I did not expect my first show season as a champion to be so succesful. Four times Best Scots in show and medals at the Golden Ring show - 3 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze. The best win was a silver medal for my Belgian Fancy at the Golden Ring. 

I keep a "league table" of the show team and the winner was No 6 ot 2017 - clearly well ahead of the rest of my stock. Time not to plan for the breeding season which is three and half months away.

Linlithgow CBS annual show today. Best Scots in Show was exhibited by Gordon Alexander; Best Junior, Lauren Wright and Best Novice Keith Barker. My own birds achieved 5 first places, 5 second places and 2 third places. My Belgians, against competition, won 1st, 2nd and 3rd place.

Superb day out at the North of England Gloster Club show incorporating the OVCA show. I have exhibited here for four years now and at last we had serious Scots Fancy competition with 4 exhibitors. No 6/17 won Best Champion Scots; Best Scots; Best Champion OVCA and Best OVCA Old Variety. His sibling was 2nd Best Scots; Ken Laurie's cinnamon took 3rd Best Scots. Norman Wallace took second place in the piebald class. Best Novice, with a sweet clear buff was Chris Craig. My Belgians took Best, 2nd, 3rd and 4th in the unflighted Belgian class while No26/17, a Gibosos on its first outing, took Best Rare. Such a friendly show I will be back next year.

It's a busy weekend. Musselburgh & Whitecraig CBS annual show - Best Scots and Best Champion Scots and Best Old Variety with a Belgian. Sadly no competition.
Tomorrow is the OVCA show in association with the North of England Gloster Club. It will be fun and a good day out.

Scots Fancy Specialist Club annual show was held yesterday hosted by Grangemouth CBS. The worthy winner of Best in Show was Gordon Alexander with a small buff clear hen, fathered by my stock.

My own birds did well. I was pipped at the post for Best Scots but took eight first places in the classes, as well as Best Piebald with a great-grandson of my big winning 2012 - 2105 hen, Best Current Year Bred Yellow with the son of last year's Club show Best who himself took Best Adult and the points trophy. Below are pictures of the winning piebald and his unbeaten great-grandmother.

Meanwhile, my Belgian took Best Belgian, awarded by the Old Varieities Canary Association and Best Any Other Variety Cock and Mt Giboso Espanol took Best Any Other Variety Hen.

Today was the Loanhead CBS annual show. Against competition my piebald won Best Scots along with four other class wins, two seconds and three thirds while my Belgian took Best  Any Other Variety with my Giboso Espanol took second.

If the piebald wins once more as Best Scots I will be allowed to name her. This reinstatement of a tradition in the Scots Fancy fancy, has not operated for nearly a century. Some photos and a video.

National Exhibition 2017

Last weekend was the National Exhibition in Stafford. Best Scots went to Gordon Alexander whose bird's father was one of my stock. My own birds secured two class wins and many thirds and other places. In the UK each class is judged first to seventh places. My Belgians were second and third in their classes and my two Gibosos each took third place in their classes.
As this is my first year as a champion exhibitor so I am pleased to have competed well.

As usual, I run out of time all too often. This year has been no exception. The breeding season was really busy with 55 birds from five varities bred. I have given up my Norwich in order to concentrate on the Scots, Belgians and Giboso Espanol and I hope, after I retire next year, that I will have more time and space to indulge the birds and me with my blogging and writing.

Last weekend was the club show of the Northern Counties Scots Fancy Canary Club and my birds took some thirds to sevenths in large classes classes but also Best Adult Scots and Best in Show as well as Best Champion. This is my first season as a champion so to take Best in my first season against fierce competition was a real pleasure.

The shows are also a great social event and the photo below is of the club members who all had a geat day out. 

This link is to a new Italian blog dedicated to the Scots Fancy.

http://scotchfancy.blogspot.co.uk/

An interesting part of the Scots Fancy's history, this little post. One of the men responsible for the keeping of the Scots Fancy alive in the 20th century was Bill Sheridan. I didn't know him but his grave at Larkhall has on his headstone an engraving of the Scots Fancy which won the old English National many years ago. Lovely touch and a sign of his love of the variety.

http://scotchfancy.blogspot.co.uk/