Cornish Crop-robber Cull Calamity

Jamie Chandler recalls a recent trip to Cornwall, where his plans were very nearly scuppered

Here’s a weird thought, and one that gets me every year – you’ll be reading this ramble in early December, with about 20 days until Christmas, whilst I’m writing it in mid-October when Christmas is still a stressfree couple of months away. When this is published, the turn of the seasons will be in full throttle, with winter starting officially on the 22nd of December, but we are only three weeks into autumn as I type. By the time you read this, we could be in the grip of the worst winter for 30 years, if the long-range forecasts play out, but right now it’s 18°C, raining and blowing a gale. Anyway, wherever you are reading this, may I wish you a happy, peaceful and joyous Christmas and New Year.

The end of premium pigeon shooting has carrived, and roebuck season ends in a couple of weeks, with our quotas met already. By this time of year, I am always ready to take a break after a busy spring and summer, and this year I saw over 100 shooters come to try to outwit the wiliest of wild game birds, and the most cautious and fascinating of deer species.

SURF’S UP DUDE