Rooney

I hope L isn’t asleep at her desk because I am. Although her hip, which she says is very painful, is probably keeping her awake. The weather seems to have perked up so Monday night dog training is on.

Tuesday sees Wayne Rooney in Derby to sign a deal to become a player-coach at the club. This seems totally insane and makes a mockery of our youth policy. I also hate to think what it is costing but the club says it isn't costing anything because the sponsors are paying. I’m not sure that’s allowed... Oh and he's not even coming until January. At least he might actually be able to get in to our team unlike Ashley Cole last season.

The weather allows me to get in two days cycling in this week on Wednesday and Thursday. While the rain even stays away for tennis on Thursday. Where it is strange not to have to dry the court out before we play.

We now have a new improved taller dog gate installed at home and, so far, no-one's jumped it. The dog trouble comes on the morning walk instead. I thought the Lad had expired after he hung himself with his halti having a fit at another dog. He suddenly stopped having said fit at said dog and seemed to stop breathing. It took him a while to recover but he’s fine now and he hasn’t learnt from the experience.

L has personal training at 8am on Friday, so I am asked to kick her out of bed nice and early. This involves moving the Lad first before I can find her, as he has taken to sleeping between us. I just hope her hip, ankle and elbow are up to it. She says she’s ready for a nice, quiet, relaxing holiday. Ah. No camping, no dogs and no me then.

Her PT hunk has her boxing which she loves. So I will have to watch my step.

To keep her sweet I invest some money in making our holiday fit the bill of ‘nice, quiet and relaxing’. No, not a hotel. I buy a new double roll up mat to sleep on, which the dogs will love, a new light for the tent and a new gas stove because the old one keeps wobbling over. L keeps using this as an excuse to set fire to the tent.  

I had offered her a campervan but even L’s gone off that idea after seeing all the Scottish flood scenes on TV and she's had visions of it bobbing away down a torrential river with us in it.

(Friday 9^th August)

A Royal Baby?

Apparently Kate Middleton is pregnant. I don't know how they’ve kept that quiet but the secrets out now and this weekend The Sunday Times are going to publish ‘A Prince is Born: Royal Baby Souvenir Issue’, a 16-page collectors' edition. I suppose if Wayne Rooney’s life can warrant multiple biographies then I’m sure an unborn baby is entitled to 16 pages.

I take delivery at work of the trophies for this weekend's dog show. All eleven rather heavy boxes of them. I manage to get them all in the car but the boot might be scraping along the floor as I drive home.

After making it home and unloading the car, I head off to training with the boys. Which takes place in rather hot and sticky conditions with towards the end constant rumblings of thunder overhead.

As we drive home, the thunder starts to be accompanied with a rather impressive light show. Doggo is already getting worried and even more so when, just before we get home, the monsoon arrives, leaving us marooned in the car on the drive for a while before I decide to leg it inside.

Unfortunately Doggo decides there’s no way he’s legging it anywhere in such weather and refuses point blank to move, leaving me remonstrating with him and getting wetter and wetter at the same time. Eventually, after a good shove, he’s out and legging it to the front door as well.

(Monday 22^nd July)