Four red-legged partridge have adopted our drive as their home. These corpulent little game birds have never had the affection of the native greys, but I've grown rather fond of our quartet and their chukkar chukkar song, which has been compared to the piston-like sounds of a steam engine.
I don't think that they're wild, but raised by a gamekeeper, as during last Saturday's storms, they took up residence on the front-door mat and barely budged when I went out to feed the chickens. They're attractive rather than spectacular, with black, white and chestnut stripes on their flanks set against a white throat and distinctive red beak and legs, but their familiarity has made me warm to them and the little ways of their community.
Last winter, there was a hen pheasant that roosted in a tree above the lane leading to my house, and I looked out for her on each journey home, hoping that she was still alive. These feelings for birds, that I would shoot in the blink of an eye if they flew past me on a shoot day, may seem bizarre to some people, but the secret of all real sportsmen is a genuine love and admiration for his or her quarry.
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‘Reactions to the French in the 1870s varied from outrage to curious interest’: Impressionism's painstaking ten year journey to be taken seriously by the BritsClaude Monet and Camille Pissarro spent time in London, but it took James McNeill Whistler to act as artistic bridge with Britain and the ‘sweetened’ Impressionism of Jules Bastien-Lepage to inspire most homegrown painters.
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Rogue sellers and puppy farmers are exploiting Government licensing loopholes at the expense of responsible dog breeders, says The Kennel ClubThe Kennel Club launched a report in the House of Commons last week calling for an urgent review of current licensing regulations.
