Lets Talk About Sunday

It was an early start to The Heads Of The Valley Champ Show on Sunday - damn it was still dark. With one 10 minute stop on the way, we got there in good time. It's a 168 miles from door to field, something that could be done easily in three hours if it wasn't for the twists, turns and speed limits, but to be honest these days I much prefer these routes to the motorways. Though google maps took us off onto "new road" and didn't take us through Abergevenny like we usually do, we had no difficulties getting to the venue. 

It was a really warm day, I mean most people were in shorts and T.shirts, and I was well over dressed, thankfully I did have something lighter in the van. As I said, mostly for me, the judging was on the money, I could see exactly what he was doing, but when striving for moderation I can't see why exaggeration should be promoted. 

I saw some really nice males in the ring, 4 of which are in my list. So dog "O" impressed tremendously

in stance, but on the move he dropped on the wither and as Siska does that, well we don't want to double up on it. Dog "D" was stunning, but I'm sticking to my original observation that he is too short in body, the judge also commented on this and he said he was deep in chest for his length of foreleg. I also observed a hinge in his back and a slightly light eye. That is no dealbreaker for me, but all in all, I did see better. Dog "G" now he was very impressive but bigger, not one I've seen since he was a youngster ... my only negative was his lack of oomph in the ring, again not ideal for a lazy arse Siska. Dog "B" was also there, and though he has been dismissed for similar reasons as dog "O", the whole picture was very impressive. Reno was not being exhibited as his owner was on the committee, but we did get to meet him and spend time with him, to be honest, I saw nothing better for Siska. As I've said, he's Louis size, which is much more desirable now than it was then, his coat and colour are super and his length to height is ideal, his depth of body to length of foreleg is perfectly acceptable. His head is strong, but not overdone, his eye is dark and his character is second to none. 

I found the journey home a little more stressful, I made three mistakes, missing my exit twice and my lane once, to be honest I was thankful for the winding roads, but not the low sun. I thought about the day, the class, to be honest Beti wasn't robbed, they were quality bitches, but it didn't change the disappointment. I've been comforting myself with platitudes like, life can only get better and one day it will happen for us, all year, (or for bloody years in the latter) but it honestly it hasn't and as friends know I'm struggling. 

Last night I talked to a friend and she mentioned she'd been in touch with the green-eyed monster. They are friends again now, hell that's her call, though it does make me uncomfortable, it not my right to tell anyone who they can be friends with is it! I'll keep my head down and say nothing about it. I can honestly say that no one else has fecked up my head like she has, I'm always willing to say sorry or own up if I got it wrong, but I swear I did nothing wrong. She's got so far into my head that I now think of her pleasure at seeing me fail. If you know her, you'll know she will be reveling in it. This year has been such a negative and difficult year that everything is getting to me. It can only get better eh!!!!!! LOL

Yesterday morning the bastard sheep was back in the field, Steve and I got the fencing up from the

bottom field and were going to do it, but I just couldn't. I was exhausted after the 8 hr drive. As Sharon said, she felt like she'd been hit by a bus ... and she wasn't even driving! Every bit of me hurt and unexpectedly my head went into a post SAH state. Today I'm better, but my emotions are still shot to pieces.  

After shopping today we talked to an elderly man about his lovely van. He was 88 years old and had been all over the place in his van, he was just back from a drive to Croatia bringing back 90 litres of wine. I took the trolley back and he continued to talk to Steve, you're a long time dead, so now with his new knees he was living his life to the full. He said it's the things you don't do that you regret .. hell he's my new hero and he's right, yeah it may take me a day two to get over my drive, but no doubt if everything is as it should be I'll be going back next year and I will remember the right exit off the M4 to get home!!!! (But I'm not going to Boston!) 

Super Lucca in the bottom pic. 

The Supervisors

So one week on and that bloody sheep is back. It's doing my nut in as it's so unsafe with the dogs. If only we could afford to fence it all off from scratch eh!

