Edna Philp
Edna Philp
Edna Philp is joint-master and huntsman of the De Burgh and North Essex Bassets and farmer's wife near Saffron Walden.
Edna Philp
Greetings to all you TMV readers and welcome to another hunting season. By the time you read this I would like to think we will have had rain as the East Anglia region is like a desert, with huge cracks in the ground and nobbles of earth as hard as concrete.
A stark contrast to the West and North who have had record amounts of rainfall and are still trying to salvage harvest and winter feed rations to stock because the land is too wet to graze. The seed drill has been going here for over a month. We now await moisture and only hope the grain does not chit and die in the meantime. My "gophering" jobs are gradually getting less which is just as well as other things occupy my days now and I must make time for my granddaughter once a week.
This week is the run up to our Annual Ploughing Match held by the Greenstead Green Agricultural Club, so lots of preparation for that on going. This year we stage the County event for the three clubs in our area, at a farm where we actually have one of our meets.
The land there is bone dry and will cause problems for the vintage ploughs and the horses. I hope to have three teams of horses: we have quite a few still practicing in this region and they are always popular with the public. Incidentally, I am enjoying the Victorian Farm series again - now that is hard work.
We also run a small cereal show at the event for club members to bring samples of crops to be judged against each other. There is a cup for the farm who gets the most points awarded for their samples. Traditional events like these are wonderful ways the public can come and see a little of what we do, but I think the tide has turned and people genuinely support the food producers of this country again.
We had our very last public engagement with the Bassets last week, and for me personally it was one of the most satisfying events I have taken hounds to. Purely an educational event and run by The Countryside Foundation for Education, the Countryside Live was staged at Walthamstow Marshes in London.
It was a two day show and we went both days and all aspects of the countryside were represented; sheep shearing, gundogs, ferrets, farming, bee-keeping, working sheep dogs, and us to represent hunting. Now bear in mind the venue: the 3,000 children who came were from the local schools so there was every colour, creed and race imaginable with 99% of them all petrified of dogs, paranoid about catching disease, and absolutely no idea how to behave around animals.
What a challenge! One which our Bassets rose to admirably, the kids all loved the hounds and despite the teachers not being very keen on the ‘touching’ - with parents’ instructions not to - we had them crammed round the pen most of the day. It was wonderful to see the Bassets coax the fears out of these kids who had never had contact with dogs before.
We take so much for granted living in the country, our way of life, although hard at times we know nothing of depravation and hardship of life in the city. It was a wonderful change from preaching to the converted; very humbling and very worthwhile. Not one child told us it was cruel to hunt, and these kids will remember this experience all their lives.
On our last parade in the ring we were literally swamped by hundreds of children and the Bassets took it all in their stride. The only problem on the lunchtime session on day one was the kids were having their picnics, and lots of sandwiches got stolen! Looking forward to it again next year.
Biscuit with her petit chiot by the French sire Chenonceaux of the Rallye la Roche in Burgandy
Now news of the French Litter who arrived on the due date in early September: six altogether - four are bitches, and all doing superb. Biscuit is amazing, very maternal and has really done them well, and by golly they are fantastic pups. I have them here at home which I love, and they are now getting quite lively.
The dog, Chenonceaux, was a very fine specimen of the BAN, he is also one of the best of his type in the Hunting BAN stock in France. His breeder Mons Henri Touchard, who hunts the Rallye la Roche, is hoping to come over to see them next year which is quite an honour, as I did not think he would be interested once the mating had taken place.
Chenonceaux, named after a very famous chateau, has got several awards at the Brevets the French hold to have their hounds marked on their hunting ability, and in Henri's words - he is Tres Bon!
As you can imagine I am highly delighted, not just a fantastic culmination to the couple of years we have been planning this, but for our pack to have some much needed new bloodlines into it can only be of benefit in the future. And yes I am considering repeating the process again. Husband John says: "You must be mad woman," but I would also like to get some Normandie Cows for our Farm Park. Now that would be a good mission.
I leave you all this time with good wishes for good hunting. I go to Alston for the Hare Hunting Festival in a couple of weeks; catch up with old friends and enjoy some one else’s cooking! Ta-ta.
Edna Philp