A Travelling Countryman

A Travelling Countryman
​ To Africa, Back to Somersetshire via Hampshire.

I am a Freemason and proud to be too, we often refer to ourselves as Travelling Men forever looking Eastwards, this I can really relate too as I travel a lot with work and pleasure, I am a member of a couple craft masonic lodge and also several side orders etc, I love Freemasonry, to be a Freemason first charity must be at your core, you must want to do good for your fellow Man/Woman especially those in real need, you must also want to become the very best version of yourself that you can be, our ceremonies are serious and teach us a moral guidance, we have a lot of fun at the festive board or after meeting as its known, a good sense of humour and the joy of being in good company, as I always say Freemasonry is for every Man or indeed Woman, but not any Man or Woman, not everyone makes the grade for you have to be of good report to become a Freemason.

Just recently my fellow brothers of Wraxall lodge 9011 who meet in the Nailsea temple here in Somersetshire went to visit The Vale Of Brislington Lodge that meet in The Keynsham Temple, Bro MK and Bro NB are members of both lodges and invited myself, Bro MW and Bro AG over as their guests, we all jumped at the chance as its an awesome night at the VOB, the ceremony was first class, the festive board truly inspirational, our little Band of Brothers refer to ourselves as The Wraxall Pirates of table number three, were a group of MM that are supporting each other in what we call progression in the lodge and outside too with learning our lines etc, we also have a jolly time together at the festive board, jovial and supportive of ourselves, the lodge and freemasonry in general, I cannot urge all Men or indeed Women to become a Freemason if you aspire to be the best version of yourself with charity at your core, if you would like to know more about joining Freemasonry here in Somerset drop us a line via www.somersetfreemasons.org or for wider a field contact our United Grand Lodge Of England who will also be able to help you on this website www.ugle.org.uk if you get stuck drop me a line.

I also do a lot for charity work outside of Freemasonry as many of you know as the head honcho and pointy hat wearer of the awesome Youth Organisation Pass It On Young Sports www.pass-it-on-young-sports.org.uk we have just launched our NEW regional director for Scotland Ken Mckillop and he has events planned for next year already to go along with Wales and Northern Ireland, of course England will be leading the way as always with our weekly rifle ranges and famous Family Taster Days.

I also head up The Masonic Fishing Charity here in Somerset for the main overall national charity, take a look on www.somersetfreemasons.org for our awesome reports, we held an event recently and the school wrote us a wonderful report and photos, we also held a wonderful Somerset Branch Committee meeting and afterwards a social fishing afternoon for our volunteers, it was cold and wet but we had a great time, read that report on The Somerset Freemasons website too just look for the MTSFC Fishing page, if you would like to know more about this brilliant charity, or to volunteer, donate etc go on to our main website www.mtsfc.org.uk where you will find all you need.

As the title suggests I really am a Travelling Countryman, although I have not physically been back to Africa for a number of years, I will relate to you a story of a fantastic days shooting just recently where Africa did play a small part.

I am still a working Game Keeper on top of all my other hats I wear, I get all my birds from my very dear friend and fourth generation Game Keeper Rob Elton over at Perdix Valley Game Farm Website: perdixvalley.co.uk
Email: enquiries@perdixvalley.co.uk Tel: 01256-831341 these birds are first class and great flyers as well as good eating, they fly strong and hard and are no easy target either, I cannot recommend Rob and his team highly enough for great quality strong birds.

One evening a few weeks ago the phone rang? it was Rob hello my ole mucker bellowed down the phone in his broad Hampshire tones, what are do doing on this date he asked? I will consult my diary I said back, how would you like to be my guest gun on a formal days shooting with full hospitality and you staying over at the big house, I answered of course straight away, you don't get a chance like that every day, that was an invitation not to be missed, I did have clients booked in but I moved them right away, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, I did try not to sound too eager, I was like a kid on Christmas morning or the cat that got the cream, the shooting was of course a great honour to be asked, for me it was going to see so many of my old friends many of whom beat on the shoot, like good ole Nik, Bruce and young Jamie and of course Rob too, I also get on very well with the estate owner David, a wonderful man who has great stories and experience. I can sit for hours just listening to his adventures around the world, the fact I was going to be staying at the big house was just awesome, he has the most amazing African style hunting lodge with all his mounts in, I will get to that a bit later.

The day of the shoot came, the night before I was on duty at my masonic lodge so did not get to bed as early as I would of liked, but none the less I was too excited and could not sleep, the alarm went off at 5am but I was awake just staring at the alarm clock, I was up and dressed in my best shooting clobber, bags packed, 20b shotgun in its sleeve and an ample, well probably too many cartridges for my 20b shotgun in the cartridge bags, I know Rob’s shoot well and know there will be a lot of birds coming over, I headed up to my own estate and fed and watered all my birds in record time, leaving only a few jobs for my under keeper.

