Agility Holiday Number 2!

Today has been a day of rushing around and things not going exactly to plan. Last night I packed the van with all the stuff to go in the caravan so that I could pack it up after the service had been done. I went to set off this morning, the battery was flat on the van :( I didn't have time to jump start it then so I threw everything into the back of the car and set off. The service people were then half an hour late arriving so I needn't have rushed.

The service was done and nothing major wrong apart from needing 2 new tyres as the ones on the caravan had split, so back home I went to jump start the van (no tow bar on the car), Ambrose came with me to watch me back on to the caravan (although I think I can do this on my own anyway), we were hooking it up and somehow dropped the caravan onto my foot! Luckily it seems ok, just a bit bruised.

Anyway I finaly got the tyres done, have packed up everything I need and apart from a couple of last minute things in the morning I think we are ready for our holiday. Brian has got swimming first thing and I plan to set off after that so that we hopefully miss the Friday and start of school holidays traffic.

We have got 9 days away now, we are at Adams Agility show from Sat-Mon and Derbyshire Agility show from Fri-Sun but as they are held at the same place we are staying all week. Heidi is booked on a Toni Dawkins Training session on Wednesday morning and Brian is going to see Natalie for another top up massage on Thursday so we have plenty to keep us going. Plus we are 20 mins from mum and dads so lots of visiting them too!
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Also it is Brian's birthday on Saturday so before I forget, Happy 5th Birthday Brian!!! I have promised him he can pick some new toys and treats at the show on Saturday and he seemed pretty pleased with that!

New photos

My new camera lens arrived today so I have tested it out on the 3 willing and very good looking volunteers that I have living here with me! they are getting very good at posing for photos these days!

We have had a pretty quiet week so far this week, I was on lates yesterday and will be today so the dogs just spent some time at the field yesterday having a good game of ball. I dont start until a bit later today so we are going for a nice walk to the bridle path this afternoon before work. The girls have done a little bit of weave training in the garden this morning too, hopefully we will make it to training this week although Lucy is away so Jo will be taking us.

Megan wants to wish her Daddy Ronny a Happy Birthday as he is 6 today so Happy Birthday Ronny!

EMDAC & Otley

Well although its only been 4 days it feels like we have been away forever! EMDAC was our first stop, arriving early Thursday evening. It was very windy, so windy that I couldn't get the tent to stay up, despite the help of several other people so I spent the night sleeping in the van (not impressed!). Meg got a clear in jumping on Thursday evening and Heidi got a clear on Friday in jumping and won the class so I was really pleased with them both!

On Friday afternoon we headed off to Otley, it took about 3 hours to do 100 miles as the traffic was so bad but when we arrived it wasn't too windy so I got the tent up and the new windbreak which I'm pleased to say was a brilliant investment. The weather went downhill over the weekend with the wind getting stronger, so bad that it has split one of my tent poles and how the tent actually stayed up is beyond me! After a not so nice camping weekend I have decided that all being well with it's service on Thursday, I will be taking the caravan to Adams show next weekend!!!

Anyway Otley has been a bit mixed really, both the girls have got things to work on, Megan mainly her contacts although she did get her dog walk one today, and Heidi needs to listen and not scream at me when I am right and she is wrong!

The last jumping class today was comb 1-3 and our best run I think, Megan was doing really well and I started to get excited that she might go clear..then she missed her weave entry so ended with 5 faults and a time of 32 secs. Heidi was running near the end of the class so after the lunch break I took her for her run and she was brilliant, just one pole down which was my fault as it happened as I told her to go on, which looking back I didn't really need to do. I checked her time at the end and she did it in 21.8 secs, the winning dog was a grade 3 dog and had a time of 22.4 secs so she would have won!

I came away very happy indeed, now I know I'm justified when I get annoyed with her for not listening as she really does have so much potential. Still she is only 2 and has a long time ahead of her where she can get it right (and wrong!). Well bring on next weekend, I can't wait!

Long Weekend

Today will be my last shift for this week thank goodness, tomorrow afternoon me and the dogs are heading off for a long weekend of Agility. We are starting at EMDAC for tomorrow evening and Friday then from there we are going up to the Otley show for the rest of the weekend. At the moment the weather seems to forecast rain (I'm not surprised, that's what happens when I get the tent out!), still we plan to make the most of it.

