Recently, BLUE HEAVEN LOFT was visited by Peter Trost from Essingen (Germany). Before he lived in Aalen, not so far away from Stuttgart. He’s the man who travelled all over the world in his ADVENTURE 3, over sees and oceans. But above all, he’s also an obsessed fancier. Peter is a friend of us for many years now, from the time of Union Antwerp, the university of the pigeon sport in those days, when they celebrated their champions in the Arena in Deurne. Those were the days of the “DOKUS” of René Somers from Oelegem. By coincidence René, Peter and me are all born in the blessed year 1935.

It’s always a sensation to meet an old friend, who discovered Taiwan some years later than me, being a paradise on earth. Without knowing, I always start talking about memories.  Together we visited all over Taiwan; seen a lot, found a lot and enjoyed all good things of life. So many memories of those days… Let’s just stop talking about it but it always comes forward when I meet friends of those days. I’ve already written before that I don’t want to live on memories, I just want to look forward, make plans en see what the future will bring.  It’s till too early to tell you about all we experienced in the far Formosa (beautiful island, now Taiwan), it’s too soon for me. May be I will tell you later when there’s nothing more to look forward too, when I have no more ambitions to battle with the present champions or those who will become champions. One book won’t be enough to write down my experiences, it will probably become a trilogy, in which lust and pleasure will be the red wire of the story.

Now back to my friend Peter. We have the same size, the same ambitions, the same hobby’s and we know exactly what we want and what we’re doing. Searching for the best pigeons, only the very best is good enough for Peter; Olympic pigeons, ace-pigeons short-distance, N.P.O. W.HZ.B. pigeons, they all visited the breeding loft of Peter for a short time. He worked with their descendants and he always succeeded to find out all about a good breeder. In those days, we also visited Jef and Eveline Houben. Once, Jef allowed me to choose on his breeding loft.  I had the choice and Peter paid for it. It was good for Houben. We took away 8 pigeons for a lot of money. Among these, also a sister of “Sony”.  Did she become a super breeding hen? How successful did Peter get with the descendants of the direct Houben pigeons? Together we visited the biggest champions of Belgium. Peter liked to film it all; the conversations and the locations. Many times a year, we also visited the master of masters; Jan Grondelaers in Opglabbeek. With Jan, we always enjoyed the same scenario. He gave us the deepest respect for the super pigeon. Jan was alsof ar ahead of his time. Whatever others tried, Jan already tried it long before and this was typical for a man like Jan Grondelaers. Also here, Peter Trost bought many pigeons. Not all seemed to be a success but pigeons like: “the Goede Jaarling”, “the Orleans”, “the Bourges”, “the Chateauroux” and many others gave super results. Also with Norbert Norman, Peter wanted to tape it all because Peter had some good pigeons of Norman. He also visited Gerard Vanhee in Wervik, searching for the best that Gerard had on his loft in those days. Descendants of the “Patrick” , “the Atoomduivin”, each one of these were at the base of his strong breeding loft. And in no time, Peter created a family that produced top-racers one after the other. But it’s always a search for the ideal combination of two partners in a nest. Finally it’s just those that are responsible for new champions. Peter Trost was very handy and clever in these things. His urge and his aim for fresh blood are always at the base of his successful career as a fancier. The call of the see and the ocean became more tangible and so finally Peter decided to travel around the world. The pigeons stayed where they were till they were sold in a public auction.  After his trip in his sailboat around the world (finished very successful), there’s room again for pigeons. We’re all very curious but knowing Peter, he’ll be able to get at the top, among the German champions, in no time. We’ll look forward to it. P.S.: Peter brought his camera during his visit and we thought he was just taking some pictures but without us knowing, he recorded everything. You can imagine my wife and me being surprised when one week later we found a disc in our post-box. A kind of video clip : the result, take a look….

