January
4th, 1996
Dear
Bill,
Many
thanks for your letter. I was glad to hear that the book from Germany Pekin
Bantams/Zwerg Cochin has reached you without problems. Unfortunately I didn’t
find the time to answer before Christmas and the new year because I’m always
very busy in that time of year. For example we had our “National Show of the
Century” with 70,000 birds at Nürnberg one week before Christmas. I took
part in it with 28 birds of my breed (10 Redcaps, 6 porcelain rosecombed
Leghorns - we call them “Italians” in Germany - and 12 white and silver
duckwing Creeper Bantams in the class of still non-standardized breeds) and
was also very busy in noting down for my show report in one of our fancier
journals the whole time trough: By the way that tremendous number of entries
will probably never be repeated because it seems to be an unique exception and
the friends at Number presumably won’t be ready for such a lot of number of
the birds at our greatest shows (Hannover and National) is between 20,000 and
25,000 entries. The old “world record” with 53,000 birds was from 1989 in
Nürnberg too, which is the only place to have such gigantic shows.
Did
I already tell you that the "Handbook
of Chicken Breeds" had to be put off until this year’s summer?
It’s because the printing office had got a very large and very urgent
commission which had to be done first. So I hope to be ready with it round
about in June.
Another
reason for being so late now in answering is the coldest winter since nearly
20 years we are suffering from at the moment: Every day it needs a lot of time
to than my car which has no garage and of course all the different drinking
possibilities
for
my birds. So I hope it will become better soon: And
to hear about the hot Australian summer season from you makes a little
bit envious under the circumstances.
Elio
has sent me a letter just before Christmas but I didn’t find time to answer
him, too, until yet. If you are planning to visit him year in Italy, perhaps
it will be possible for me to meet you there because Elio as well as other
Italian friend have invited me several times but until yet I was always too
busy to visit them. I hope it will become better in 1996, may be after I’ve
finished the "handbook". Although it’s a little late now I wish
you all the best for a successful year 1996 and most of all for your eye
sight!
Regards,