I have to confess to a soft spot for Oddie from my Goodies childhood, however he irretrievably went down in my estimation when I saw him on Saturday Kitchen - where a bit of mischievous scheduling teamed him up as a guest nosher with Nick Nairn (I think) who cooked up some wild duck.

The Odlet refused point blank to eat the dish and grandly and dismissively pronounced that shooters hadn't a clue what species they were were shooting at when shooting duck...(and therefore were obviously wantonly slaughtering protected species)

Seems then, that the hours I spent with my dad in a cold lakeside ditch telling mallard from teal by the sound of their wingbeats was all wasted.....

Now, that Kate Humble though, - she's a bird of a different colour; - I'd quite gladly take her to that same cold ditch for a bit of rural education - but there again... I suppose if I'm being realistic, ...I'm not as young as I was... and ... it really was VERY cold out there, and... well... she deserves better than to be disappointed....

so, I ...suppose it's just me and the old labrador ... don't suppose she'll mind if I start calling her Kate would she?? - she doesn't mind anything else I do - and she's quite happy to sit on my wellies to warm my toes....don't imagine Kate (the real one that is) would do the same......would she?? ....ah well, a man can dream....

(.....and as any wildfowler knows that's just the time when the only bloody flight of mallard for the night swings in above your head....)