David Cropper

I was a dog handler in my Regiment and have mixed feelings about this. When I had to leave my guard dog in Ireland for the next regiment , I cried like a girl. I'd had him straight from training, he was a big part of me for 2 and a half years. But, the other side of the coin is that a lot of these dogs are unstable , some of the handlers were quite brutal, the dogs were treated harshly by some blokes and it rubs off on them. The dogs were taken for training as long as they looked like an Alsatian and would show aggression, this was a long time ago, standards hopefully have changed for the better. Some of the dogs we had would have you as soon as look at you. As to the present situation, would you chance an animal living with your family that you know could turn on them? Don't forget that plenty of squaddies have turned on their loved ones because of their experiences, what chance has a dog got to alter his mind set? Whilst I love dogs and think that it's a heart breaking situation for these dogs, I would not even contemplate rehoming them with a family. For the sniffer dogs , they are a different kettle of fish. They could be used again, I'm sure.

My particular favourite in this genre is " Dempsey does Dallas". This may be one for gentlemen of a certain age.

Sorry to hear about your mate, how many more stories are we going to hear like this? Too many I think. As to crap kit, it always has been so and always will be. When they changed from the good old DMS boots to the fancy looking high legged ones, blokes were getting Trench Foot, this is in the eighties not the first World War for goodness sake.

Just come back from our local village one here in France. Big meal afterwards with the Anciennes Combatants.

No Mick, he's completely whole. My daughter went down to Dijon, 4 and a half hours away, to get him from a bloke who hunts pig and has bred Welsh specifically for the Chasse. The dog really is a monster. I've had terriers before but none like this little swine. He was the top dog of the litter, she has her work cut out. The electric collar really is necessary. He would get his nose down and go, that was it, over the dam wall and into the woods. Lucky he didn't get slotted by the Chasse, they don't like strays running about.

This is my daughter's Welsh terrier, Buster. He's an absolute killer, horrible little sod. The daughter and family have a 20 hectare carp fishing lake near Limoges, it's full of ragodin, coypu. He's killed about 30, he even swam out into the lake and had one. First one he killed was when he was 10 months old, a fully grown one was under a customer's car and in he went, broke it's neck. He's had fully grown foxes, bit of a struggle but nothing stops him. She's had to fit an electronic collar to stop him running in when it may be dangerous. The woods they own around the lake are full of wild boar, they would slow him down a bit !

This is the time to come over here for wine buying. All the supermarkets have wine fairs where they have some really great offers at good prices, plus many have the buy eg three cases and get another free.

Calm down dear, you're going to do yourself a mischief. I can only assume that a squaddie has worked one into your wife, girlfriend, mother or maybe your boyfriend if that is your persuasion, in the past? Interesting name, Trigger Andy. What are you an assassin or a tribute act to the road sweeper in Only fools and horses?

Alright Mick, I'll bite. Talking to my French friends, it seems unlikely that Le Pen will win the second round. But who can tell. I looked at the results for my village which breaks down the number of votes cast for each candidate. The population of my village is 587. It quoted 92 for Macron, 74 Fillon, 71 Melenchon, 62 Le Pen and Harmon 29. Plus the odds and sod's. When you think that this is predominantly a socialist area, Le Pen got quite a few more than I expected. I personally don't think she will get in, but stranger things have happened recently in the world of politics.

Sorry Dan, I didn't mean You! I was referring to the two Herbert's who said that old ordinance wasn't dangerous. I appreciated yours and Simons take on it. Sorry if you thought I was being snide, it wasn't my intentions.

Are you sure about that ? I've been informed on this site that there's hardly any chance of them going bang. I'm off to work now before the "experts" crawl out of the darkness and explain why.

Had an update email from my customer yesterday. Bomb disposal still haven't arrived since Wednesday and the neighbour has shown them another shell down in their paddock that still has the fuse in. She's going to go to the Gendarmerie again on Monday to try to get some idea of what's happening.

This is the damage done to brand new yellow jacket teeth after hitting the shells.

Thanks Dan and Watercourse Management for an excellent summery. That should give me nightmares for a couple of weeks of what could have happened when the grinder battered the casing. Remember the old adage of "Adrenaline is brown".

Not as much as the septic tank!

I wondered when that was coming! Someone else said it when I fell down an old septic tank breaking 3 toes.

If you read what I said, I hit the shell, thought it was a metal pipe, pulled it out and realised what it was. The second one was also exposed. As to ppe , I strapped an old mattress to my body, pair of thick gardening gloves, two dustbin lids, not one, then two pairs of stout underpants, just in case of an accident. Don't try it on with me pal, I'm too long in the tooth to be belittled or intimidated by you.

I did an arms and explosives finding course at Girwood Park in Belfast years ago, that taught me to respect explosives, even a detonator will blow your fingers off if you're not paying attention. Old ordinance whatever you say is dodgy.

Got paid the full amount. I think they were relieved when I went!

Sorry mate, but I have a healthy respect for any explosives, whatever their age.

If only it was possible Stuart.

Is there any subject that you aren't an opinionated pillock about? Why are you sure that 70 year old shells aren't dangerous? I've just realised that I've fallen into your trap. You just want people to react to your silly statements. That's me being polite.

They were both pretty much the same, although one had more muck on it, I wasn't going to start inspecting them too hard. When I carried them down the garden, there was a sudden exodus by the customers and the neighbours.

That's normal Stuart, so I would assume that . Didn't stick my fingers in to feel, I might be daft but I ain't that daft.

Have you never visited the Tank Museum at Bovington Marc, it's not that far from you.