Encamped

Since Thursday I’ve been encamped at Catton Hall for my club’s annual dog show and generally it’s gone rather well, at least on the organisational front. I did have a major disaster when our main sponsor didn’t show up. I rang their head office to find out what was happening and they told me the person had left the company two weeks ago, clearly without telling them she was due at our show to hand out 24 bags of dog feed in prizes. The company came up trumps though and couriered the feed to us by 8am the next day. Bravo.

We also had a Special General Meeting on the Saturday night when a step up in status for the club was debated and defeated, for now. I won’t bore you with the reasons for both this proposal and for the result. This one will run and run. It has actually already been running for a while but still has good legs to continue running I think.

Oh and our club Chairperson may have quit but I’m not too sure.

Performance wise there was only one clear from MD over three days and that came in the team event where the team as a whole weren’t clear. It is however hard to concentrate on competing with your own dog when you’re also running the show, especially when your dog is as wayward as mine.

It was however two clear rounds out of two for Doggo. Unfortunately he didn’t get his third run on the last day as we had to leave early to go to a wedding reception. At least that got me out of packing up.

That was at Risley Hall, just a short bus ride from home. It was a pleasant evening and got us a night back in our own bed after spending the last two in the tent.

Tomorrow thought its back on the road as we head up first to the Commonwealth Games before heading to the island of Islay and other such remote places. We’ve stocked Daughter up on Mugshots, so all should be well at home.

(Sunday 27^th July)

A Kennel In The Gorbals

I’ve finally got kennels in Scotland booked for the boys so that we can abandon them and spend a day at the Commonwealth Games. It was about the 15th establishment that I'd called. Honestly you’d think it was the holiday season or something.

L rather uncharitably asks whether it's on Benbecula or somewhere equally remote. Actually it’s in Clydebank aka the Gorbals, which is about as desolate. There'll be so much to bark at, they'll sleep the rest of the week.

L drives up to Sheffield tonight to bring home Daughter. Peace about to be end-eth. 

(Tuesday 1^st July)

Dogs On CCTV

I ring up the insurers and order L’s new bike. They tell me it’ll be delivered on Wednesday, blimey they don’t mess about. I must saying I’m impressed by the whole thing.

A while ago I bought a CCTV camera to see what the dogs are up to whilst we are out at work and especially to see how Doggo gets over the stair gate, although he hasn’t done this for a while. This is probably why I’ve not rushed to set it up but it’s working now. Although for convenience it’s currently trained on the kitchen, where there is no sign of either dog. So I assume they’re both in the hall, trying to work out how to open the stair gate.

Allocations for tickets for the Commonwealth Games are announced and we get some athletics tickets. That’s a 50% success rate, much better than the initial 0% success rate for London 2012.

Apparently Steve McClaren, or should I say Dutch legend Schteve McClaren, will be the new Derby manager. I don’t really mind who we get but would be very happy with McClaren. He has unfinished business at Derby. He’s not only a former player but was also assistant to Jim Smith back in the day and was being groomed as his successor before Manchester United poached him off us.

Dog training tonight, where it’s a bit cold up on the hill tonight. Winter approaches I guess.

(Monday 30^th September)

Good To Be Back

I arrive back at work to be greeted by the expected mass of emails. However once I’d removed about 500 junk ones, the email pile wasn’t too deep unless that I removed some vital ones with the junk by mistake...

Of the remainder, most are ones that have been shovelled on to me by other people in the company. I shovel most of them back from whence they came as delicately as I can.

Commonwealth Games tickets have gone on sale while we were away, so today I put in for a few sessions of athletics. I think with these you don’t want to put in for too many sessions because unlike the Olympics there’s a chance you might actually get them and end up with a very large bill.

Another thing I’ve missed while we’ve been away is registration for the Outlaw Half Ironman, my supposed project for next year. An email went out last week about pre-registering and although I received it on my phone because it was in disguise as one of their usual circulars I didn’t open it.

This was a big mistake because entries opened this morning but only to people who had pre-registered. Entries for everyone else open at 9am tomorrow, if they’re any left. Perhaps they’re trying to tell me something... not that I’ve actually been rejected yet.

In the evening I go with my father to watch Derby play Brentford in the second round of the League Cup. Derby win 5-0 and were very impressive, even though Brentford rested their entire first team and turned up with a reserve side. Still, you can only beat what’s in front of you.

(Tuesday 27^th August)