New Neighbours

9.7km - 59.38min - 10,199 steps. Warm, sunny, light breeze, a slow pleasant run.

As I live in a tiny hamlet, just four houses and a farm, I know all my neighbours. There are a few humans, but otherwise they are mostly animals. That's why I notice when new ones arrive. There is now a resident Kestrel near the house who adopted an adjacent field to feed himself, hovering above it. Magpies who also use the field didn't like it much, we'll see who wins.

But the really exciting new arrivals are a family of Roe Deer. There is a dirt track stretch on the running circuit I follow and for several days in a row the dogs have been starting to pull me suddenly at the same spot, which only happens when they see or smell 'prey' – someone to chase. Usually it's a rabbit or a red squirrel. I haven't seen anything for a few days, but today I saw them – two little deer with a fawn. Lovely sight as they scuttled away through the thick wheat in the field.

Tip: When running with dogs use a bungee lead or a long horse lunge (longe) that can smoothen the jerk if the dog suddenly pulls. Otherwise you will tumble down.

Photo by Marek Szczepanek, from here.

Small Step for DEFRA, Great Leap for Mankind

Wonderful day for a gentle, enjoayble run, quiet, sunny, light breeze, not too hot, freshness after yesterday's storm. 10k-61.87min-10,405 steps, a few bits of cervelas sausage for the content dogs.

Great news for dog-owners and other animals owners on the Continent: British pet-passport regulations are to be relaxed. Some common sense animal health requirements remain, but the main bone of contention – the long 6-month quarantine for dogs is to be shortened to 21 days. Another requirement, the blood test, will be dropped.

This is what the UK environment agency DEFRA says in their press-release:

The UK will harmonise its pet movement rules with the rest of the European Union from 1 January 2012, bringing the UK’s Pet Travel Scheme into line with the most recent science. The UK will maintain its high level of protection against animal diseases after the changes, which have the potential to save pet owners around £7 million in fees.
Forcing pets to spend six months in quarantine, a practice dating from the 1800s, is no longer necessary because of vastly improved rabies vaccines and treatments.

The Daily Telegraph, reporting the news, adds:

Lady Fretwell, who has campaigned for the end to the quarantine system and for Britain to adopt European pet passport rules, said: "It will make a huge, huge difference. People will no longer need to plan months in advance. If people move jobs it will mean they will no longer be forced to leave their pets behind for months.
"And the dropping of the blood test – for me, that's 'yippee'".
Many vets charge pet owners £100 for the blood test, which most scientists say is completely unnecessary. It is understood that a report, commissioned by Defra, will calculate that pet owners will save £7 million a year as a result of the dropping of this requirement.
An estimated 100,000 owners a year use the pet passport scheme to take their animals on holiday or on work trips.

Priorité Pieton

9.5 km - 56.20 min, 9695 steps – cool, pleasant and calm.


At a fork where I turn left a small car with an elderly couple was approaching from the right. I was in their way and slowed down to let them pass, but the car stopped and the driver waved to me to carry on. I waved back with a smile and ran on. That's something unusual, in fact it may signal a big change.
  
From January this year new traffic rules are in force in France. One serious innovation is that pedestrians – pietons – now have priority when crossing roads. Before the change it was up to the driver whether to stop or not. Where there are no traffic lights, you had to wait at a zebra crossing for the car to stop and let you pass, the driver wasn't obliged to do that. Now they must, like in Britain. 


The difference is not just about road safety – last year in France nearly 4,000 people died in traffic accidents, while the latest figure for the UK is around 2,700. The change is also psychological, it's a democratic advance in the sense that it puts a restraint on the 'I am big and you are small, I can do whatever I like and there is nothing you can do about it' mentality.  


The new priority rule also means that people on foot may cross anywhere, even on the busiest road, if there isn't a crossing within 50 metres, and cars must stop. You bet.


I can see the change in towns already, but on the country roads I'd rather err on the side of caution.


Image: French governmental department