ONLY DAFT people buy their Christmas turkey in the autumn, which would account for why a collection of Highland cattle breeders did exactly that.

A Kelly Bronze Turkey, donated by South Powrie Farm, was purchased by the Hunters, McKechnies, Logans, a Prentice and a sundry ‘hingers oan’ syndicate for the princely sum of £190 at the charity auction at Balnabroich, back in September.

However, Tam the Turkey, as he was christened, is no more. On Saturday, January 6, Tam and all the trimmings were cooked (or amassed together) at the home of Blairlogan Highlanders, near Stirling, as a celebration for Rosie Hunter turning 50.

That meant two ‘auld burds’ were present on the day, with one of them senior enough to reach a juicy and tasty 11kg and the other one old enough to know better than to drink too much of the copious amounts of fine wine and rather good gins.

Unfortunately, two of the syndicate, big Alan Prentice and UA auctioneer Raymond Kennedy, were laid low with the lurgy and Stephen Taylor had work commitments. The remains are now in a pie to be consumed at a later date ...

Donkey races at Ayr

THE FARMING Army’s donkey, Achill Road Boy, has been giving them some fun and even a cold dreich day at Ayr Racecourse, meant that a seventh place out of 10 runners was cause for celebration.

A selection of farming types, the Thornborrows, sundry MacGregors, Stuart Barclay, the Grays, a Campbell and a McKerrow (at least) all have a share in the Coltherd-trained horse, which has two wins to his name, including one last March at Hexham which almost sent the Farming Army barmy!

His last race, on January 2, on very heavy going, didn’t seem to suit this plodder at all, though it gave many of his connections a decent snifter before their attendance at the highlight so far this year, John ‘Beachy Boy’ Barclay’s 40th birthday party in downtown Maybole.

Whether all of them were fit or not to hear a tremendous and probably inappropriate speech given to their Dad Beachy by his twin sons Cameron and Finlay, is open to conjecture. However, by all accounts the boys brought a tear to their Dad’s eye – though who fed them some of the content is still being debated!

Happy nappy time

IT WAS a great start to the year for Harrison and Hetherington auctioneer Grant Anderson who welcomed a baby daughter, Millie, into the world at the beginning of January.

This ensured that another of his little ‘children’, the Kinmount Hotel – which he and his wife Gemma took over last year – was full of punters last weekend awaiting the head wetting – or was it boozing at the nappy!

The little hotel, just off the A75, is well worth a visit after its recent refurbishment – a great steak is always the mark of a decent restaurant in my book and mine was a belter.

Grant will no doubt be volunteering for work behind the bar to get away from the dreaded ‘nappy time’!

Dear Santa ...

For those who fear for the ‘Future of Farming’ – don’t. The Raider believes that Santa can give an assurance that if his wish list letters are anything to go by, our next generation are already training for their future in farming.

When Santa popped in on a family pre-Christmas lunch, young Murray Lawrie (4), from Grangehall, Pittinain, Lanark, wanted confirmation that Santa would bring him white gloves to help Dad, Euan, with the milking and long blue gloves for calving the cows!

Meanwhile, Dad Euan asked if he might be taken off Santa’s naughty list after he received a letter informing him of being proscribed because of his swearing at the sheep and partaking of too much refreshment at last November’s LiveScot event.

The Santa on duty that day, being from a farming background, had some sympathy on both accounts and has now removed him from the dreaded ‘Santa Naughty List’. I wonder what he got?