In the Autumn last year two new members were co-opted onto the committee: Mr. Alan Hughes and Mr. Mal Treharne.  These two new members and committee member Jane Warmington volunteered to produce the Spring 2008 newsletter, which they did very successfully under the editorship of Mr. Alan Corkett, who also edits the ‘Halsway Post’.  When Mr. David Worthy resigned as editor of the newsletter after last year’s AGM, there was not enough time to put an Autumn newsletter together, for which we apologise.

A third new committee member, Mrs. Wendy Hofmaier, was co-opted in January 2008.  There were no resignations this year.

At last year’s AGM there was some confusion about the timing for submitting resolutions for discussion at the AGM.  Members of FoQ can put forward resolutions at the AGM, which will be discussed under ‘Any Other Business’, provided they have been submitted in writing to the Secretary (Mrs M ter Braak) by no later than 9 September 2008.

This year we will have a guest speaker, Mr Garry Penny, who will be talking to us about his recent book “Mixed Blessings: Rural Life on the Quantock Hills”.  His talk will take place at the beginning of the evening before the AGM.  This arrangement is more convenient for the Speaker, and - who knows - it may encourage more of you to attend!!!

The agenda for this year’s AGM is shown below.  I look forward to seeing you on 17th September  - Mrs Laetitia Kelly

_______________________________________________________________

The ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING will be held at 7.30 p.m. on Wednesday 17 September 2008 at Nether Stowey Church Centre

AGENDA

1. Apologies for absence.

2. Minutes of meeting held on 26 September 2007 (herewith).

3. Chairman’s Report.

4. Honorary Treasurer’s Report.

5. Election of Officers and Committee.

The following persons have been nominated.  Any other nominations should be made in writing by a Proposer and Seconder, and should reach the Secretary (Mrs M ter Braak) by no later than 12 September 2008.

 President: Lady Gass

 Chairman: Mrs L Kelly

 Vice Chairman: Mrs J Swash

 Honorary Secretary: Mrs M ter Braak

 Honorary Treasurer: Major D White

Committee: Miss P Davies-Gilbert, Mr N Gibbons, Mrs W Hofmaier,  Mr A Hughes, Mr C Tilley, Mr M Treharne, Mrs J Warmington

6. Any Other Business.

Refreshments available
 

Education Project Launch
A fantastic new website for children www.quantockeducation.info was launched in November 2007, alongside seven teaching packs, helping children learn more about their local landscape. These two new resources provide local schools with the confidence and ability to use the special beauty of this protected landscape as a learning tool, and help children get outdoors and make the connection between the classroom and their local surroundings.

The teachers packs cover 7 specific areas in the Quantock Hills, and provide teachers with lesson plans, activities and worksheets that can be used across a variety of subjects from Science to Geography. The packs were developed by teachers in the local area, alongside the Quantock Hills AONB Service, and are aimed at children aged between 7 and 11 (Key Stage 2).

Mixed Blessings Book
A new book by photographer Gary Penny has just been published. Mixed Blessings uses black and white, and colour photographs alongside transcripts and extracts from interviews with farmers to record the lives of our farming community here in the Quantocks.  The book highlights the precious nature of small scale rural industry, and celebrates the vital role it has in sustaining vibrant and working rural communities
This is the culmination of a project funded through the Quantock Hills AONB Service Sustainable Development Fund.  It forms part of the many hundreds of pictures that he has made for the Quantock Hills AONB rural archive.  Mixed Blessings is available at the Quantock Hills office in Nether Stowey and at two local bookshops: Brendon Books, Bath Place in Taunton and Bridgwater Bookshop, 35 High Street in Bridgwater. It costs £15 (plus £4.50 postage & packaging if ordered from the Quantock Office).

Quantock Arts Project
In the footsteps of the Romantic poets.
Two new collaborative arts projects are currently underway, with the aim of making connections between people, their environment and the heritage of this unique area.  This exciting project is possible thanks to funding from the Arts Council England.  The two projects began in September and will culminate in a showcase event in August 2008.

Somerset based 4 Reel Films will create a piece of artistic film that will draw its inspiration from the sumptuous verse of the Romantic Poets and the vivid drama of the Quantocks landscape.

