When we went to the Game Fair back in the summer, I had a go with a Daystate air rifle – one with an electronic trigger. I marvelled at just how good the gun was, mainly because there’s no perceptible lag between pulling the trigger and the pellet leaving the barrel. So even those of us with less than steady aiming skills are flattered by the gun’s performance.
Here’s my new toy:
My new toy was delivered today.
The old one is the white machine on the left, the new is the black one on the right.
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Ages ago we bought a custom-built cover for our new caravan. We didn’t get round to using it last winter – we seemed to be using the van too frequently.
But we probably won’t be out and about now until February, so on it went.
And no, I hadn’t heard of them until recently either. But they’ve been a bit of a foodie fashion item recently, because they’re raw(-ish), gluten-free, and of course, being vegan, dairy and egg free too. They’re a substitute for a flour tortilla or similar, but the nearest they get to flour is the inclusion of flax flour (linseed flour) or psyllium husk as a binding agent.
To get an idea of what they should look like, see Raw Wraps. My efforts are a bit clunkier. So far at least …
For the next step on my baking journey, I’m going to have a go at Scandinavian flatbreads.
We’re on holiday in the Loire, one of our favourite places. This time we’re staying near Blois, further to the north-east than our normal pitch south of Tours. We’re at a campsite just outside the village of Candé-sur-Beuvron.
On Bank Holiday Sunday, we drove up to Stafford for the very excellent Has Bean Coffee’s open day. I love Has Bean, and currently have two subscriptions on the go. The great thing about the subscriptions is that you get a (normally delightful) surprise as each packet arrives through the post. Even on the rare occasions that I’m not wild about the selection, I learn something about coffee.
Here’s the owner and coffee enthusiast, Stephen Leighton, introducing the day.
We went back to the very excellent Orchard Poultry to buy a few more bantams. Not for breeding, just to supplement our ornamental flock. And, after losing our silkie during last winter, we’ve learnt the lesson that the breeds must not be too tender for cold damp conditions.
Here are our five newcomers, getting accustomed to their new quarters before being integrated with the existing birds.
We spent an enjoyable hour watching a “field to table” demonstration at the Ragley Hall Game Fair. The demo was given by Jose Souto, keen stalker and chef, and Mike Robinson, restaurateur and game enthusiast.
And before going further, if you’re squeamish about butchery, you might want to skip this particular blog entry!
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We’d arrived early at the Ragley Hall Game Fair with the intention of looking at air rifles and maybe having a go with a couple that I’d shortlisted. So I was slightly disappointed that none of the airgun manufacturers was there. There was, though, a shooting line at which you could try out a selection of guns for a modest fee. I was particularly keen to try out the FX Wildcat and the Daystate Pulsar. (Notice that airguns, the lowest powered beasts of the shooting world, get the most aggressive names. A big game rifle will be called something much milder like “Safari”.)
Anyway, I had a chance firstly to try the Wildcat. It’s made by FX in Sweden, and has a high reputation. It’s a so-called bullpup configuration, much more compact than a traditional rifle, and allegedly much handier to shoulder and to aim.
Posted in Airguns
Tagged Daystate Air Wolf, Daystate Pulsar, FX Wildcat, Ragley Game Fair 2016
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