I did manage to do a little bit of weave training with the girls yesterday as at their last show they both had terrible weaves but they were both doing them well so that's a good sign. Just the mental 'oh my god I haven't done agility for 3 weeks' to get out of them now, hopefully that will have passed by the time we leave EMDAC!

As you can see, Brian's attitude to agility has certainly changed, he now likes to have a rest in the tunnel, not be throwing himself through it!

Swimming on the Chase

I had forgotten, we took the dogs for a walk on Saturday evening when I got to mum and Dads and they went swimming in the pools on Cannock Chase. Heidi, for the first time ever did actually swim. It was only for a few second but she did it a couple of times. I only caught a split second of her on video on my phone but there is some footage of the others swimming and splashing around so here it is!

Job Done

We didn't make it to the RVA show on Friday, I felt really poorly so instead we got the jobs done that we needed and stayed at home. I didn't go to work on Saturday either as I still felt ill and wanted to be feeling as well as possible for the massive road trip to collect the caravan!

A 600 mile journey in a day is not something I want to do again that's for sure,  both me and my dad were well and truly shattered! The dogs spent the day with mum, I think Megan made herself into mums shadow as she said every time she turned round Megan was there under her feet!

Anyway we have the caravan back now and is safely stored just 10 mins away from home. It is very dirty and needs a lot of TLC but it has been booked in for a service next Thursday and I'm going to give it a good clean inside and out over the next few weeks so it will be ready for our Dashing Dogs/Dog Vegas holiday in August.

Who needs ornaments when you have got Megan?!

(No she isn't allowed to sit on the coffee table-you wouldn't think it though would you!)

What a Week

I don't know why but this week has seemed so long and I feel like I have been so busy but not actually done anything constructive. I have been at work Mon to Wed and have been quite busy with lots of naughty kids to teach!

Today I have started to get a sore throat and been sneezing a bit too so I can guess what's coming over the next few days, a dreaded summer cold, it's been doing it's rounds at work so it's only a matter of time I guess. I was supposed to be working on Sat & Sun earlies this week too but yesterday I had had enough and so booked Sunday off to have a relaxing day at home...no chance! I got a phone call this afternoon to say that the airfield that we store our caravan on in Salisbury (nope still not collected it yet), is from next week going to be a working airfield so I need to move it before the end of the weekend! I have never towed it before so I think, fingers crossed, my dad is going to come with me and sit with me back to theirs then I'll do the last bit to here on my own.

We were meant to be at the RVA show tomorrow but to be honest I'm highly likely to be giving it a miss, I feel absolutely exhausted, club has been cancelled tonight so I will have not even put the girls through the weaves or anything and I know running them when you feel crap isn't much fun, plus I need to get a number plate printed for the caravan as we have changed cars a few times since it's last outing!

A Seal At The Beach

This weekend has been lovely and relaxing. Me, my mum and dad took the monsters to the beach again yesterday as it was boiling hot. The dogs spent ages splashing about in the sea and as I'd got my shorts on I went in for a paddle too. As we were sat on the sand watching the dogs play we noticed we were not the only spectator on the beach. We saw a seal in the sea, it came really quite close and was watching our dogs play. Megan was the only one who saw it but she just stood and watched it splashing around. Unfortunately I didn't have a camera with me, only my phone so it just looks like a black dot on the picture and isn't worth posting really.

We headed home and put the dogs indoors then we went to Cleethorpes to do a bit of shopping and had a massive Ice Cream each on the sea front! Me and Mum then spent the evening sorting out my kitchen cupboards which are now much better organised (thanks mum!) and my dad fitted the skirting board in the kitchen too so its pretty much finished now (thanks dad!).

Today it has been my birthday, mum and dad stayed for dinner then headed back home. I have had 2 lovely lots of roses from Conor, 12 on Friday for our wedding anniversary and a single one yesterday for my birthday, I have also had lots of cards and some pennies to go shopping with when I get the chance and I also had a lovely birthday card from the doggies, mainly saying they want to go to the beach more often!

We are back at Agility training on Thursday night which I am looking forward too although I have enjoyed our short break as we have done absoluely nothing in the form of training at all. I have been starting to look at some of the winter shows that we might go to, I dont plan to do many at all, maybe just one a month to keep us going.