Whilst we do things in the fields we have the dogs with us. They have three acres of freedom .. but look where they are. My lovelies, Orin and Siska, just chilling and waiting. 

Taking A Break

Well, that's me/us done in the show ring for a while now. I think it's been our least successful year of showing in recent memory, so taking time out seems the sensible option. I can't deny that I'm deflated, and found by chatting to people yesterday that I'm not the only one fed up with the "same old" of recent times. One person telling me that she hasn't shown since January as she's totally disheartened by it all, she came to this show without her dogs to see if she could get the bug back - I hope she does. 

I have to say the judging yesterday was very consistent with the judge mostly sticking to a favourable type, only one thing surprised, after pointing out the obvious undesirable traits in a dog he still went on to top honours when others could well have been considered. 

Beti was last again, actually three bitches, including Beti were shown out of coat, all three were last with the judge saying that at the end of the day this is a competition and questioned in one class whether a female so devoid of coat should be in the ring. (She looked worse than Beti) With hindsight, she should have stayed at home, I say it over and over, I shouldn't show them out of coat at this level, but I keep bloody doing it! So sadly the boost I need so badly didn't come, but at least what I could hear of the verbal critique was pleasing. 

"Not in the best condition today, a little underweight which shows in the underline. Very Powerful mover in the walk and gait, but a little erratic at times handler managing it well. Very nice hindquarters not exaggerate in any way, they are just right very nice topline??? (I think he says)Very nice croup."

My Man Orin

He's looking amazing and I love these kinds of photos of them, just posing without any intervening from me. If all goes to plan, there is a chance of some more Orin babies later this year, and hopefully next year. I can't wait!

Out With Orin And Siska

 Another lovely walk this morning. The weather may have changed, but we still had a nice time. Kitted out ready for rain, but it didn't come! Not the longest of walks, but still an adventure with new smells, sights and sounds for my lovelies.

Perfect?

 

An "untouched" photo of one of the last decade's top dogs. (he was 10 earlier this month) "Asap" missed out on being the Sieger twice, making it to VA2. Apparently it was all down to politics, and it created an uproar in the breed all over the world. His unexaggerated proportions, overline and angulation are as close to perfect as it gets, just his pasterns distract. His colour and coat just add to the already pleasing picture. Breeding this kind of dog can only be a dream for most of us!

We Won

Online shows started during covid - they are just a bit of fun, still it's nice to win! 

Ross and Jamie are proud, lol 

Beti Bwt a Aeth i Grwydro

I love these photos of Beti today. Little miss was a right handful, we had words, we never usually do but sometimes needs must.

Lost But Not Lost

The walk on Wednesday with Orin and Siska took us from Talysarn, cross-country towards Lon Ddwr (Water Road is the direct translation) in Llanllyfni. On the walk we saw two gates onto different paths. The first seemed to go along the river back towards Penygroes, I imagined it would come out near the football club, yeah, it had to, therefore I'd let Blade and Nikki run down there many moons ago! The second was much further along the walk and seemed to take you into Llanllyfni. Well, today we had to try them!

I swear it was Linda's idea to go through the first gate and down the riverside, therefore it was her fault that Beti pulled me down the three-foot bank leaving me in a very precarious position and unsure how I'd get out again. I must admit I was seething with Beti, her excitement near the water was on another level, and she switched her ears and common sense hat off. I told Steve when I got home, he laughed and said "I hope Linda took a photo!!!!" Sulking, we turned back and went onto the walk that takes you over the river and towards Lon Ddwr. I'll go back to the riverside walk with my sensible lovelies! 

A lovely walk over farm land and footpaths past the farm and to the second unexplored gateway. 