Artists Antony Lyons and Ralph Hoyte will collaborate on a project called Quantock Dreaming - Secret Mappings and Mapping Secrets in the Quantock Hills.  They will produce a body of work based on map and mapping techniques that will include text, poetry and sound recordings.

Your Postcard Maps
As part of this project Lyons and Hoyte are asking the public to draw their own secret and treasured places in the Quantocks on specially designed postcards, which will then be incorporated into their project.  Postcards can be obtained from the Nether Stowey office, as well as local libraries and art galleries.

What does the prudent landowner do? He has a tree hazard survey done by someone qualified. He looks at it critcally. He instructs a contractor to fell all trees identified as being dangerous. And then he can sleep easily at night. The danger, and therefore the liability, have been removed.

It’s not quite that easy. Although no felling licence (from the Forestry Commission) is required to fell a dangerous tree, a licence may well be required under The Habitats Directive if there is a danger of disturbing a European Protected Species, in this case one of our seventeen species of bat. But as human health and safety is one of very few valid reasons, a licence should be forthcoming.

What is the dilemma? It is that, whilst the landowner owes a duty of care to motorists and walkers on footpaths and riders on bridleways, he is also concerned about the landscape. And felling lots of large and very old trees in full public view is not top of his list of good things to do. The courts have decreed that without commissioning a tree survey a landowner can hardly claim to be prudent. And if that landowner then ignores the survey’s conclusions he will definitely be culpable.

What is the risk? Very small. Every accident involving fallen trees is reported because it is so unusual.  But the consequences in terms of loss of life and financial damages can be huge. There is another small irony in this story. The trees most at risk are those standing alone, or in an avenue. They have no protection from strong winds. And these are the trees that would be most missed because they are individuals. Trees within, or even at the edge of woodland, have the protection of their neighbours, and if they were to be lost there is another tree standing nearby.

There is a further disincentive to fell dangerous trees. It is expensive. By definition they are well past their prime in terms of timber value, and perching next to a road adds difficulty and expense. Let me just say that it makes very expensive firewood. But the butt is too big for firewood, and too rotten for timber, so we can leave it to quietly decay and continue to provide a living for all those nice creepy crawlies. Oh, and we will continue to plant trees to replace those we might lose as well as those already lost.

This is a fascinating book for anyone and especially for those who know and love the Quantocks. It examines the changing face of the Quantock landscape from earliest times to the 20th century but particularly explores the impact that man and his activities have had on the hills. Hazel is well versed in the archaeology of the area and takes us through the evidence of early hunter-gatherers from before the last ice-age, through the Neolithic and Bronze Age settlements and standing stones, and the barrows and earthworks that litter the hilltops, to historic times. The Middle Ages were a period of deer parks and the origins of most of the settlements that we know today with the ancient track-ways and early buildings. In more recent times she writes of the enclosure movement, industrial archaeology and big estates of the last two hundred years.

It is a fascinating read and a mine of information. If you have been intrigued by the Trendle Ring or Dowsborough Camp, by the barrows on Wills Neck or the statue of Jupiter at Terhill, you can learn all about them in this book, although I am sorry that Hazel does not explain the derivation of Wills Neck.

However well you think you know the Quantocks you will still find new information about features that you may often have passed but not recognised for what they are. The illustrations are superb with many aerial views that show the hills in a new light, maps, old photographs and drawings.

However, since the AGM, three new members have been co-opted on to the Committee. Two of these, Mr Mal Treharne and Mr Alan Hughes, together with Mrs. Jane Warmington have volunteered to produce the revamped newsletter, with Mr. Alan Corkett as Editor. I hope you enjoy it! The third new member on our Committee is Mrs. Wendy Hofmaier.

Apart from our yearly donation to the restoration projects of three churches (St. Pancras, West Bagborough; All Saints, Aisholt; St. Georges, Bicknoller), we have made donations towards the following projects: Improvement of the vegetation on Aisholt Common; Restoration of beech hedge banking, Quantock Common; New wooden gate at Triscombe Stone car park; Quantock link project - a new public right of way at Plainsfield which will ensure a safe route for horse riders, cyclists and walkers, because they will not have to cross a busy road; Reinstatement of Bicknoller and Halsway posts; Volunteer Ranger toolkits; New Interpretation panels at Waterpitts Farm.

The talk on Butterflies, held at Bishops Lydeard village hall, raised £80 for the Conquest Centre.

