It would appear that there have continuing problems with some of the emails which Tom has been circulating. In an effort to alleviate these problems (sometimes perhaps caused by attaching large picture files) Tom has now upgraded to Windows XP and installed BT Broadband at home ... however he is pulling out chunks of hair right now as he is unable to generate new OUTGOING mail. Very much a case of two steps back before taking one step forward ...

Competitors can visit the web site to get all the latest information at http://www.pbosolutions.co.uk/latest_news.htm Soon will will incorporate an up-to-date listing of the birds still in the lofts at any particular time and their status e.g. fit, injured, sick, etc. This week we will also try to upload pictures of ALL the birds onto the web site so that everyone can see what they're up against!

The birds commenced very light training last week and this has gone pretty well ... one or two casualties and losses and those of you affected will be advised directly as to the fate of your birds. As fanciers we all understand that some losses will inevitably be encountered during the training program but Tom and I have come up with some plans to, hopefully, avoid mass losses. These include never liberating the entire entry together, and staggered liberation times. We really do want to give ALL the birds the MAXIMUM opportunity of making it all the way to Lamballe and will take all practical measures to get us there.

Cocks and Hens have now been separated - this is perhaps the fairest policy of all as it will avoid any perceived advantages and disadvantages of the various sexual motivators.

The Unikon system is now fully operational, after a few setup problems, and will undoubtedly assist in the Training and enable us to report the information back to the competitors via the web site and by email.

From now on, with the training schedule increasing, the updates will become more regular so keep going to the web site to find out exactly what's going on.

At PBO Solutions we have now erected state-of-the-art offices over the weekend from which to work in the future. OK by state-of-the-art I mean a three-room log cabin! We can now move all our business clutter including computers and printers from the house and far away from our inquisitive young kids' reach. We have an increasing number of projects going on, including the design and manufacture of an all-new British timing clock to supersede and outstrip the current STB, Benzing, and Junior offerings. This is a hugely exciting project ... watch this space!

Our "LoftMates" are now available from stock and we have now satisfied all of our advance orders. For more information on LoftMate visit http://www.pbosolutions.co.uk/loftmate.htm and/or open the attached document, suffice to say that it's a quality British product which provides the fancier with essential race day information and calculations. Order your's right now in time for the YB program!

We are also developing "Club" software allowing you to manage and calculate club race results, averages, diplomas, pools, etc. We hope to have a pilot version of the program available by the end of the Summer for clubs to sample free of charge so please let us know if your local club would be interested.

Finally, don't be shy in letting us know about your own Loft performances this year as we can always upload interesting information and photographs to the web site on your personal page.