{"id":18043,"date":"2022-08-04T12:58:38","date_gmt":"2022-08-04T10:58:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=18043"},"modified":"2022-08-04T12:58:38","modified_gmt":"2022-08-04T10:58:38","slug":"your-countryside-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/2022\/08\/04\/your-countryside-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Your countryside"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

HAVE YOUR SAY ON RURAL ISSUES <\/span><\/p>\n\n

\n\n

Share your views and opinions by writing to us at: <\/strong>
Have your say: BBC Countryfile Magazine, <\/em>Eagle House, Bristol BS1 4ST; or email editor@countryfile.com, <\/strong>tweet us @CountryfileMag <\/strong>or via Facebook facebook.com\/countryfilemagazine<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n

*We reserve the right to edit correspondence <\/p>\n\n

<\/div>
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LETTER OF THE MONTH<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

RIVERSIDE PLAY <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Children fishing for minnows in the village pond at Finchingfield, Essex, 1952<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I am a simple, happy-go-lucky, 62-yearold carpenter who, with my lovely partner Tracy, enjoys walking our dogs and exploring the countryside around us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But wonderful as these adventures are, I have woken this morning feeling angry and tearful at what we have discovered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imagine the scene 100 years ago \u2013 idyllic rural villages dotted along clean chalk valley streams. Village life ambled along, as communities pulled together to build, feed and nurture the areas they loved. Children grew up going to local schools, playing in streams and bonding with the land and nature around them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walking the valleys now, there is a massive disconnect. Rivers and streams still flow but the connection has been torn apart. Childhood days of paddling in a stream, learning to fish and being fascinated by the beauty of nature have been stopped dead by barbedwire barriers and fences.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mean selfish old men have taken over! Do they not remember how their passion began? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under the guise of \u2018protecting the countryside\u2019, they have shut rivers and streams, restricting access to little more than a peek of the natural world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every village should have an accessible area for children to play, paddle and love the stream\u2019s magic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take down the barbed wire and selfish signs. Children need to learn and love the environment. Who will care when the mean old men are dead. For all our sakes, put some joy back into the countryside. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cliff Harrison, via email <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Editor Fergus Collins replies: <\/span><\/span>
Thanks for this very interesting letter. It\u2019s calculated that in England, only 8% of the land is open access to the public. Since the lockdowns, there are calls to widen the right to roam, led in part by the Ramblers, due to the health benefits of walking in nature. There is a lot of discussion about river access, too. It\u2019s a big issue and one we will continue to report on in <\/em>BBC Countryfile Magazine. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE PRIZE: <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Our star letter wins a Keela Hydron Softshell Jacket, <\/strong>RRP \u00a3149.95. This technically advanced jacket is designed for rugged, active, outdoor use and is available in both men\u2019s and women\u2019s versions, in a range of colours. Windproof, water-resistant and highly breathable, it\u2019s the perfect choice for biking, hiking, climbing and exploring. keelaoutdoors.com<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n

COMPASSION FOR COWS <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

Following recent letters in your magazine on the cruelties of the dairy industry, I was reminded of my own eye-opening moment, 15 years ago. I was staying in a village about five miles outside Stafford, while working in the County Record Office. One evening, I returned to my B&B and heard a terrible noise on the farm across the road. I went over to see what was wrong. That day, the cows had been separated from their calves and were crying for them. It was like the chorus to a Greek tragedy, only it was cows, rather than humans, who were mourning. The farmer\u2019s mother told me they would get used to it, but they do not. <\/p>\n\n

Not only are cows the most overworked mothers in the world, trapped in a cycle of repeated maternity, but the fate of the calves is cruel. If they are male, they are likely to be discarded as of no use, though a few are kept for beef. If female, some will eventually join the herd on the farm. <\/p>\n\n

On intensive farms, calves are kept in separate hutches and fed on watered-down milk for economy. There is no contact with each other. <\/p>\n\n

This taking away of all that a calf would enjoy is cruel as cows are sensitive, intelligent herd animals, who love contact and play with each other, forming relationships. These cows are slaves to the dairy industry and should be freed. Soya milk is a tasty alternative to dairy milk. <\/p>\n\n

I recently heard of a farmer who diversified into B&B. He had so many complaints from his guests about the separation of calves and cows, which everyone could hear, that he chose to keep the calves with their mothers for nine months and still milk the cows. This only meant a small reduction of milk quantity and he had no more complaints.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

Joyce Moss, Lydney, Gloucestershire <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

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SONG OF THE DAWN <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
\"\"
Peter Beagley recorded the dawn chorus from his houseboat, with help from Boudica the cat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

I have sent you a recording of the morning chorus that I captured from my houseboat, moored up by Springfield Park along the Lea River in East London. We are right by the marshes and wetlands here. There is a resident heron and nesting swans not far away. There are also cormorants; we once watched one wrestle with an eel as it wriggled all the way down its throat. <\/p>\n\n

In this recording I heard my first cuckoo in London. My mum remembers when she heard them in London every year, up to when she was about 20. Along with the birds is Boudica our cat, queen of the boat (pictured above). Thankfully she has never brought any wildlife back. <\/p>\n\n

Thank you all so much for the plodcast. You can find me on Instagram @Peteinthepub, having just completed visiting 365 pubs in 365 days.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

Peter Beagley, Lea Valley, London <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Editor Fergus Collins replies: <\/span>
Thanks so much for this lovely recording \u2013 we are including it in episode 153 (episode four of our current Plodcast season, A Taste of the Countryside). Our PPA award-winning podcast is made even better when readers and listeners send in recordings of nature and the outdoors. We call them our Sounds of the Week and they can range from birdsong to waterfalls to the sounds of thunder. We think of them as audio postcards from the countryside. You can send them to me at editor@countryfile.com <\/em><\/p>\n\n

\n\n

CROW VERSUS CAT <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
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Carrion crows are territorial and can be quite fearless <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

I was just reading your online article about crows from a couple of years ago (countryfile.com\/wildlife\/birds\/british-crowguide-how-to-identify-eachspecies-and-where-to-see\/<\/a>) . <\/p>\n\n

I\u2019m writing to you from Hampshire, where we live in an area surrounded by many trees, with woodland close by, including large firs, oaks and birches. We have these trees in our garden too. <\/p>\n\n

We\u2019ve lived here less than a year and have a pet cat who is currently being terrorised by a crow. It could be more than one crow, of course. If the cat ventures into our garden, a crow will swoop down quite low at him and shriek. The cat then runs in and hides under the table. He seems really scared and avoids going outside. He is constantly watching the garden nervously and only goes out in the day if I accompany him. <\/p>\n\n

He will go out in the evening when the crows quieten down. <\/p>\n\n

This may sound silly but it\u2019s becoming stressful for me, as well as my cat, and has been going on for around five to six weeks. I was trying to find out when crows disappear from our gardens and if you have heard of problems like this before, and if my cat is in any danger. I would appreciate your thoughts. <\/p>\n\n

Melanie Kenyon, Hampshire <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Editor Fergus Collins replies: <\/span>
Crows are resident and tend to be fairly faithful to one location, I\u2019m afraid. This behaviour might be related to the breeding season and the bird could be defending young. I had a crow that used to attack my windows every day believing that its reflection was a rival. In its frenzied attacks, it would hurt itself, often covering the window and the frame in blood. It was very distressing and, despite my erecting barriers and fences and playing music, the crow wasn\u2019t put off. Eventually, after a rather trying three or four months, it disappeared in the autumn and never returned. No other local crow has ever behaved like that since. <\/em><\/p>\n\n

Photos: Getty<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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