Because the proposed deer cull this autumn caused such anxiety among the public, we have included a shortened version of Dr. Langbein’s letter on the subject in this newsletter and added the AONB deer management leaflet.  I hope you’ll find both helpful.

A century ago Gresswell described the combe: “The slopes are closely covered with slender trunks deep in leaf mould.  Some distance up there is a little sacred well, stone covered and mossy but whether there were originally 7, I do not know. It does seem to be an extremely ancient name for the valley.

Easier to find is St David’s Well, a path to it is signed from Great Wood car park. It lies below Quantock Farm and was restored by Quantock School some years ago. Near the bottom of the path northwards through the woods from Deadwoman’s Ditch towards Lady Combe is Lady’s Fountain in Bincombe is another well, its name seems lost, struggling to exist. Certainly there are plenty of springs on the hills, invaluable for livestock and from one near Buncombe a Taunton doctor used the water to make up prescriptions. But why did some have a special significance lasting over the years so that a small structure was built over to protect them? Look for a W on a big scale OS map to find others now lost or forgotten. It would be lovely to restore them.

Those wells in Quantock villages are better documented and are generally holy wells such as St Peter’s at Over Stowey and St John’s at Holford. St Andrew’s, Stogursey, reached by a lane from near the old cross, is worth a visit, fed by a copious supply of water. It has been used for drinking and laundry rather than curative powers, but the name Blindwell for a house at Nether Stowey tells of its supposed properties, also associated with one near Quantock Barn, Enmore. Another, St Sativola’s, near Wick Barrow and Hinckley Point, was good for both eye and skin problems.

Somewhat different is the Devil’s Whispering Veil, not far from Bishops Lydeard church, where curses can be whispered. Was that once a holy well acquired by Satan? And there used to be a well in Pardlestone Lane, Kilve, where apparently a covey of witches met and from which locals feared to let stock drink.

Many of the old houses in the area had their own water supply giving beautifully cold water to drink and also useful to store perishables in their depths before the days of fridges. But although they rarely did the owners any harm a lot would not pass to-day’s tests for drinking, often they were not far from the outside privy!
Audrey Mead.

The Quantock Deer Management and Conservation Group have called for more female deer to be culled in and around the Quantock Hills. I would like to explain the reasons that have led the very broad array of individuals and conservation organisations, which make up the QDM&CG, to ask local landowners to move towards culling in a more collaborative, selective and sustainable manner.

A visual spring (pre-calving) count of red deer on the Quantocks has been organised annually with the help of 50 volunteers for the past 17 years. Deer are difficult to count accurately, but this standardised count enables at least minimum numbers to be confirmed and trends to be monitored. The average of counts obtained during the five years from 1993-1997 was 555, rose to 745 from 1998-2002 and has averaged 830. The count records merely the annual minima before at least 350 calves are born during the summer, taking the total to somewhere near 1100.

Culling of deer on the Quantocks is nothing new, 200 to 250 deer will have been culled in most recent years but this has clearly not prevented the increase in deer numbers and the proportion of adult females culled needs to be greater.

For appropriately qualified and experienced stalkers, red deer are not an especially difficult species to cull. The more complicated task lies in getting the many individual landowners to work towards maintaining a healthy and sustainable herd as a valued part of our wildlife and asset to local tourism, but without unacceptable levels of damage to farm and timber crops or detrimental impact on semi-natural habitats.

The QDM&CG is fully committed to the long-term conservation of a substantial population of red deer on the Quantocks. However, its members (which include Quantock landholders, as well as other interested bodies) have jointly reached the conclusion that concerns about damage to farmland, forestry, and woodland biodiversity make the current size of deer populations unsustainable in the longer term particularly relative to the conservation of the ancient semi-natural oak woods on the Quantock, which are a Special Area of Conservation of international importance. The group has therefore asked local landholders to liaise in a gradual reduction of the population over the coming five years, and then retain a population nearer 500 head. To accomplish this, an extra 50 to 100 mature females will need to be culled annually to initiate a more significant reduction in the breeding herd.

Whilst the optimum deer population level for the Quantocks remains debatable and will always require compromises between landholders and other interest groups, in the absence of any natural predators, direct management intervention does become inevitable at some point.

