Moving On?

Last night someone young took the piss again. Really it had been quite a day for it. The leg of lamb, the shredded rosette, the disappearing brush and washing basket. You name it, our Beti does it, but she sure brightens the days. Last night at 10.45pm she lay on the rubber matt in the middle of the yard and said .. "I'm sleeping out tonight!" The head tilted as I called her in, but the bottom didn't move! Well I'm sorry Miss B but it's not happening, I got hold of her by the collar and marched her to bed where her bonio was waiting for her, she looked at it, then looked at me as if telling me where to stick it. lol. We had a quick cuddle and I told her how funny she was, how lovely and how sweet and before closing her crate I thanked her for bringing such joy into my life, and then my mind went elsewhere and I cried! 

A year ago I was tucking Kaiah up for the night in that very space, you see I can't even type about her without crying. I can't really talk about her, I can't enjoy my memories because the sadness and guilt still haunts me so much. It's not a choice, I'd move on, if only I could.  Having Beti here is wonderful, but sadly I never forget why she is here. The little bright spark came to help me heal from the heartache, and my word we have such fun, but those memories still rip at my heart. In just a couple of weeks it will be 12 months since Zoe came to be mated to Orin ... and it's fast approaching 12 months since Kaiah was so cruelly ripped from our lives. I've no memory of feeling such intense sadness at loss for so long before, I've no memory of every, 12 months on being unable to speak a name without welling up with emotion. I've experienced so much loss, Blade, Louis, Kai, Seffe, the list is endless .. but this grief remains on another level. 

Leg Of Lamb

Well can you see Beti? What do you think she has in her mouth? Well, I'll tell you, a lambs leg! I've no idea what happened to it, or where the rest of it was, but there wasn't a hope in hell of me getting it off her and yes eventually she ate it! Beti is very obedient and very quick to learn, but today I saw that she can also be a Tali. I just couldn't get to her, and she forgot what a recall was, the more I tried, the faster she chewed and I was afraid she would swallow it, basically it was safer for me to leave her to chew through it as we went along. Now I'll worry, of course I will, but I had to make a decision in the moment, and as revolting as it was, I felt it was the safer option.

For The Hairy Fan Club

Nice yeah! 

Maybe one for next years calendar. 

Beti At Home

At Home Today

Sorry hairy fan club - no pic today! lol

W+PBW

A lovely day yesterday at WPBW, though an uncomfortable drive home with blinding sun, the Blanik Bus playing up and the Kamikaze pheasants. Anyway a fun day with my lovely friends. Thanks to judge Sue Forman for Beti's BPIB with the icing on the cake being shortlisted in the group by Steve Hall, how emotional was that! Thank you so much Arron Price for handling Beti today, she looked fab. I really enjoyed being back in the ring with Jackie's Kai and our Siska. Well done Jackie with his 1st place in PGD. Well done Ian Turner with Kiaan's BPD, Denise with Jimmy's BOB and well deserved Group 4, and Heulwen with Gina's Best Female. Thanks, Linda, for the picces and the sing along with "Ed" on the way home, and to Jackie and Ian for the giggles all day. Also thanks to our Judge Sue Forman for the lovely gifts. Lastly, thanks Siska and Beti - my stars ⭐️⭐️

A cracking photo of Beti in the breed ring. Collars and leads edited out and the colour lightened as it was a dark room, but Beti, as she is! 

Siska could have done better with a handler I'm sure, but we had fun!

Loki Today

Whilst searching for something else I came across this video, so just a quick update on the boy. This was him at his worst in Sept 2021, the day before he lost complete mobility and we decided to call it a day and have him PTS the next day .. Monday. But unable to sleep that night I thought I'd discuss steroids with Beth our vet. She prescribed 25mg for 10 days, the improvement was quick and dramatic. I guess Loki then had a couple of wonderful years but went down hill again before Xmas 2023... anyway the bottom video is from today ... he does his walk every day and though now he's a bit more wobbly, he still really is amazing! 

