Getting busy

Well the last 7 days started off slowly and has finished with me racing about.

The VIP booking last Tuesday went well with all the birds flying well and the clients being impressed. The next 2 days were quiet with no bookings, so it was case of flying birds and cleaning the centre and general pottering about. I feel I have been doing a lot of that recently but it is all changing now.

On Friday things were fully booked with a booking in the morning and another in the afternoon and then flying birds in the early evening. While Friday was busy it was a bit straight forward as it was all in the centre and an easy enough day with all the birds flying well.

The weekend though was far more interesting.

Now I don't take a lot of time off - the odd day here and there with an afternoon off every now and then. Over the weekend I took a few hours off on the afternoons of Saturday and Sunday. When you have livestock it is not just a case of working Monday to Friday 9 til 5pm. You have a responsibility to your livestock, if not you are going to end up with dead stock, it's that simple. Taking time off can be a challenge especially if you can't get anyone to cover for you and when you have 20 birds of prey it just can't be anyone that you bring in so at the moment any time off tends to be an afternoon or a few hours here and there. This is how it was on Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday morning was spent cleaning the centre and feeding the birds. Then it was off go-karting with my brothers and Dad (it was a Christmas present) for a few hours. Once that was finished it was straight back to the centre grab Oran (male Harris Hawk) and over to do a hawk walk and deliver a ring at Cameron House as Frank was proposing to Katie and Oran was delivering the ring. Once that was done it was straight back to the centre and finish up. Sunday was the same, with the morning spent in the centre and then off to watch the Alba Cup Final with my Dad in Perth. Then it was back to the centre and spend a couple of hours finishing up and getting everything ready for the next day.

My weekends are not always like that. In fact they are hardly ever like that. Even though it was only a few hours each day I feel as though I have had a bit of a break. Next weekend normal service resumes.

The last 2 days have been a bit rushed with both days fully booked and a lot of running about between the centre and Cameron House.

The rest of the week will be spent getting ready for the events that are coming up over the coming weekend. I have at least 1 large event in each of the next 7 weeks with the first 1 being the Glasgow University Vet School Rodeo this coming Saturday. I haven't made up my mind as to which birds will be flying in the 2 demonstrations but Brel (male Harris Hawk), Alba (Barn Owl) and at least 1 falcon will be involved. After that I am not to sure. I have 2 x 30min flying demonstrations to do. I will make up my mind this week while I am getting everything ready. On the Sunday there will be no time to relax as the Strathblane Country House Hotel are having there wedding fair and we are involved in that.

The following weekend (Easter weekend)  is even busier as we are at Edinburgh Castle doing talks and displaying the birds on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Jo is also doing a hawk walk at Cameron House on Saturday.

While I have been busy watching football, flying birds, doing bookings, cleaning, go karting, feeding birds, answering the phone and  e mails in the last 7 days I have still been able to find time to check up on the progress of the 2 new birds I will be getting this year. First up the Barn Owl. It has hatched and I am waiting for it's Article 10 paper work to turn up so the breeder can sell it to me. Hopefully I will be able to collect it this Thursday and I will be able to start hand rearing it. This Barn Owl is to replace Dylan who is now semi retired as his eye sight is going. Next up is the Prairie Falcon. When I spoke to the breeder he said the female had laid eggs and she was incubating them so I should know hopefully in the next 6 weeks if there is a male Prairie Falcon for me. Fingers crossed.

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