Therefore as a biologist and wildlife enthusiast I have no problem in accepting the need for culling as part of deer management. The more important issue is that deer culls should be undertaken in a humane, professional and highly selective manner and that a significant and healthy population is retained which remains valued as an asset rather than perceived as a pest by landholders.

Present: Mrs L Kelly (Chairman), Mrs J Swash (Vice Chairman), Maj. D H S White (Treasurer), Mrs M ter Braak (Secretary), and 10 members

1.APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE: Lady Gass, Mr D Briggs, Mr E G and Lady Sarah Wright, Mr. S. Atkinson, Mr. B. Toomey, Mr C Tilley, Mr & Mrs R Hardy, Mrs P Taylor-Young, Mrs J Warmington, Mr & Mrs M Treharne, Mrs A Wilmott, Mr J. Edney, Mr A Hughes.

2.MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 27 SEPTEMBER 2006: the Minutes were accepted as a correct record and signed by the Vice Chairman.

3.MATTERS ARISING: Mr Worthy stated that Charity Commission laws required all Committee members to attend AGMs and questioned why all committee members had not attended the 2006 AGM and why they were all not present at this AGM. It was agreed that the Secretary would investigate with the Charities Commission as to whether this was in fact a requirement.

He also queried the availability of the Constitution to all members. It was pointed out that all FOQ members had received a copy of the Constitution with the Autumn 2002 newsletter. In addition, a copy of the Constitution was now on the FOQ website.  However, it was agreed to discuss at the next Committee meeting whether it would be a good idea to automatically send a copy of the Constitution to all new members.

Planning applications - Mr Worthy asked the Chairman what action the Committee had taken regarding the various planning applications he had drawn to their attention during the last year. The Chairman asked him to provide details of these applications to the Secretary who would then advise him as to what action had been taken.

4. CHAIRMAN’S REPORT: the Chairman advised the meeting that Friends of Quantock has been invited to join the Joint Advisory Committee (JAC) for the Quantocks. Natural England, the main funding body of the Quantocks AONB, wished to broaden representation on the JAC, and FoQ was invited to join the Committee. Though representatives of FoQ have always attended the JAC meetings, and have been able to voice their concerns as a member of the public, we will now have an official voice, and have a vote on matters that do not have financial implications for the councils that make up the AONB.

The new Friends of Quantock website was also mentioned, where members can find a list of forthcoming talks and other events, selected items from our newsletter, and a photo-gallery.  If any member has favourite photographs of the Quantocks that they would like to include in the photo gallery, they should get in touch with the Secretary, Mrs. Mary ter Braak, who manages the website.

Two of our longest serving Committee members, Lt. Cdr. Maurice Ingram and Mrs. Audrey Mead, have sadly decided to retire. We are very sorry to lose these dedicated Committee members and we thank them for all they have done for FoQ over the years. Also retiring from the Committee is Mrs Judy Treharne, who has organised our winter talks for many years. Once again, many thanks to Judy for all the hard work she has put in over the years.

Some potential new committee members will be attending meetings in the near future, with a view to eventually being co-opted on to the Committee and nominated next year.

5. HONORARY TREASURER’S REPORT: Major Denys White presented the accounts which were printed on the back of the Notice of Annual General Meeting. He pointed out that, under Review of Development in the Trustees Report, income is shown as £3,018 and Direct Charitable Expenditure as £4,529. On the Balance Sheet, however, they are shown as  £5,402 and  £6,913 respectively - i.e.  £2,384 more in each case. This is because we contributed £681 towards the Quantocks AONB Voluntary Wardens’ clothing, which enabled the remainder of the cost to be covered by a grant of £2,384 which had to go through our accounts. The total sum, therefore, that we actually spent on Projects and Grants in 2006 was £4,331 compared with £3,585 in 2005.

6. ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE:

Lady Gass has kindly agreed to serve again as President.

Mrs Laetitia Kelly was elected Chairman (nominated by Mrs D Bradley and seconded by Major D White).

Mrs J Swash was elected Vice Chairman (nominated by Mrs L Kelly and seconded by Mrs D Bradley).

Major D White was elected Treasurer (nominated by Mrs J Swash and seconded by Mrs D Bradley).

Mrs M ter Braak was elected Secretary (nominated by Mrs L Kelly and seconded by Major D White).
The remainder of the Committee were re-elected (nominated by Mrs L Kelly and seconded by Mrs J Swash).