I guess this is where it started to get confusing - but we found the second gate and the third. All similar kissing gates, but with no signs whatsoever to give you any idea of which direction to take. The third gate was a little odd, holly seemed to have been trained to grow over the top of it making it difficult for anyone over 4ft to get through, but we did. I knew exactly where I was, I could see the road from Llanllyfni to Penygroes, I could see the river and bridge, but what neither of us could see, was where we went next! We tried several ways looking for the next gate, but there was no obvious way out of this field. I walked over to one wooden gate, which had fencing panels around it and a very overgrown area behind it, and as I walked away I heard a voice, "Can I Help You?" A man stood at the farmhouse gate, I called back and told him we were lost .. well we couldn't find where the path went next anyway. He was very obliging and told us there was no way through, but we could go through his property and back down onto the road. He wasn't nervous of the dogs, but I do wish he hadn't decided to move the large stick out of our way .. of course Ross wanted it!  

Steve assures me that the fenced off area was once an exit from the footpath and that it used to go down under the road. He used to walk it regularly many moons ago when he lived in Penygroes. Well times have change, I used to drive the track in the photo below from Joan's house to the Ozanam Centre, now it's a footpath, and very overgrown further on. Anyway, on this path not far from where Beti is, what did we find? A footpath sign ... I'm sure had we known where to head for from the fields that we could have come out here. I'll go back and set off from here I think! 

Yes quite an adventure, my only regret is that with hindsight it was too far for Ross. He is stiff on that elbow this afternoon, but of course if I could ask him whether he should have stayed at home today, I bet you he'd say, "no, ... I had a great time!" 

Four In The Fields

Siska and Orin

Ross and Beti.

Three Out On A Walk

Zeus, Sammi and Meerah

A lovely walk with these three, another glorious day.

Four donkeys came to see us .. I thought there were more, I'll have to have a look back.

Worms And Fleas

Everyone wormed, cats and dogs, but I need to remember that the edible/tasty drontal dog tablet is not nice and not easy to hide in the food. Orin and Beti were the worst! I think it would be easier to have pills to stuff down their throats than these "Edible bone shaded" pills! 

Though ticks have been a nightmare recently, we've managed to totally avoid any fleas this year. Strange with the weather being so hot, maybe something else has been different? Though I can't think what, we've attended as many shows and the cats still wander off and do their own thing. 

I gather other people have been having problems with what we can only conclude is mites. This time last year, these dogs were so itchy .. and no one could come up with an answer, well two courses of Advocate and it cleared, so my opinion was some kind of mite. Right dog club night ...Bye

Like Summer

So I still hate these bloody leads, but when you look at this you can see there is a place for them for dog walking, it's just not near a road. They really have opened up the world for me. 

Somehow the camera on the phone went onto portrait settling, that blurs the background, which is a shame, but it's still a lovely photo of Orin and Siska!

My lovelies!

Sunshine And Sheep - Again!

I'm sorry if my posts are becoming monotonous, currently my life is totally being consumed by fencing, sheep and cattle. No sooner than we make one area secure, a cow or the sheep (And yes it is back down to one sheep) barge through the fencing again. Between us today we secured two areas in the top field and took advantage of Scottish power cutting down the tops of the trees by asking them to leave the cutting behind to block some of the gaps. 

Happy with our work, we relaxed too early as woolly arse got in again, barging through, under or over the fence by the top gate. This sheep, who arrived here in the Spring is really one on her own, I've never come across anything so determined to get in and move in! 

Guess What Was In The Field?

When Steve went out on Friday afternoon he commented that there was one sheep in the bottom field. Well after almost 48 hrs of rain we went out today - yep one sheep still in the bottom field. She tried, but it looked like she couldn't get out in the usual place, I managed to get her out through the gate. A trip round the edge of the field and Orin clocked a gap. The fencing pushed down, an easy stepping stone over the other side, wool on the fence and sheep shit on the wall ... well done O. With the assistance (!!!) of Ross, Beti and Luther we've tried to block it ... if what we did hasn't worked then we'll have to go over the other side tomorrow .. or after the next sheep invasion!  

So far the top field has been sheep free now for almost 2 weeks, but I haven't got complacent, I check before letting the guys up there.

Edit to add - spoke too soon, sheep in top field. 

