Sequin stands in ...
Feels like a long time since I've done this blog - Eric doesn't give it up that easily!. But while he gears up for this evening's Any Questions I've stepped into the breach.
We're doing something on the programme about greyhounds - a builders' merchant who was accused of killing and burying thousands of greyhounds on land at his home has pleaded guilty today to breaching Environment
Agency regulations. Not a nice story. Started a discussion going in the office - Ryan says loads of greyhounds are bred and then shot because they aren't good runners or when they get past their prime. Do any of you have greyhouds - and have you heard about this practice? I'd like to know more.
Happy Chinese New year by the way - this weekend the year of the pig starts.
all the best,
cq
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Hello Sequin! It is wonderful to see you back here!
Welcome back, Sequin.
Oh, and well done so far on Westminster Hour.
Looking forward to it - and will your four identical siblings be presenting the various parts of the show?
Good to have you back, Sequin :-)
Greetings Sequin - as you say, it seems a long time since we heard from you. Welcome back, nip over to the beach for a cuppa this afternoon!
Hello Sequin, Welcome back!
We deal with some 'Racing Greyhound' breeders at work and it seems to me that as far as breeding is concerned many treat the dogs more like farm animals ie max throughput of pregnancies.
The breeding bitches spend a lot of time kennelled and are sometimes in very poor condition. We had one breeding bitch presented which was underweight, had a pretty severe skin condition and only 3 legs. They were intending to try and breed from her, I don't know if we managed to dissuade them.
They often undergo blood testing and artificial insemination, either in the standard manner or some places do them surgically - this is a procedure still allowed in law, although hopefully this may be reversed soon.
I have also had the unpleasant experience of putting down an 8 week old greyhound puppy because it had a broken leg, and hence wouldn't be able to race.
I have not, ever, seen large numbers of retired racing Greyhounds presented to be put to sleep, nor do we have large numbers which present as family pets - all these dogs must be going somewhere and it is pretty easy to believe that people are killing and disposing of the dogs themselves.
Nice to see you back with us, Carolyn. I got confused with newsletters, as Eddies one from yesterday arrived this morning, so I thought it was todays, then yours has just arrived now, so I know that really is todays, & yesterdays wasn't... you get my drift anyway. Hope they've found a new producer if Jeremy is still away. I'm told there's a rather expert cat available (top rates, of course, but goodness he's worth every penny. Rather like yourself. Ssshh, don't tell Eddie though, he thinks you work for £1. 75 p a show & all the coffee you can drink, just like he does. Sweet...)
Hello Carolyn!
Greyhouds?
Have you caught my code?
xx
If I send some Cheerful Chinese piggy photos, will you post them?
Hi Carolyn, nice to have your dulcet tones tonight.
Just received your Newsletter, so looking like a good day for all of us, ending up in a heated debate chaired by Mr Mair.
Hi sequin,
Good to hear you landed the Westminster Hour too.
And Happy Chinese New Year to you, or as Hugh might say: kong hee fa choi - 100% apologies for the fact that i have no idea how to spell it.
I looked up my animal, and was quietly surprised. Could be a novel interview question...
While young Eddie Mair was away
To present Question time for a day
PM was deserted
So Carolyn alerted
To inform us - her own special way
Greetings Sequin, welcome back..... :)
By the way, what did you step in, Sequin, and did you wipe it off before sitting down to blog?
Nicki Noodle (8) what on earth did you find when you looked up your animal?
As a novice listener (well, not new to listening but to PM) I don't think I've had the pleasure of listening to Sequin (if I may presume); I'm sure I won't be disappointed.
I also have to say that I will miss Hugh's chinese snippets - hope the porcine themed celebrations are fun (like to see some pics of that!)
GM - 6
It had never occurred to me to wonder what happened to retired greyhounds. And this may be out of your sphere but are they prone to injury when racing? Having only been to the dogs once it seemed that there was great potential for disaster...
I was born in the Year of the Horse....very apt as my initials used to be G.G. Yes, really!
Hi Sequin! Lovely to see you again. Are you enjoying doing the Westminster Hour as much as I now enjoy listening to it? You've really made your mark there. Brilliant lady!
PS Did Eddie leave his rugby shirts there in a big pile for you to wash? - ;o)
Hugh the Hack - are you trying to make up for your own slips :o))
What constitutes a spate of killings?
Just listening to the item on the South London murders and reflecting on the use of journalistic language. According to my dictionary, a spate is a flooding river or an enormous amount. I don't think 5 murders is an enormous amount. Not even 5 gun murders, nor even 5 gun murders of people between the ages of 13 and 19 (i.e. teenagers).
Spate makes no comment on the rate over time of the enormous amount, so, why spate?
Next we'll be hearing about how operation Trident has "ground to a halt" instead of "stopped" or "failed" or "been ineffective".
Just my small contribution of non-sequiturial pedantry for today.
there is a special charity for rehoming retired greyhounds but I have no idea how many they handle as opposed to the number of greyhounds who retire each year.
Who is Eric?
I have friends who have a had a series of rescue greyhounds - lovely dogs one and all.
Witchiwoman (15) sorry to hear you've 'gone to the dogs' but glad it was only the once!!
No but seriously.... Racing greyhounds do get quite specific injuries due to the speed and direction they race around the track. Luckily though, there is no track near us so we don't deal with them. I think they tend to only use specific vets who are used to dealing with them.