Feeling A Little Fed Up

I'm sure the weather is getting to all of us. Every day is the same, wet, windy, misty and cold. I've given up on taking photos, after all there's nothing new to see. I did intend on getting a couple of snaps today, but with sleet and sheep I gave up. I can see these three are going to be a pain in the butt! Other than intense heat, I think I'm one who tolerates seasonal weather quite well. But where is Spring? We are halfway through it, and it still feels like mid-Winter. It was better in Porthmadog yesterday afternoon, and I was hopeful we may return to something promising, but I was wrong, though it was sunny the strong wind was bitterly cold. I'm still drying clothes on the radiators for fear my knickers may end up in Carmel .. or even further afield. 😁

I've booked the rooms for us to stay over for the Scottish show, after my experience of the last two shows I fear this may be my last all breed show for a while. I gave up on them 20 years or so ago as I started attending General Ch. Shows and found a better, friendlier crowd of people at these shows, sadly it doesn't seem to have changed and Sunday was laughable in a lot of cases. Maybe I shouldn't tar them all with the same brush but I was interested to be sent this yesterday ... "Well he almost killed 2 Champion bitches here on the hottest of summer days 1st time he judged and only 2 in the class and he still couldn't make a decision. The handlers had to swap over 4 times the class went on that long. He hasn't got the knowledge or eye for a dog to be judging. He was an obedience man so when he moved to showing he thinks that if you train them to go and go it proves they can work. He's never had a great dog himself, bred a couple of good dogs but let them go and then charged the people for training classes, handling etc. He trained them to run like a train and handled them to their titles but cost him nothing, he made money from it. Put him on the never again list. He only got 6 dogs to judge here last year after his 1st appointment, and for good reason. Not even sure how he was able to award CCs as he hasn't judged the numbers to be approved. His lack of knowledge is obvious, he can't hide it. He just keeps moving dogs up and back down the line as he hasn't a clue." Enough said! 

This morning Steve and I discussed the forthcoming shows and who is going where. He has no problems with me staying over for the Scottish one and no concerns for anything else that I'm planing to do, but when he discovered that I'm still Billy No Mates for Three Counties and The Sieger his face dropped and he walked out of the room. (I think if he could walk quicker, I'd say "Stormed out of the room" but bless him he can't, no I'm not being spiteful, just continuing the humour that we live with!) Jane is going to stay over, but with her living in Staffordshire, we will be setting off from very different locations. I'm still considering giving the Sieger a miss .. but really, it's the 150 mile trip to Malvern alone that bothers him and me more. Of course I know the way, well mostly, but going it alone is just not something I've done since before the head explosion of 2015 .... Sadly, it seems too much to ask someone to come with me just for the ride and expect them to pay for a night away .. though OMG I'm shocked to discover it's half the price of the Scottish room. 

I think I may have to go back to Specsavers as I think my vision issues have deteriorated further. I'm now on the laptop wearing the right glasses ... but struggling .. and god knows what I'm sending in texts and messanger these days as I can barely see the screen! So if you can't read what I send you hell I'm sorry!!! 

The bottom photo is Sammi! lol 

Sheffield Show

Not sure what to say, it wasn't our day in the ring, but there is more to it than that. We had fun with friends, but the judging was all round beyond my understanding!!!

Tired and emotional, I cried as I went through dozens of photos of other people's dogs to find just this one of Orin, god it hurt especial as I continue to see photos of other people's dogs online. I take the camera mainly to get photos of my dogs ... and obviously photos of friends dogs to share and treasure memories, ah well!!!

Flying Solo

There are two weekends this Summer with shows that I want to go to falling on the Friday and Saturday in early June then Saturday and Sunday in late June. In both instances, it would make absolutely no sense to come home on the Saturday and go again on the Sunday, that would be a killer for me. It looks like my wing man won't be doing both shows on either weekend, so after giving it great thought the only option is to go it alone, well that or miss out. Steve is really not happy about my decision, but other people do it, so why can't I? And a friend who lives alone said .. "If I didn't do it, I wouldn't get to go anywhere!"  I know my way to Malvern and I have my sat nav to then get me to the Travelodge at Tamworth. I would probably be there late afternoon at the latest early evening, I could check in and have a lazy rest of the day in my room and mooching about with Beti and Orin. (if I was going alone for the first time, I'd only take two, so I wouldn't take Siska) It wouldn't be an early start to the second show as the venue is about 20 mins from the Travelodge. 

The second lot of shows later in the months starts me off at the same venue in Tamworth, for my confidences' sake, maybe I could follow someone there then at the end of the show drive up to that hotel in Swinton for the night. Again it wouldn't be an early start as Swinton to Blackpool is 45 mins to an hour tops. It all sounds very doable ... providing I can get my van fully serviced and get the confidence to believe that my head will be OK!

The photos are of video stills from Bolton show in Scotland ... Oops ... If you know you know!!!!