Regarding the other, I had forgotten what a challenging time it was having an under one year old dog. At the risk of showing off, Stig was definitely one of the stars at puppy obedience classes, to the point where it was hard not to come back rather smug each week, as he performed to perfection on command.

It’s a shame that this unquestioning willingness to please hasn’t continued.

My friend Lynne and I, having decided against a cycle ride in the rain took the dogs for a walk in the woods at Red Shoot, with the plan to finish with a warming bowl of soup afterwards…best laid plans and
all that.

Within half an hour of arriving, nattering nineteen to the dozen, having lots to catch up on we realised that we were missing one of our 4 dogs.

After tramping the length and breadth of the woods (at least 3 times), hoarse with calling and whistling, we returned to the pub to dry out and warm up. Half an hour later we were back out, still searching. Three hours and an extra dog who momentarily looked like Stig but wasn’t but who adopted us anyway, we still hadn’t found the wretched beast.

I returned to Fordingbridge to do an hour’s work and call the dog warden and check for messages on the ansaphone. No sign or sound of dog.

Back out to Red Shoot. No reports of missing dog at pub although someone might have seen a black dog that looked a bit like a great dane near Linford Bottom. Drive over there.. no dog of any description.

Back to pub, delayed a bit by dead cow in road just run over by wreckless driver. Still no dog. Now dark and late and definitely no voice left.

Back home to cook supper for family, too distracted and worried so totally incapable of cooking, send husband to get fish and chips (don’t whatever you do, however hungry, have fish and chips from the
chippy – expensively disgusting).

Phone rings, lady at pub says someone’s just spotted labrador down road who ran away when she tried to catch him. 2 chaps at pub gone to look for him.

Back to Red Shoot. No sign or sound of dog, chaps couldn’t find him. Retrace where he may have been seen -  about 3 miles from where lost him.

Call…and call…wait ….and wait…call again. Give up fumble in dark back to car, now truly worried, but trying to reassure myself it may be dark and wet but at least it’s not too cold. Suddenly the sound of thundering paws and Stig nearly knocks me off my feet in the sheer joy of finding his owner.

Lost dog found at exactly 8.30pm.

Retire home to a very large glass of wine, in the hopes that dog had frightened himself enough to learn his lesson. Following morning, owner heard calling and whistling for lost dog.

The egg, which has a mass of 143 grams almost three times the size of a standard medium egg and within the 141-148 g range for a Major League Baseball ball was laid Friday by a red shaver hen on Laurie McCannell’s farm in Vars, Ont., a village that is now part of Ottawa’s east end.

McCannell said it was one of 80 on the farm she bought two years ago that she estimates are about four years old.

Normally, she said, hens are kept only until they are about two years old and they tend to lay larger eggs, but less frequently, as they get older.

It’s not unusual for her hens to lay eggs too large to fit in a “jumbo” egg carton, she said.

“But this one is ridiculously big.”

Jumbo is the largest egg size recognized by Agriculture Canada, and includes all eggs over 70 grams.

McCannell said the hen was fed normal chicken feed obtained from the Embrun Co-op as well as spent brewer’s grain from Heritage Brewery in Ottawa and a little bit of oyster shell to make the egg shells strong.

McCannell had been hoping the egg would break a record.

However, it seems the record set in 1896 still stands.

Guinness World Records reports that in that year, a black minorca at Mr. Stafford’s Damsteads Farm in Mellor in Lancashire, U.K., laid a five-yolk 340-gram egg.

Nevertheless, McCannell’s egg is unusually huge, said Laurent Souligny, chairman of Egg Farmers of Canada, the national egg marketing agency.
“I was quite surprised to hear that a hen could lay an egg that size,” said Souligny, who has been in the egg business since 1982.

He’s never seen one that big on his farm and isn’t aware of any others that have been reported in Canada, but does not know if the egg sets a Canadian record.

I was coming to the end of a long run, just north of Pitts Wood last Monday when I thought I may be suffering some form of oxygen starvation – ahead of me stood three middle aged men, stark naked, having a picnic!   I didn’t recognise them as locals, but tried not to avoid eye contact.   The all over tan suggested that this was not a one off.   We exchanged courtesies and they offered me a cocktail sausage (declined) and I went off my way.   They were well off the beaten track, and probably weren’t expecting someone practicing orienteering to burst through the undergrowth at 1130 am on a Monday morning.  Nonetheless, I wondered if other readers had seen the three?   Are we happy for the New Forest to be turned into a
naturist colony?

I was enjoying an end of summer picnic with a couple of friends last Monday, topping up on the all over tan, when we had something of a shock.  A middle aged man ran the undergrowth through carrying a compass and a map.   Has anyone else spotted this mad man or have other nature lovers been disturbed by him?  Do we really want the New Forest to be turned into some sort of athletic practice ground?