I too will really miss Hugh's reports - and he seems to get on so well with everyone! Where are you going next Hugh? :-)
Good prog, Sequin. If Mr. Mayor doesn't watch his back, he might get promoted upstairs. In fact rumour has it that he is campaigning for promotion.
H.
Jacques (21)
Eric is another name for Eddie (Mair), and the name that he often uses in his daily e-mail to those who receive that service. There is no real reason why he should use that name as there is no connection between those two names; rather like Jacques and Jules. Apologies from the English!.
H.
That's odd - between posting on the Beach, and coming along here, the Blog decided to forget me. Not had that one before.
Another strapline Fifi, I hope you're getting paid for these ;-)
Looks as though the Blog has become v. temperamental again now that it thinks Eddie's 'awae'. Little does it know that he's probably keeping a discreet eye on proceedings.
Was out last night and therefore unable to hear the great Lord Mair live, but shall enjoy hearing him later today. Those little glimpses into the programme courtesty of Jonnie and others have whetted my appetite.
I imagine Eddie stayed in Lancaster last night at vast expense to the licence fee payers, but whenever he returns, may the force be with him! (And Virgin trains on time.)
Off to check the livestock on the quad bike. Am I barred from posting?
xx
ed
Humph @ 25
Thank you for the explanation.
(Ze 'umour of the rosbif and the 'aggis heaters is very strange!)
Jacques. - I hav ze little suspicion zat you are as French as moi.
'Ave you been watching repeats of 'Allo, 'Allo?
Ed I - Looks like you have broken through! Good to hear from you.
RJD as Conspiracy Theorist? No, really?
Perhaps that solvent went to your head, instead of your face :o)
Oo-er, another strapline. You're right Val... I should be on commission!
Off out singing tonight, to a restaurant full of couples celebrating St Valentine a few days late.
HelenSparkles : will you carry out your promise to call Any Answers today?
Fifi x
Since noone else has mentioned it I will -- today is six months exactly since the blog began! Are we having a party? I'll mention it on the beach too.
Regular froggers may be aware that my mother had some surgery on Wednesday. She is feeling fine, but we do know that she will soon need to have some radiotherapy. Yesterday she and I wholeheartedly agreed that Eric is the best therapy on the radio anywhere. Coincidentally, he crops up on extra programmes this weekend! He has clearly heard our plea:
"Ediie Mair to do all the radiotherapy please!"
:-)
Ed Off to check the livestock on the quad bike????
What a peculiar place to keep them! I hope you don't ever leave the keys in the ignition -- that could prove rather dangerous!
Apertif (34),
Another wonderful mental image you've conjoured up for me. A couple of young rams hot-wiring the quad bike because Ed *did* take the keys out of the ignition, so as to try and impress the ewes. Something out of Wallace and Grommet.
No Ed, you should not be baaaar-ed from posting.
No, RJD, the same two messages are still missing, and one was reposted immediately after my livestock one.
Appy,
Thanks for the grin. In fact I always leave the key in the ignition. Easier not to lose it that way. 198 sheep (romneys) and two tups (Romulus And Remus) and 44 in another field and eight koos.
A brilliant day to be out!
xx
ed
Ed (36), 100 animals on one quad bike?! Is it a giant bike or are they teeny beasts?
DeepJohn (35), Your imagination is clearly well ahead of mine :-)
Aperitif (37) I had the same image -in formation as per 'A Close Shave' - Ed I please send us a photo! :-)
Gossipmistress, Apperitif, Deep & all,
Pictures at blog. Sadly, I couldn't get them to pose on the bike. They were afraid the boss might see the picture and not let me spoil them the next time...
Baaaaaahh!
ed
Beautiful pics as always Ed, but I'm very disappointed not to see them on the bike!
Ed I - Thank you for the photos - of course they were balancing on the bike until you got your camera out, then they all jumped off and started grazing!!x (nice narcissi!)
This is the first time I have made a comment on this blog so forgive me if this is not the correct forum.
I heard the piece re greyhounds with Lord Donoghue on PM last night. This is something of great interest to me as I was asked to become part of a syndicate that was buying a Greyhound some months ago. I agreed as it was not prohibitively expensive and I occasionally went greyhound racing so it was an added interest. I had never considered the cruelty aspect of greyhound racing. I had been greyhound racing a number of times and had even brought my young children. A few weeks ago it was pointed out to me (by friends of mine) that this was an inherently cruel sport along with horse racing etc. and not only should I not be involved with perpetuating the cruelty, by part owning a dog, I should not even go to the races. I have to say that this never struck me, which may sound like gross naïveté, but it didn't. The idea that I might be involved in cruelty to animals and that I would take my children to a 'sport' that was inherently cruel is abhorrent to me. I resolved myself to researching the facts. This amounted in great part to Google searching which in turn means a rather unbalanced view promulgated by advocacy pro animal rights groups. Nothing wrong with the view but their does not appear to be an opposing one, there may be good reason for this! In any case my position regarding this sport as cruel is left unresolved.
Eddie Mair's final question was 'what do the dogs get out of it' to which Lord Donoghue replied 'they love racing and have been bred for it etc.' something, of course, he cannot truly know. I am left in a quandary am I a bad person because I occasionally go greyhound racing? If I ensure that the dog I am involved with is looked after post-racing career is that enough to appease any nagging doubts I have re cruelty? If I ensure that the greyhound I am involved with is treated humanely, kennelled properly etc. is that enough? Or is greyhound racing an anachronistic practise that should go the same was as bear baiting? Then, is a 20-minute walk twice a day a suitable for a running/hunting dog (the possible alternative)?
If only I could ask the dog?