Lovely Day

After about 48 hrs of rain we spent the morning out in the field. More fencing and some splashing and playing. Two rivers ran into the yard forming a lake in the yard. There must have been an inch of water standing in the yard, and most of it is still there, the river from the mountain still flows in and through the yard. Thank god for the raised pen for Oin and Siska. 

Waiting For Siska

No further signs of the impending season, I'm kind of glad really as I would like puppies in January, and not over the Xmas period. But if she was mated a month to today, then puppies would be due on the 19th of December, yeah I can cope with that or earlier, which is highly unlikely. I would prefer her not to be ready for mating during the last two weeks in October, but if she came in season during the last week of Oct, then that shouldn't be a problem. But of course what will be, will be, I can't plan it, only hope for a decent timing. 

If I use the French dog then I may register most, but maybe not all (yes I have an idea) of the litter with French names, there are plenty of nice ones starting with N. I also have a French pet name in mind for the female I dream of ... it's been on the list for years, but now seems appropriate - "Elle." (Not Ellie, or Ella, or anything similar, just Elle, and yes I'll be as fussy bout it as Sammi not being shortened and Beti not being Bet or Betty! ) As most people know, the name is French for "she" but is pronounced the same way in English, simply as the letter L. I don't know of anyone else with a dog called Elle, and it will sound different to all the other names here, which is important. Of course knowing me, I may well change my mind a dozen times in the meantime! 

Misty, Damp But Mild

The Fencing Battles Contiune

 Because the cattle spent yesterday in the fields next to the gable end of the cottage I went out to have a look if the fencing had survived .. it hadn't! For the second time in just a few months they have completely battered the fencing along this section. Previously we had chain link fencing there, which they broke, Linda and I had attached a puppy pen to the fencing and strengthened it as best as we could. But with the weight of a just a single hungry cow thinking the grass was greener, well it didn't stand a chance. Of course the concern for us is Zeus so Steve and I have spent some time out there again this morning trying to make it safe. I suggested barbed wire ... Poor Steve ended up bleeding to death and needing several plasters! lol

There was great interest from the dogs in the bottom corner of the bottom field. Everyone apart from Siska spent some of their time with their front paws on the wall looking and sniffing over the wall. I couldn't see a thing, apart from Darla and Wispa in their field. This is where the sheep have been going out, but it's far too high on the other side for them to get in, still I decided to do another very temporary job to see if there is any activity on this section of the wall. So the plastic pipe is wedged down by the huge stones which the sheep have knocked off the wall. There is no way I can lift these back onto the wall so I think in time we need to consider our plan. 

Like I said yesterday, I'm also finding unravelling the fencing at the bottom of the field really hard going, but it has to be done. Unfortunately, some GSD's are a little bit thick ... or maybe just young and inexperienced? But I was surprised that Meerah didn't manage to figure this out for herself!  

Out In The Afternoon

Steve told me this morning to slow down, he can't catch up with me, and he's finding it frustrating. But I can't, in the morning I have always had to work quickly. In the Ozanam Centre I could have up to 90 people waiting on me for their breakfast, speed was essential. It was a similar routine at Freshfields, again about the same amount of cats and kittens waiting for breakfast, a clean toilet and a cuddle. It's just not in my nature to take it slowly when there are hungry faces waiting for me. 

After a damp, drizzly but warm morning we all had some time out this afternoon. I much prefer to walk in the mornings, I still find I have much less energy in the afternoon. I dread the shorter days, but my routine will soon change to give everyone as much time as possible. 

There's a chance of getting the van back on the road on Monday - here's hoping eh! I miss it so much. We have a very young calf about, he looks only a few days old, that makes me more wary than every of walking the mountain, especially with all the "Aunties" looking after him. Busy body Beti noticed him of course!!!

No sheep today and I'm gradually pulling up the wire from around the trees, I'm finding it really heavy work so being careful how much I do a day. There is enough wire to secure the bottom wall, I hope, and then we'll give it a couple of weeks before closing the exit!