Part of the Grilled Turkey Feast by Jane Rodmell

Ingredients:
12–16 lb turkey (5.5–7 kg)
1 lemon, halved
salt and freshly ground
black pepper
1/2 cup Lemon Rosemary Marinade (125 ml)

Seasonings for breast cavity:
2 lemons, quartered
2 shallots or 1 small
onion, peeled and halved
1 head garlic, papery outside skin removed and tips cut off about
1/4″ (6 mm) from the top
2–3 sprigs fresh rosemary or 2 tsp (10 ml) dried rosemary
2 bay leaves
salt and freshly ground
black pepper
Cornbread Sausage Stuffing
Marsala Mushroom Gravy

Preparation

1. Remove excess fat from around the body cavities of the turkey. Pull out the giblets from the breast cavity. (If you haven’t made stock for the gravy ahead of time, use the giblets to make a shortcut stock). Rinse the turkey inside and out under cold running water or wipe thoroughly with a clean, wet towel, then pat dry. Rub inside and out with the cut lemon, season with salt and pepper, and refrigerate while you prepare the marinade and the seasonings for the breast cavity. (Remember to wash utensils, dishes, and surfaces thoroughly with hot soapy water after preparing raw poultry.)
2. Rub turkey all over with marinade and brush a little in the neck and breast cavities. Tuck loose neck skin beneath the bird and secure with a metal skewer. Place seasonings in breast cavity. (The stuffing should be cooked separately.) The turkey will be easier to handle if you truss the limbs to the body with cotton string. The prepared turkey may be placed in a roasting pan, loosely covered with plastic wrap, and left in the refrigerator for 3–4 hours.
3. Remove turkey from refrigerator about 30 minutes before cooking. Prepare the barbecue for indirect grilling (see Grilling Technique for Large Birds) and lightly oil the grill. When the barbecue is ready, place turkey directly on the grill over a drip pan and cover. Monitor the cooking temperature and add more coals or adjust the gas as required. Cook until done when tested, 2–21/2 hours. Juices should run clear and the internal temperature registered by an instant-read thermometer inserted in the inner thigh should read 170°F (77°C). (See Cooking Times and Tips.)
4. Remove turkey from grill to a warm platter and let stand, loosely covered with aluminum foil, for at least 15–20 minutes before carving. Discard the seasonings from the breast cavity. Since our old cottage table is never large enough for all the dinner clutter, the carver has his separate carving space with sharpened carving knife and several warm smaller platters at the ready. Bring platters of sliced light and dark meat to the table, garnished with fresh herbs or watercress.

Serves 10–16.

Tips

• Grill whole garlic bulbs wrapped in foil on the edge of the fire beside the turkey for about 40 minutes until the cloves are soft. Allow to cool, then cut across the tops of the cloves and squeeze out the soft roasted garlic. Use it to flavour mashed potatoes or gravy, or both. Since garlic becomes sweet and mild when roasted, consider putting in an entire head if you’re making mashed potatoes for 10–12, while just a clove or two will lend sufficient flavour to the Marsala Mushroom Gravy recipe.
• As an alternative to a large bird for smaller gatherings, a grilled, marinated fresh turkey breast half, about 3–3 1/2 lbs (1.5–2 kg), makes a delicious feast for 4–6 people, or for 2–4 with plenty left over to make great sandwiches.
• Prepare and marinate the breast as you would the whole turkey, reducing the quantity of marinade by half. Barbecue in a covered grill over a drip pan using indirect heat. The cooking time will be shorter – about 1–11/2 hours – and, if you’re cooking over charcoal, you’ll need fewer briquettes (about 30–40). The turkey breast is done when the juices run clear and the temperature on an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest portion registers 170°F (77°C).

Basic grilling techniques for large birds

If you’re using a charcoal grill, have more charcoal or briquettes on hand than you think you’ll need – a full 10 lb (4.5 kg) bag to be safe. If you’re cooking on a gas grill, be sure to check your
propane supply.

Barbecue the turkey in a covered grill using indirect heat. To cook over indirect heat on a charcoal grill:

• Set a large fire, using about 60 briquettes. After about 20 minutes, when the coals are covered with a light grey ash, use long-handled tongs and a mitt to divide them into two piles, one at each side of the grate. Place a large drip pan in the centre, then lightly oil the cooking grill and set it in place. Put the prepared turkey, breast side up, in the centre of the grill over the drip pan and close the lid. Add 8–10 briquettes to each side every hour or so of cooking time. Preferably, preheat these coals in a small Hibachi or metal chimney set on a heat-safe surface, so they are ready when needed.

To cook over indirect heat in a gas barbecue:

• Preheat the barbecue to high with all burners on and the lid down. Place a large drip pan on top of one of the burners. When the barbecue is preheated, turn off the burner under the drip pan. Put the turkey, breast side up, in the middle of the lightly oiled grill above the drip pan and close the lid. (The technique may vary slightly depending on the size and make of your barbecue, so check the manufacturer’s instructions.)
• Ideally, you want to maintain a constant cooking temperature inside the barbecue of approximately 325°F (160°C). Place an oven thermometer inside your barbecue if it doesn’t have an accurate one
  on the lid.
• For a stronger smoke flavour, add hickory chips to the fire. Soak chips in water for an hour before using. Drain and place directly on the coals of a charcoal fire; with a gas grill, place chips in a shallow metal container (such as an aluminum pie plate) with holes punched in it and put the container on the rocks under the grill rack.
• Resist the temptation to peek! If you rub the outside of the turkey with a flavourful marinade before putting it on the grill (see Lemon Rosemary Marinade), you will not need to baste. Each time you raise  the lid, heat escapes and you have to add another 15 minutes or so to the grilling time. So open the grill as infrequently as possible, just to add more coals or occasionally to check the heat if your
  thermometer is inside. About a half-hour before you judge the turkey to be done (see “Turkey Talk – Cooking Times and Tips,”), check its temperature with an instant-read thermometer and brush quickly
  with basting mixture or glaze.