Wall To Wall Tudors

I had forgotten that I was supposed to be shopping yesterday after I’d picked the car up from the garage, hence I have no breakfast this morning.

I then forgot that I hadn’t shopped yesterday and forget to go in my lunch hour today. I do finally go after work on my way to my parents' place, there is another match tonight. Derby are at home to Preston.

Back in the day games seemed to be largely alternate, one at home then one away. These days it always seems to be two at home then two away and that's really annoying. It means like this week you get two games in four days and then the next game will be 9^th September, over three weeks away.

L is at Broadway tonight where the author Philippa Gregory is doing a gig. I’m assured it’s wall to wall Tudors and G&T. That makes it sound a bit like a fancy dress party and I assume you have to buy your own G&T.

(Tuesday 15^th August)

No Hunger

Today is the first of two days for MD and I (with Doggo in a supporting role) at the massive Nottingham dog show at the Newark Showground.

It doesn’t start well as we get eliminated on the second jump of our very first course doing a ‘go behind’ which MD normally does for breakfast. Perhaps that was my mistake, giving him breakfast before we left home. No hunger.

We continue on with the course until he gets totally flummoxed by the fact there are only nine weave poles. Back in the day, Doggo’s day, nine weave poles was dead common. Perhaps one course every day in the higher grades. These days it’s always just six or twelve poles. I don’t think MD has ever faced nine poles and he is now in his seventh year of competing, although he is less than a year into Grade 5. 

The problem with nine weaves is that the dog comes out at the end facing right not left. MD cannot get it but we redo it and redo it until he does, which takes ages. So after that we then abort the rest of the course to not waste any more of the judge’s time and before testing our contacts before tomorrow’s team run. Which was the whole point of coming today.

The thing is, he then shows me he didn’t need the practice and goes clear on the next course including all his contacts. The only problem is we'll now have to wait until the rest of the 193 dogs have run to see where we’ll finish. 

Then he goes clear again on the jumping course, so yay, two out of three's not bad. There’s 'only' 150 in this one but it's still another long wait and we end up with two rosettes for 11^th in each.

We stay in later to ensure a clear head for the team event tomorrow. Not necessarily for the competing aspect as for the management of the four teams I’m responsible for.

(Saturday 28^th May)

A Cheeky One

L picks me up from work at 1.30 as I have the afternoon off for the unhappy occasion of the funeral of L's mother's sister at Bretby Crematorium. Which is somewhere near Burton.

After the service a few nibbles are served locally at a place that seems to specialise in post-funeral entertainment and not much else. It certainly doesn’t have any beer which is probably no bad thing. We save ourselves for later on both the beer and food fronts, forsaking the buffet in favour of the traditional Friday Thai Curry.

Later arrives earlier than expected on the beer front as we nip for a cheeky pint of Damson Porter at the Devonshire Arms. As we’re in Burton, it would be rude not to. It is also my first chance to try a half of the new Draught Burton Ale. This was a beer that was one of the few real ales around locally when I started drinking but it was axed recently by its current owners Carlsberg.

This is not an official version but a new version brewed by the Burton Bridge Brewery, who should know what they are doing because two of their directors were involved in the development of the original brew at Ind Coope back in the day. You what, it’s not bad at all.

Then it's a post funeral Friday night, I'm not sure if that's the done thing or not.

(Friday 15^th May)

Christmas Races

The debate on Christmas races goes along the lines of a choice between races that offer a Christmas pudding that we may never get around to eating or ones that offer a holly laden red t-shirt that will probably never get worn. It’s a tough decision but simpler for me this year as I’m still too crocked to run.

It’s a t-shirt this time and the Bolsover 10k that drags me out of bed on another Sunday morning. We are told to park in the town centre and walk up to Bolsover School for the start. They do have bacon rolls though but L has to hold the boys who are banned from the grounds of the school where they have put both the race HQ and the butty van.

Then the  race start almost collides with several cars as the police completely fail to close the road. It’s a close shave but they get away with it.

The t-shirt is, as expected, red.

Afterwards we head across country to Darley Dale and DFS’s bed shop. They don’t have that much on display but they do have the one I’ve seen on the internet. Luckily L likes it too. I’d hate to have to coerce her to come to bed with me.

Whether Doggo will like it or not, I’m not sure. Not only will he have to climb the stairs to our new bedroom but the new bed has a foot board. It will be like jumping hurdles, which obviously he used to be very good at, back in the day.

We order it and some bedroom furniture. We’ve even ordered a new mattress. L has complained that the old one is to blame for her bad knee. So best to get that sorted then.

We spend the evening in the Horse and Jockey.

(Sunday 14^th December)

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)