Under Orders

I head out early, leaving L to a solo lie-in. Today we have another Crufts Team qualifier that is unnecessary for us as we qualified at the last heat. Three of the four team members are here so we can at least have a bit of a practice.

The good news is that after aborting his parkrun yesterday, MD is showing no sign of any injury. So perhaps it was just his age... or perhaps he was cleverly saving himself for today.

We go clear in Jumping which is a good start but then we’re not clear in our two Agility runs. Which doesn’t bode well for the team run as that is Agility too and that is all we have left to do.

The team run is not a spectacular run by any means. Our stand-in team member is eliminated, which doesn’t really matter, while the rest of us amass 15 faults which is actually better than when we qualified but it’s a much easier course today.

I drop in at Aston on way home to see my folks then pick up ice creams on the way home under orders from L.

(Sunday 16^th July)

Present And Correct

We arrive at the dog show at Southwell, go more or less straight into the ring and go clear first run. Perhaps MD was just so relieved he wasn’t at another parkrun that he actually concentrated.

It was in Agility as well, all contacts and weaves present and correct. So, not a bad start and we actually finish in second place. It had looked for a long time like we might actually win an elusive agility class but then some professional turned up, won by three seconds and put us all in our places.

L says it's still silver medal position and as good as Froome will get in the Vuelta. Well, yes and he’ll be as p***** off as us when they interview him this evening. He has my sympathy.

L does a 50 minute run herself, says she's feeling really smug with herself and is ready to crawl back into bed. Well, I guess I might as well head home and join her as it can’t get any better here. How are we going to top that first run?

We don’t.

We do three more runs before 11am, it's not often that happens but he forgets both his contacts and his weaves in two of them. He even has a few poles down for good measure. He goes clear in the Helter Skelter but that's doesn’t count, it's a 'fun' class whatever that means.

We have one more run to do and we might even get that in before lunch. L suggests I whisper ‘parkrun’ in his ear and he’ll be off like a rocket. It doesn't work, he just looks terrified.

We head home to a girl bearing ice cream. Later L and I spend the evening in the Horse & Jockey at Stapleford.

(Sunday 11^th September)

Bad Girl Instincts

The old back injury, that I didn't know I had, flares up overnight. Yes I did something when pulling up the tent pegs back in May but it's been fine since. I was just lying in bed. Yes, just lying there.

L nurses me back to health, forces paracetamol down me and applies a hot water bottle to the affected area. She would make a good nurse, if only she had the outfit.

I recover enough to head off to work but decide it's perhaps best to skip my planned run tonight.

L checks regularly on my condition via email and utters sweet nothings such as ‘take two paracetamol every four hours’. Hmmm. Do I look like a druggie?

She even makes rice pudding in the evening, which at first I think is to be used as a soothing poultice on my injured back but is actually served in a bowl with ice cream. Any excuse to get ice cream into the house. I do try to quell her bad girl instincts but it’s all in vain.

(Friday 8^th November)

Mentally Scarred

It’s a pleasant day today so I try to remember how to ride my bike and cycle into work.

As I head back in the opposite direction later, L is heading up to Sheffield to do the panto with Daughter. L’s a bit of a panto fiend. I was mentally scarred by one when I was a child and have never recovered, so tend to stay well clear.

Two very large Pinots, and no food, later she seems to be having a great time. When they start on the interval ice creams, I can see extra burpees are going to be required tomorrow.

Once over she then needs to leg it to the train station to get the 10pm train, in heels. I offer to collect her on route from Derby, which is actually going to be easier than trying to find a way into the dug up and one way hell that is Nottingham station.

(Tuesday 18th December)