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Win Tatton Park Country Fair family tickets
THE Tatton Park Country Fair is being held over the weekend of 23-25 August at Tatton Park, and this year the fair has more attractions than ever. Event organiser Living Heritage has teamed up with the Stockport Express to give away 10 family tickets for the show.
Click here for details
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What the shell? Sam hatches egg - in the oven!
by Victoria Morley7/ 5/2008
WHAT do you get if you cross a new oven, a box of farm eggs and a very curious Bramhall schoolboy? Neffi the cockerel of course!
Neffi’s unusual arrival into the world began when 11-year-old Sam Pierce-Jones was feeling particularly experimental one afternoon.
He tentatively placed the six farm eggs into the plate warmer of his family’s new ‘Neff’ oven and hoped for the best.
Weeks of eager anticipation proved unsuccessful until he opened the plate warmer door one morning and saw the cockerel’s spiky mane emerging from one of the eggs.
Sam, who is a pupil at Brabyns Prep School, said: "It was a wonderful feeling and amazing to watch him push his way out of his shell. I was so excited that we had managed to incubate an egg. And I knew the only name suitable for him was Neffi. He is now a big proud cockerel with beautiful colours and tail feathers and enjoys running around the garden." Sam and the cockerel, of Carrwood Avenue, have an inseparable friendship - so much so that Neffi loves nothing better than listening to Sam playing the piano.
Sam’s mum Joanne said: "Sam’s very musical and while other children are listening to pop music Sam is playing Strauss on the piano. Neffi loves Sam’s perfect pitch and sits on top of the piano while he plays. They are just so lovely together. Neffi isn’t just a pet - he’s Sam’s best friend."
However, Joanne says the cockerel’s "cockadoodleometer" has caused quite a stir among their neighbours and so far Neffi has almost managed to rack up two ASBO’s against his good name.
"Neffi has a very strong personality and is very funny to watch. But unfortunately he hasn’t brought as much joy to our neighbours with his untimely singing," said Joanne. "We have had two complaints from neighbours caIling for an ASBO to be placed on his ‘cockadoodleometer’, which we just think is hilarious."
The Pierce-Jones family are now planning to return Neffi to the Cheadle Hulme farm where they bought the box of eggs.
Said Joanne: "We are hoping to have one of Neffi’s daughters instead - which means Neffi will have other feathered friends to play with and the new arrival should prove more popular with the neighbours. And although Sam will miss Neffi, he will be able to visit him whenever he wants," she added.
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9/05/2008 at 12:52
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