Should I Resign Now?

I’m in Newark and L’s in Burton. She’s running the Burton 10 mile road race and also running the gauntlet of public transport on a Sunday to get there. I’m in Newark at a dog show for a qualifier for the Crufts Team Event. I’m now team manager. No one else wanted it if I’m honest but at least I’ve raised two teams which is one better than last year. I also have a dog in each team. Team manager’s prerogative.

It’s raining in Burton but it’s not here in Newark. Although windy, yet again. Most of the hurdles have to nailed to the ground to stop them blowing over. Our B squad is a work in progress, one for the future as they say, our development squad. 270 faults... not sure how we managed that. An elimination is 100 faults and we had two of those but I’m not sure how the other two dogs clocked up the other 70. Particularly as I’m sure MD, who had a good run, only got 10 of them.

The A team does better - 210 faults. Should I resign now? Again two eliminations and the other two dogs got 5 each. That includes Doggo who missed out the first jump. He then he goes on to miss out the last jump in the Olympia qualifier. After which he did look knackered, perhaps retirement might be on the horizon again or perhaps he was still feeling Fridays football session. Then I make a real hash of his jumping course.

MD though continues to do well. Despite starting before he was told to and before I was ready, he records a clear on the grade 3-5 jumping course. Real skin of the teeth stuff but as he’s a lowly grade 3 on a course designed for up to grade 5 that’s a good performance but we don’t get a rosette for it. Then he unluckily has one jump down in his agility, again on a 3-5. Then just in case we start getting complacent, he demolishes his last course.

Meanwhile L goes two and half minutes quicker than at Holme Pierrepont last week. A good run then and she gets another t-shirt, as well as a mars bar. Hope she’s saved me the mars bar. Then she heads back from Burton sober, now there’s a first.

Today is Son’s 20th birthday, so we rifle through all his birthday cards, remove all the money and head into town for a wild night out. Well after I’ve transferred a sum of equal amount direct into his bank account. Our mini tour of town takes in the Keans Head, the Cock and Hoop, and the Cross Keys.

(Sunday 29th May)