News from BLUE HEAVEN LOFT :  Semi-National Vierzon, National Bourges, National Chateauroux and Semi National Chateauroux(C &E) are played. Week after week; a race, week after week, all birds in the basket. Our results are good but still can be better. And when  Willem from Reeuwijk phones me after a race and he asks :”Are you pleased?”, my answer is always the same :”I’m never pleased”. Experiment : after the difficult national race from Chateauroux, at a speed of +-1.100m/m (our distance is 512 km), we thought it would be good to let our hens do the Semi National race from Chateauroux, organised by Centre and East (C&E)  and our cocks to race Toury (373 Km). Our hens did what they had to do and they won for 60% prizes.  But our cocks…never seen before…you don’t think it’s possible but they all were too late. At speeds of more than 1.600m/m., living +- 10 km at the front, the most eastern point, they all came back from behind. The only positive aspect we will remember is that we clocked 16 pigeons in 10 minutes time; but too late. You can always look for an explanation, what we’ll do, but apologies and excuses are no answer. Facts are facts. An experienced fancier should know. A donkey won’t knock his head twice at the same stone. And… withdraw pigeon of 512 km to 372 km, you just can’t do it, this is what most pigeon-journalists write down. But I don’t believe this is the reason of the failing of our cocks.  I should search it with myself. You know by now that I prefer my pigeons to eat well, so they can choose between several grains because they have to work hard. The week in between those two races from Chateauroux, the training program changed a lot  because of the storm and the heavy rain. The Spartanian training we usually use, had to be adjusted. We could imagine that the national race from Chateauroux at a speed of 1100m/m, took a lot of their energy. Now here our mistake : we relaxed our training program but we held on to our feeding system : eat as much as they want, three sometimes four times a day and then take it away. Our second mistake, which was more of a test; when it was time to prepare the birds, to catch them, put them in the basket to bring them to the club, we started at 19.00 hours. We let down the roll-down shutters, no nest-bowl and no hens. In total darkness, I took the pigeons passed them to my wife so she could put them in the basket. I didn’t see much but I felt very well and I said to my wife: “the cocks are too heavy and too fat”. “You don’t mean it”, she answered. Women like to put everything in perspective, also mine and the more she talks and finds out, the better she feels. And when I listen very careful to what she has to say, she becomes more motivated and powerful and she feels cherished. A few days ago, she whispered in my ear, while it became dark and roll-down shutters just got down: “one man in the house is better than two outside.” If I felt flattered, surely I did.  Wouldn’t you?  When the pigeons are too fat and too heavy is a mistake of the fancier, so in this case me. Before, I regularly took my pigeons in my hands during the week, before an important race. So I could very well notice if the condition was good or not. Now this only happens rarely, I became too sure of myself and too easy. Wrong again!  Before I used to drop my birds before they left and when they came home. Now I only use Loftspray. The previous years, all birds, after they arrived back home, got a warm bath… also this is past tense. And may be, we use too many by-products in one mix of grains? All details, which can make the difference of loosing or winning. In the mean time, time doesn’t stand still and we must go on. At 18.00 hours, the day of their return, we watched our team and gave them freedom. Not one cock seemed to be sad. On the contrary, the day after, Sunday morning, the weather was bad with only 8° Celsius.  At first we let our hens fly free and afterwards they were eager to get into the bath. Afterwards, the cocks did the same, which is prove that nothing is wrong. What should I add? Not a lot… just that I hope that my racers will be there again on the national race from La Châtre. We’ll do everything and we learned our lesson of our mistakes. It’s not because you loose a battle, that you’ll also loose a war. The season is still long and the revenges are there to take. Who live will see… One thing I’m sure of :”It’s much easier to live with a woman or to seduce her tan to play with the pigeons. A true story: recently in the club, the pigeons were already in the basket but we were still talking and drinking a bit. One fancier asked the other: ”Did you hear and read about Viagra?... I also heard something about it. This blue pill should also be positive against certain cancers. “What about you, lost son?” they suddenly asked me. I already answered before I thought. “Till now, I don’t need this Viagra and that’s good because now already my wife sometimes runs around with her hands in the air…what should she do when I took Viagra, she surely would run away”… end of story and books closed.

THE LOST SON