I was on the road to Hampshire in record time and seemed to get there much quicker than normal, there was simply no traffic to speak of, so I sailed up and got to the big house in no time, I knocked on the door and David greeted me like an old friend, breakfast was just being cooked and there was fresh tea in the pot, real tea none of that tea bag nonsense, old friends sat around the farmhouse table it was like I had come home, I met a lovely fellow called John who now works and lives on the estate, a fascinating man who loves wood working he showed me round his work shop and gave me a fishing rod for the kids too.

Rob and the rest of the guns and beaters turned up, after sausage baguettes and coffee all round we loaded up and headed out on the shoot and the first drive, I must say I felt very at home here with old friends and making new ones, we drew pegs and by golly I chose the farthest one away, actually it gave a good view of the beating line and the other guns too, as the beating line came in nice and steady like a well oiled machine, birds started to flush beautifully climbing to a good height over my fellow guns, these birds really flew remarkably well, actually all day they did, really nice sporting birds, all this drive going to my right over the other guns, a nice covey of French Red Leg Partridges (Frenchmen) flushed my way, I managed a snap shot over my right shoulder and missed clean underneath, my fellow guns got in some great sport and the bag started to fill with English Grey partridges (Englishmen) and sky scraper pheasants, it was a real pleasure to watch the birds flush and my fellow guns shoot.

Drive Two I was in a hot seat here, Rob saying you should of brought a 12b that little ladies gun the 20b is not man enough for my birds, I laughed and said watch this not only will I shoot well I will do it in style too, indeed I was in the hot seat as I pretty much head shot everything that came over me, even taking birds behind as ordered that my neighbours had missed clean, much to the cheers of my fellow guns.

Drive Three was a bank drive or something as it was flushed along a wood bank over a winter wheat field, I was told this is one of those drives that is either packed full of birds or nothing depending on the wind this day, again I was right out as the last gun, a woodcock and a cock pheasant flushed both coming right over me, the woodcock flew right into the sun and I could not see to salute it, the cock pheasant came right towards the gun next to me, climbing higher and higher, I swear it had NASA written on its flight jacket, it curled high on the wind right over me, I took it with my first barrel, stone dead in the air, David the shoot owner was right behind me giving me stick on the woodcock but cheering on the cock pheasant, that is one bird that will remain in my memory forever.

Drive Four I was in the hot seat again there were that many birds going over me I barely had time to load, this drive sticks in my memory as being a very busy drive indeed, I cannot remember each bird apart from I pulled down some stonkers.

Drive Five was much like the previous barely having time to reload whilst pheasants and partridge fell all around us, two cock birds really come to mind in this drive, especially when my neighbouring gun shot one of mine on the way down as it was already dead in the air and tried to claim it, I did chuckle.

Drive Six the final drive my fellow guns getting in another drive of fine shooting, my peg was behind a line of tall Silver Birch Trees, this meant every bird was going to be a truly high, fast, testing shot especially for this little 20b, actually it turned out to be the perfect gun for the job, light and fast handling with a might punch on target, I should have had a right and left on wood cock, alas I got the first but missed the second clean, but I did have several right and lefts of pheasants and partridges, I must say blowing my own trumpet I shot remarkably well, my fellow guns congratulated me so too.

Shoot day over we headed back to the big house and the African trophy room where the chef had laid the most wonderful tables, a large King Arthur style one in the middle and some smaller banquette ones either side, I sat at one end in a throne style chair and David the other end, four courses later the fine port in crystal decanters came out with the cheese board, I felt like a king, David and I saluting each other with glasses of port, wonderful food, fantastic company, I remarked its like being at my Masonic lodge, the day finished with everyone going home.​

The day ended at nearly midnight with David, Rob, Jamie, Bruce and myself all sat around the end of the table swapping stories, recipes and memories, whilst enjoying fine cigars and wonderful Brandy, now that my friends is what I call a shoot day.

​I awoke in my sleeping bag on the big leather sofa in the African Hunting Lodge, I must admit that's the first time I have ever woken with my arm around a Hyena, with a Cape Buffalo looking down at me and plethora of other exotic game around me, I thought for a moment I was back in my dream that I was having of my time in Africa, I got up, pulled myself together, had breakfast and several mugs of real teal and went out to help Rob feed his ducks, we got back and I loaded my truck with all my gear and boot load of fresh shot game that is being used for a game to eat Christmas party I am putting on for the shooting club, my Young Sports are coming too as they are leading the carol service.

Its pretty cold here at my place as I am typing this, I have a huge hole in my roof, my office ceiling is coming down and I have to have all the windows open to dry it all out, so no heating either, who said my life is glamorous, I think the picture tells you otherwise.

I hope you have enjoyed reading my humble scribbles as much as I have enjoyed writing them and reading them, may I take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy, Healthy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.​

A Travelling Countryman
To Africa, Back to Somersetshire via Hampshire.

By The Ole Hedge Creeper
www.theolehedgecreeper.co.uk