7. ANY OTHER BUSINESS: in reply to questions from Mr Worthy, Major White advised as follows -

Deer management on the Quantocks - although there has been a slight decrease in deer numbers, the Deer Management Committee is under pressure from Natural England to reduce the number of deer because of damage to the oaks.

Elms - Natural England were going to send FOQ 8 elms to plant this year but this has been delayed until next year due to problems at their nursery.

Adder Survey - this is still on hold. Work that was done so far is considered satisfactory.

The meeting was declared closed at 8.15 p.m.

Understandably, the repeated musical song of the male Wood Pigeon or Ring Dove has given rise to many country names, although they are mostly not in general use nowadays. Hence, there is too-zoo, cushiedoo and cushat, as examples. Now some people consider that the Wood Pigeon’s song is melancholy in nature and this has led to the name of quist or quest, which is derived from the Latin word questus, meaning complaining.

Many people enjoy listening to the cock Wood Pigeon’s rhythmic and five-noted song, ending with a single coo; this is often repeated, especially if there are rivals near the territory who will take up the challenge. Wood Pigeons go in for display flights in their territories, mainly in spring and summer, with the male rising steeply in the air and clapping the wings at the zenith, before gliding down on stiff wings. In addition, Wood Pigeons will utter short, gruff cooing notes, often unseen, from cover in the nesting tree and, further, the mechanical clattering of wings as birds rise from the ground or from tree branches is one of the characteristic sounds of the countryside.

However, other pigeon or dove sounds can be heard over the Quantock Hills. In mature woodland, with tree holes big enough for nesting, there is the smallish and mainly resident Stock Dove; here, the male’s song is a repeated, monotonous and double-noted coo. Then there is the now scarce Turtle Dove, which is a summer migrant; I used to hear it in May and June on scattered hawthoms or hedgerow trees. Middle Hill, Lydeard Hill and Aisholt Common were once good places to listen to the soothing, purring phrases of the Turtle Dove’s song which, somehow, seemed to set the scene for the midday heat of a summer’s day. Further, in contrast to the declining numbers of the Turtle Dove, there is the success story of the Collared Dove, now to be found nesting in most local villages and farms. The song of the resident Collared Dove is the familiar repeated three-syllable dec-oct-oo, which a few people still mistake for the call of the Cuckoo! Collared Doves also make harsh, loud flight calls, rather like the scream of a Black-headed Gull. On the Quantock coast, there are Rock Doves, at least where there are rocky cliffs with fissures or recesses for nesting sites. Male Rock Doves give an undulant cooing, with a moaning quality, rather like that of some domestic pigeons. Indeed, it is likely that the various strains of domestic pigeons were originally bred from wild Rock Dove stock.

Anyway, returning to Wood Pigeons, some people consider its flesh to be delicious and will pass on their favourite recipes for pigeon pie or even squab pie. Even so, the flavour of pigeon meat must depend on their food. I understand that Wood Pigeons which have fed on turnips in winter taste very unpleasant; indeed, Gilbert White, curate of Selbome wrote in the 18th Century that such birds were rejected by the nicer judges of eating. Yet the meat flavour is excellent after the pigeon has been feeding on grain, weed seeds or clover and, as the bird was often shot for food, as still occurs, the crop and its contents often get examined. Old records, as examples, list 33 acorns, 44 beech-nuts, 87 beans and even in one case half a pint of holly berries! In the past, I understand that if the crop was stuffed with fresh spring greens, turnip tops or some other brassica, the thrifty housewife would boil this up for supper. Obviously, this saved a journey to the garden or village shop on a stormy day, and I expect Wood Pigeons would select the choicest pieces. Without doubt, they can be terrible pests to the farmer when flocks take grain or attack the root crops; gardeners too are understandably annoyed when their well-grown brassicas or beans are shredded up.

