29th May

Dark won his puppy class at the Bath Championship show yesterday and Best Puppy Dog which we were thrilled about. Congratulations to Glenis and Mick on their Reserve CC with Firechief and to Nick and Glen for their CC with Waterloo Sunset. The weather was absolutely foul with high winds and driving rain – I think I might have half frozen if Glenis had not lent me her Mick’s coat followed by one of Jean’s when Mick needed it back. Typically there is bright sunshine today which would have been well received had it been a day earlier.

The pollen count has been extremely high and poor old Boris has been suffering as he is a shorthaired Jack Russell and the grass in the fields is taller than him. With his lovely nothing is going to get the better of me personality he still comes on every walk round the land with me each day snuffling and wheezing his way round. I really do sympathise as a fellow sufferer only I have the availability of antihistamine tablets and can wear sunglasses to help prevent the pollen getting into my eyes. Rumba and Taro (my two puppies) just love Boris, rumbling and tumbling with him on our travels.

I simply do not believe it – someone has stolen the container for the egg boxes which I placed at the end of the lane along with the six eggs in it. I hope it was a needy case and they at least enjoyed the eggs. Mick feels slightly different and I will not repeat what he said! We are hardly getting any eggs at the moment so for the time being I will not replace the container as the odd person who really needs eggs has come and knocked at the front door.

Mick is teaching Tantra how to ride her new bicycle and she seems to be picking it up quite quickly. Yesterday whilst I was at the dog show he took her out in the garden and after a short while she was pedalling a few feet by herself. Of course as soon as she realised that he was not holding on to the back of the bike she stopped.

Congratulations to Lynne and Keith Vero with Tanis getting Best in Show last week at Tyne and Wear they really are on a roll at the moment and I think she looks lovely on the picture taken on the front page of the website. Well done!

I am just about to nip out and try to find a dry cleaner in this part of the world as my show jacket (for dog shows) is completely covered in mud from yesterday. I was going to put it in the washing machine, but Mick stopped me saying it would shrink!