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| Ferreting About  FERRETING ABOUT A Ferret’s Point of View What Happened In December Hi again, it’s Gilly, I heard John and Dick talking one day and evidently they’re going to send Jack to be vasectomised, which is bloody good for us but hard work for him, at least it may control our hormones in 2007 because we did have a few problems over the last twelve months. December started badly. Dick decided to take everyone to Aston Abbots I never liked that ground. When we got over there, the boys netted up, Les collared us up and down we go. We bolted three or four of which they managed to lose two of them, then we decided we were going to move on. Unfortunately, John had taken my young nephew Fred who is only five months old and it was his first time out and he became a bit “hole shy”. He wouldn’t come out, plus people were clay shooting in the next field and he could here the bang, bang, bang and that frightened him even more, he kept his head down. This was about ten in the morning. The lads moved to the next bury and we started to work while John stayed to get Fred out. It was all a bit slow, we were only getting one or two rabbits and that was about it, there wasn’t much about. There must have been Myxomatosis in the summer. In the mean time, Rusty Dog decides that the rabbiting was getting a bit boring and she could here the gunshots from the clay shoot in the next field and she decides to go and see what the action is like. We carried on until about twelve o’clock. We bolted a few more rabbits of which the lads managed to miss a couple, but they netted about six. It was then decided that enough was enough and it was time to pack up. Rusty Dog was still missing, Fred hadn’t appeared and so there was total panic. Dick had managed to contact someone from the clay shoot and found out that Rusty Dog had been collected by Jane Dick’s friend. The clay shoot member spoke to Dick and told him that they contacted Jane, as her phone number was on Rusty Dog’s collar and Jane came out to pick up Rusty Dog. That only left the problem with Fred. Les, Rich and Malcolm decided that they ought to get home as they could be in trouble with their wives, well, that was the excuse they used but I reckon they wanted to get to the pub. That left us ferrets, John, Dennis and Dick digging everywhere trying to find Fred. At half past one the clay shoot stopped and Fred decided he would come out of the bury. When he appeared he was given a good scolding and then boxed with the rest of us and off we went. We don’t need another Sunday like that. The following week we had a good turnout. With us were two of Dicks friends, Paul and Daniel from Gozo. We went to an easy working area. Despite a few runners, the lads managed to catch thirty-six which is very good going. When we got back to Dick’s car we heard a lot of swearing, yes, Dick had managed to do it again, he left the ignition on and flattened the battery. After a few fruitless attempts at bump starting the car a local farmer appears with a tractor. With the help of jump leads they got the car going much to everyone’s relief as it was wasting good pub time. We went home with John while the rest of the lads went down to the Fountain for a few beers where they were joined by John C, “The Malibu King”, who has not made an appearance this year on account of his love life. His excuse for not ferreting that morning was that he had to go on a photo session. Make your own mind up about that! John, Dick and the Gozo lads were home by five o’clock. Jane had come over to cook them all Sunday dinner. About eight o’clock Jane took Dick down to the Fountain to pick up his car, at the same time, Les and John C were just rolling out, that must have been one hell of a session as they started at one o’clock in the afternoon and it was now gone eight. Dick was conned into taking them up to the Prince of Wales. I don’t think they lasted long! We didn’t get out again until Boxing Day and then again New Year’s Eve. I think we had twenty two on Boxing Day and twenty four on New Year’s Eve. On Boxing Day I was quite surprised because the lads didn’t miss any. We sat back in amazement, considering they all had a heavy Christmas. That wasn’t bad going. That afternoon we were taken home and the lads went down the pub, there’s a surprise! Later we heard John and Dick coming back, it must have been late because they made a lot of noise getting in to the house. I don’t think they could find a key between them. New Year’s Eve there were a few runners but it was a good days working. Considering the heavy week they had, they did well, they didn’t lose many at all. It was a fitting end to the year and we are looking forward to next year when we hope all the catchers are healthy, I won’t say wealthy but a little bit wiser. That’s all for this time, let’s see what happens in January, 2007. Bye for now! | |||||||||||||||
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