Wood Pigeons themselves are favoured food for Peregrines, and it is quite common to come across their feathery remains on a walk along the coast, as at Kilve. Sparrowhawks too favour Wood Pigeon prey, but only the female is able to carry the relatively heavy bird away, held by a talon; the much smaller male has to pluck his victim on the spot, eat his fill of the flesh, and then carry off portions to feed young or for future use. Perhaps increasingly, we come across Wood Pigeon remains in our gardens, usually resulting from attacks by Peregrines or Sparrowhawks; not long back, a lady telephoned me from Watchet and gave a running commentary on the behaviour of a Peregrine which had killed a Wood Pigeon and was then plucking it on her lawn outside her lounge window. Another bird which will seize Wood Pigeons is the Tawny Owl, which will take one at night from its tree or bush roosting site. Amongst mammals, Red Foxes will surprise the occasional Wood Pigeon at its roosting site, or else pounce on one while it is feeding on the ground. With their large, powerful breast muscles, Wood Pigeons make excellent meals for most carnivores. They are abundant in Somerset, in spite of providing meals for their several predators; what will reduce their numbers, however, is a severe winter, with the ground hard frozen or else with prolonged snow cover. When will this next happen over the Quantocks?

The Wood Pigeon’s nest is often a flimsy platform or lattice of twigs, although sometimes the structure is quite substantial. The female builds the nest, with the male bringing in the building materials; the nest is sited at varying heights on a spreading branch of a tree or large bush. From the ground, the nest can be confused with that of a Jay or even a Sparrowhawk; building can occur in any month of the year, but normally it is in the summer months. Only two eggs are laid, but two or three broods are often reared. As the eggs are a glossy white, they can be a tempting target for Magpies or Carrion Crows which love an egg meal; however, the eggs are normally covered as both male and female pigeons sit on the clutch. The young pigeons are fed on pigeon milk; this is a nutritious fluid, formed as a crop secretion and really a kind of soup, although the idea does suggest a music hall joke! Of course, pigeons are a bit out of the ordinary for, in addition, they suck up water, rather than swallowing it by bill tilting.

This was in November 1834, but the name of the field opposite Broomfield Green has long been the only reminder of a day eagerly anticipated annually for more than six centuries. In 1259 the charter to hold the Fair was granted to John de la Lynde, Lord of the Manor, by Henry III and it continued into the 1890s, although declining considerably in its latter years. The church being dedicated to All Saints the date was chosen, as was generally the custom, to follow the celebrations on that special day, so the Fair was held on November 2nd, the morrow upon Allhallowstide. The 1751 change in the calendar moved it forward to November 13th.

A Somerset county historian writing in 1791 said that the fair was for coarse cloth and all sorts of cattle; the latter would have included sheep and lean stock (bullocks) for fattening. It was always a popular venue for horse dealers, some honest, some less so. Many frauds were perpetrated, even painting the animal if it had been stolen: there was a long court case about a dark bay mare with but one eare and a white tayle, said to have been exchanged but more likely to have been acquired illegally. Another case concerned sheep, alleged to have been bought at the fair and paid for at the toulsey (where dues payable were entered in a toll book) but actually stolen and re-sold some miles away.

All the parte of the Waste Ground commonly called Broomfield Green or Broomfield Street together with the profits of standings to be sett up there during the time of the faire was let for the annual rent of one shilling in the 1700s. Lengths of material - since few ready made clothes were then available - hats, boots and shoes would have been on sale, as well as ribbons and trinkets, sweetmeats and gingerbread, which the young men bought as fairings for their sweethearts. Refreshments were an essential. An Enmore Rector recalled the traditional fare as toasted biscuits and cider, the drink probably spiced with ginger. Cold day! Mind of Gin and Cider Fair was still a familiar saying in the district in the 1920s referring to Broomfield’s often chilly Fair Day.

Cheap jacks and a gypsy fortune-teller, a quack doctor and various amusement booths would have added interest to the proceedings. Visitors came from a wide area, often riding upon donkeys - one year two animals died after eating yew while tied up nearby.

The fair provided a popular occasion for meeting old acquaintances, exchanging news, farming talk and so on but, as at most similar gatherings, rogues and pickpockets were among the crowd. In 1843 the Gazette reported: A mob of 20 villains assembled, to the terror of the peaceable inhabitants of the place, and after beating and abusing them in a shameful manner, they broke the windows and also the furniture of those houses which provided refreshments for visitors. Mrs Jenkins, a respectable widow (she lived in part of what is now Fyne Court Cottage) has been a great sufferer, not only in having her furniture smashed to pieces but she found that she had received 19 counterfeit half-crowns from the same desperate gang of swindlers.

A sad end to a long awaited day.