North Derbyshire

Awwwww!

First time to this show in the very pretty thatched-cottagey village of Ashbourne in North Derbyshire. Arrived on Friday evening to snowdrifts!!?! Well, they were 'haildrifts' as it turned out, but still very surprising! Apparently there'd just been a huge hailstorm!

This was Clover's first camping trip. She took everything in her happy stride, she really is a very cool little girl!

Saturday morning I got up late-ish as for once no courses to walk first thing ... except it turned out I'd read the ROs wrong and Tim should've been in part 1, not part 2, of an agility class, so I'd missed walking it. Watched for a bit, couldn't get my head round it enough to run him so didn't bother. He's challenging enough to run even when I feel confident about where I'm going, teehee!! Later we had another agility class. Maisie really wasn't up for it - it was quite warm - and I handled her like a numptie anyway, somehow we got nearly round after a fashion but she knocked one of her very rare poles. In her next class later she was off form again so I brought her out for a cuddle, it was warm for a well-fleeced girl. Tim was then up in the same class. The start was simple enough but hard for him as you did two jumps then a sharp right pulling off the A-frame - he made the turn but that headed him towards the judge who was v close by and when his rosette flapped temptingly Tim just couldn't resist ... lol, ooops! I used my stern voice and so he sat down and scratched his left ear. It's a good job I so love that little dog!!! Of course he then went on and ran the rest of the course fast and beautifully, including some tricky bits, even doing 12 weaves very closely followed by a tunnel. It was a really pleasing run anyway. I think we gave up for the day then and had lots of walkies.

Clover had a super time walking around, she even went round the rings and hardly batted an eyelid at the noise, movement, people, dogs, tannoys, etc. You don't get anywhere fast with a cute pup as everyone wants to say hello!! She had some fab positive experiences with people and dogs. The evening was sunny and warm, I sat out with her and Billy and a beer for quite a while. Billy even had a very small play with her!!! He's never really played with Tim (though they are quite companiable in a blokey, sniffy, leg-cocking, ball-chasing kinda way) and he only very rarely plays with Mouse when they're on their own, so it was nice to see he's taken to the little 'un so well. He's a good lad. The evening took its usual course of Chinese food, beer, cakes, raucous giggling, singing and more cake :o)

Sunday was a different day altogther - cool and wet, VERY wet! Jules and Helen came for the day too so that was super, and we had yummeee cupcakes ... :)

Can't remember our runs much - Maisie got an OK clear but stopped after the weaves to thoroughly shake a bucketful of rain out of her coat ... Tim did two runs, was utterly miserable with the rain, and so we called it a (soggy) day. Will I ever get a dog who will work in any weather? Wot softies!!

Driving home, the traffic was being slowed down because there was a swan on the hard shoulder of the M1, it was accompanied by lots of flashing lights and chaps standing around trying to work out how to capture/remove it! Life's never dull!

Clover, Tim and the sex-toy! ;o)