The waiting is nearly over & tomorrow the season opens once again with the Glorious 12th. Parties of lucky guns will make their way onto the high moors of Scotland & northern England in pursuit of grouse

yet for some inexplicable reason, all my smart chums (at least those that own grouse moors) have for no good reason, neglected to invite me along for the opening day. However remiss this might be, I am not too proud to accept a last minute invitation & have nothing in my schedule that can't be cancelled today - so my BlackBerry remains on, in the vainglorious hope of getting a last minute 'golden phone call'

Aside from the lamentable lack of near term grouse in my life, the rest of the season is now starting to take shape quite nicely thank you - a little more woodland stalking in a couple of weeks time, to be followed by a week in Scotland on the hinds at the end of October.

Whereas last year, I managed only two driven (pheasant) days – they were very expensive corporate days & consequently I almost certainly shot more birds in two days than I would normally manage all year

This year, aside from the stalking, so far I have a couple of pheasant days booked - including one on a rather well known West Country shoot, noted for the stratospheric pheasants it shows

In January, a little woodcock trip to the Principality has also recently slipped into in the book

so if I can now just blag for a few more days, the season should be in very very good shape espcially as there is also just the whisp of a chance of a trip to Spain for some partridges

All of this means that your humble corrspondent needs to get his finger well & truly out for a change, get down to the clay range a few more times & get some bl**dy practice in, if he is ever going to connect with anything! Summer, forget it ... roll on autumn