. As I was fit, active and not overweight I asked my doctor WHY, just one of those things he replied.
About 5 years ago I noticed that sometimes I awoke wet with sweat, it didn't bother me so I ignored it but did mention it to my doctor at a routine check up.
4 years ago I developed Erectile Dysfunction, I asked my doctor WHY, just one of those things he replied.
3 years ago I consulted my doctor about my nocturia he decided it was my prostate and I was refered to a urologist. I was told I had an enlarged prostate (well most men of my age have) he wanted to do a biopsy to be sure it wasn't cancer, I rejected this as too invasive and went for monitoring instead.
2 years ago I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic, my blood sugar was only just in the pre-diabetic range so there was no action taken. I asked my doctor WHY, just one of those things he replied.
In December 2013 I fainted for the first time in my life whilst skiing, I had just started a course of Alpha blockers to help with my "prostate problem".
Then the sweating started during the daytime, I was constipated and felt lethargic, by September I was doubting that I had the energy to go skiing this season.
When I mention "my doctor", actually it was a succession of locums who just looked at the symptom I was presenting with at the time. So I changed to another more holistic practice that has a much lower turnover of doctors.
Within a week of seeing my new doctor I was diagnosed with a Pheo. The tumor was first picked up by ultrasound and then confirmed as a pheo. by 24 hour urine test. Thank god for a doctor who could join the dots and didn't always assume the hoofbeats where horses.
I was then refered to Professor Brown at Addenbrokes in Cambridge. Prof. Brown is the foremost authority on pheo. in the UK and I am lucky that I only live 6 miles away. I was admitted for a day for observation whilst starting blockade with Phenoxybenzamine.
That was 2 months ago and the blockade has gone well but of coarse I have had to suffer extreme fatigue and feeling faint when standing. For those who like the numbers I have gained 14 pounds in weight as I have re-hydrated, I am now 175 pounds. My lying systolic BP is now 145 but standing it drops to 85. Standing around in queues makes me feel faint but I am still managing to walk 2 miles a day.
My other symptoms have gone, no sweating, no constipation, no erectile dysfunction, no nocturia (I only get up once a night now)
My tumor is over 8cms so I will be having open surgery which is a nuisance as it will take longer to recover and I'll miss this years skiing season!!!!!
I will report back as soon as I can post op.
Well all went well and I was back skiing 5 weeks post op.!! The next year I had surgery on my shoulder as I kept dislocating it and the next year more surgery to fix the incisional hernia the first op. gave me!!!!
All in all quite a time I don't want to repeat.