Now, this blog likes bulls. In fact, as regular blog readers know this blog even has a share in a bull of its own and I don't mean to boast, but I do wonder quite how many other blogs can claim that. Particularly writing based ones.
Anyway, HUGE congratulations are due to the real bulldaddy (as he is named on my phone at least), Alasdair Houston. His Charolais bull (and Deeday's friend), Gretnahouse Drysky, was awarded the supreme male title at this month's Sale of Charolais Cattle at Carlisle bull sales.
And here is Gretnahouse Drysky with stockman, John Morton (who has been possibly the most patient man in the world as we all came stumbling round the herd with some of us doing things like calling Drysky Deeday's friend) ...
But he is pretty, isn't he?
Drysky, I mean. Drysky. Gawd, at this rate I'm never going to be allowed back to Gretna, and I love Gretna Green.
Ps. I hope I sound as if I know what I'm talking about. Being the part-owner of a bull is a serious business, and I for one certainly would NEVER get confused between Charolais and Chevrolet as I'm sure the rest of the bull family will testify (cough, cough)...
So the latest on the bull story. Last Friday, I went to Carlisle to meet my Edinburgh accomplice and we went to see our very own bull. This started last year when we bid at a charity auction for some pedigree bull semen - well, the dinner out for two had gone. Anyway, we're not stupid, we negotiated the birth of the bull as well, and because it was for Cystic Fibrosis, the wonderful Alasdair Houston offered us the chance to come and pick which bull we wanted. This will eventually be sold and all profits will also go to the charity but in the meantime we're calling him ours and are planning to watch him grow up, which is all probably much more more than Alasdair bargained for when he offered the prize to the proper farmers there!
Now the surprising truth is Alison and I don't know much about bulls, apart from how to pose in front of them...
But the bulls we were choosing from are part of the award winning Charalais herd and, let me tell you just in case you ever doubted, they were BEAUTIFUL...
How to choose just one? After five minutes I was seriously contemplating going into cattle breeding...
But luckily we had brought our official advisers with us, who had lists of sensible questions and proper experience...
Also the ability to say a firm NO when I was determined to have one called 'Dracula' because - cue spooky music - that's the book I'm reading at the moment with my book club.
And so meet the handsome Deday. We won't know how he'll turn out for a while but hopefully he'll grow up big and strong and carry on making money for Cystic Fibrosis for many years to come.
We're going back to visit him in three months time so I'll keep you posted. I have to say I've learnt a lot about bulls and breeding over the last few days. Not least NOT to share it all with strangers on trains!
And because we were in Gretna Green, here's a video of the famous starlings just starting to mass. It was just like this. Around five o'clock we could see them coming from all directions and apparently some nights the sky really does turn black.
