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Maggie it probably thought your hair style was a pony tail ;-) :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D
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I wasn't mild, Rollo, just can't repeat what I said (nor the volume) on a chat board :-D
Although my GG grandmother, and ex's g grandmother were born and brought up in the New Forest, both left to go into service, and married men local to where they worked.
The grandfather who worked with Oliver Crosthwaite-Eyre (snr) was from the other side of my family - he was a Cornishman!!
They met during the war.
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"Looks like, according to your 'improvements', I have a lot of 'rights' in the New Forest, my children even more so."
Good for you. Exactly my point the ordinary people of this country are being driven out of the places they have lived in for centuries be it Cornish villages, the New Forest, Brighton Kemp Town or Hackney. My auntie married one of the Mudeford fishermen whose smuggling ancestors sank a RN naval cutter with gunfire. She only sold their New Forest land ( with planning permission) in the 1970s against my advice.
You were very mild with the cyclists. Maybe they should be routed via the level crossing at Brockenhurst or Fordingbridge The Fighting Cocks :-D
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Rollo,
Looks like, according to your 'improvements', I have a lot of 'rights' in the New Forest, my children even more so.
One of my GG grandmothers was a Burt from Boldre and also, later, Fawley. The Burts were traditionally woodsmen. Also have Scragglefords from the Forest who moved to North Baddesley.
On looking at my ex's genealogy. His GGrandmother was a Haines from Boldre. Married a Whitchurch man. One day, we'll find out if we are/were related in ay other way apart from marriage, bearing in mind both families came from the same 'village'.
My granddad was the parliamentary agent for Oliver Crosthwaite-Eyre, after the war. I believe Crosthwaite-Eyre was also the Official Verderer at the time.
Unfortunately, I couldn't afford to buy a house in the New Forest.
Actually, neither could my ancestors. They moved from their caravans and benders and became 'land' squatters.
As for vast cycling events, I have to agree.
Two years ago, there was an outcry in the local paper about vandalism to their signs. I had to respond. Friend and I had sat in the car watching ponies, deer and donkeys eating their signs!! So much for their knowledge of animals, let alone those in the New Forest.
Then they said someone had deliberately spilt silage on the road. Really?
The New Forest is a working area. We've quite often seen silage on this road. It's a difficult gateway for the farmer to get in to. Sh*t happens.
Last year, during one of these events, the traffic was stopped both ways, due to donkeys claiming the road. About 10 cyclists from the 'wiggle' event were trying to get to the front of the queue. They were just in front of our car, when a heavily pregnant donkey decided to stop in the gap just ahead of them.
One cyclist put his foot out, and kicked her obvious bump, to try to 'push' (his words) her out of the way.
I was out of the car like a flash, blocked the gap between the cars, so the cyclists couldn't overtake the car in front, and, amongst other things, questioned his parentage, and the ethics of kicking any animal, let alone a pregnant one.
Apparently this was appreciated as, when I went to get back in the car, there was applause from the other stationary cars, and, as the donkeys slowly moved, the cars coming the other way ensured the cyclists couldn't get by.
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I agree, Ann. Does the nape of my neck really have ANY resemblance to a pony's A**?
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Maggie I think I would be worried as to its previous residence. Nasty looking but thought not to bite humans luckily.
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The New Forest was created as a hunting park by William I and his Angevin descendants. By and large they got around on horseback. That is still by far the best option.
The New Forest could be much improved by:
(a) banning people wearing lycra in general and any kind of group competitive cycling; if there is some human right they are expressing then both the cycles and lycra should be in dayglo pink
(b) more wild boars, wolves ( see (a) )
(c) a speed limit on all unclassified and B roads of 20 mph enforced by cameras; 50 mph on A35, A337, A31 zero alcohol tolerance for driving; frequent humps making lowered suspensions a bad option
(d) ban on house ownership for anybody who did not have a close relation resident in the Forest before 1970 ( 1870?) , forced sale otherwise
(e) the Verderers Court to be the sole administration not the National Trust or Hampshire CC still less the Forestry Commission who make Sepp Blatter look a paragon of virtue
(f) grockles only allowed entrance under close supervision; meanwhile the local fauna are quite good at the job :-D
Cheshire could do with something similar as Errol was pointing out
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Graham :-D
I have absolutely no problem with spiders, even though they bite, but flies...........
When I was sterilising the Duplo for my latest grandchild, I was leaving it to dry on a towel in the garden, when a young White Death Crab spider - now there's a name every arachnophobe will love - took up residence on a piece.
I knew it was a young one, as, though quite big, I've seen MUCH bigger ones in my garden.
I left the piece of Duplo out there, as white crab spiders have been known to change colour. It stayed a few days, but unfortunately remained white.
http://www.uksafari.com/crabspider.htm
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Sounds like quite an adventure :-)
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...I'm beginning to wonder why?
I'm not too keen on beasts with 4 solid feet, that can cause a lot of pain, and teeth that are the source of nightmares, but have overcome this fear over the years, to the extent that: I've led a pony that was stuck in a flooded are of the Forest to safety: have given refuge to a pony who was frightened by a pack of morons, and retained my sitting position when half a dozen cattle decided the grass where I was sat looked very tasty!
However, the last 3 trips have resulted in:
1) Being bitten IN my ear by a beastie
2) Standing behind a very small tree, when about 20 ponies were spooked, and started running in our direction. We managed to calm them a bit by talking to them as they approached, but hooves were still flying.
3) This was the worst. Yesterday we were sat on a dry bit of land, surrounded by bog, near a pond (that was absolutely heaving with tadpoles), with nesting lapwings the other side of the pond - we didn't want to disturb them - and a couple of buzzards flying about.
We sat having a tea. It was quite windy, and after a while, 'cleggs' began flying into us. We battered them off, but they were headed for the only uncovered bits - my friends arms, and face, my face.
I felt something at the back of my neck, under my hair, and brushed it off.
We stayed longer than intended, as a group of 6 lads (probably Duke of Edinburgh) appeared over the hill behind us, asking how to get to a house. Friend gave directions, which included going back the way they'd come, and following a path. They wanted to go straight, we told them it was bog, they ignored us.
So, in their trainers, with heavy rucksacks, they headed for the left side of the pond, where I'd been half an hour before, wanting to cross the small bog-stream that led to the pond, to look at a plant.
I was in waterproof boots. I put my foot in the (what looked like a shallow) stream, only to have my foot sink very deeply into extremely claggy mud :-( I went no further.
We had to stay to watch them. I know it was cruel, but also hilarious!!!
We could make the excuse, we were concerned for their safety.....
Eventually, they turned back. By now they were wet and muddy up to their knees.
Anyway, walking back to the car, I again felt something in my hair, I felt a lump, but thought it was a hair pin.
We had another cup of tea in the car. I felt something again, had a good rummage under my 'bun' (I do my hair in a French plait, then turn it under a hold it with a hairpin), grabbed something and pulled it out.
It was a huge, flat, nasty-looking fly :-0
I only shrieked a bit. It was very difficult to get rid of, it kept hanging on to my hand, and trying to crawl up me. I couldn't kill it. I eventually managed to get it on the ground (by now I was out of the car), stamped on it, and it was still alive. I got back into the car, and closed the door and windows.
I finally recognised it this morning. It was a crab fly. :-0 :-0
http://www.lefourquet.net/newsletters/0907flatfly.html
I'm more traumatised now than I was yesterday :-(
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