Workshops galore!

Its currently raining so rather than working I thought I'd update my blog. Got home today to a parcel in the post with goodies in from my Mum, thanks Mum! 😘

On Thursday I took the younger two to a workshop with Dan and had a great time on a tricky course! Here is the course plan, not sure you will be able to read the numbers without zooming in but it was fun to run. Spark and I did it in bits and then tried the whole course together. Bru did all of it in bits except the weaves (super hard entry and exit!) I was absolutely thrilled with Spark for not going in the tunnel at all instead of the weaves! Dan also had us layer the long jump with the tunnel and get a blind cross in between 23 and 24 which was hard with a running dog walk!!

Here is Spark attempting the whole course, sadly she slipped in the weaves so I had to put her back in and I was late to cue the tunnel at 19 (my fault as Spark needs very early commands!) You can see Dan chasing me to get the blind in between 23 and 24 😂

And here is a couple of videos of Bru working. This is the first section

The middle bit up to the weave entry

And the end bit with the dog walk!

Its cute that they all fit in the same crate 😍

Brooke Bean and Bru did a workshop on Friday on push rounds, they are a bit of a weakness for both dogs when doing them at a distance so it was perfect to concentrate on them. They were both absolutely fantastic and Brooke in particular was very independent! 

This is Brooke working in slow motion, it shows how well she did the jump behind the tunnel without me helping much at all.

 On Friday night we went for a walk into the village and picked some blackberries for a crumble. The photo doesn't show how many there were!

We also picked the most enormous runner bean...pint glass for scale!!

On Saturday morning it was my turn to teach workshops rather than participate in them! I asked the girls if they wanted to come and help and this was the reaction...!

Whereas this little dude was very happy to come and help like usual!

My new phone makes me laugh as it identifies what you are taking a photo of and its convinced that the dogs are sometimes a 'kitty' 😂😂

In other news we have a new dog walk for the field and it is lovely! 

Agility course running fun!

We had a wonderful time last weekend doing some course running in the sunshine! There were a couple of courses set up and we had different goals for the three dogs. With Spark I wanted to go and run the course straight off like I was at a show. She was a good girly and only got faults in the weaves as I got stuck behind her!





With Bru it was about contacts and weaves in new places. We can't fault his confidence...he threw himself over the dog walk in four strides the first time and still hit the contacts!!



I am tempted not to mention Brooke haha! She was so excited and seemed to think she was at a show! She usually will choice a contact over a tunnel anytime but not that day..little minx!



And the cutest thing was that I had Brodie out to watch the others and Dawn said he could do a couple of tunnels...he loved it!



Here are some photos from the last week. We walked into town and had fish and chips on the Saturday lunchtime and the doglets loved scrounging for food!

Brodie is doing really well after he got sorted by Sally physio, he is standing so much better and moving so well. I think he is so handsome 😍💙

My two at the course showing their very different behaviour around agility...Spark wants to watch the action

Whereas Brodie just barks at me!

We had found some blackberries in the village on our walk so crumble for dinner!

We have also had some lovely warm evening walks this week

On Wednesday evening Matts football team Luton Town were playing to stay in the championship and they needed a win to not get relegated. Luckily they won but Bru was very worried about his Daddy's stress levels!! 

Whereas Spark enjoyed watching the game!!

Spotted this very unusual ladybird!

Our tomatoes are finally ripening!

Brackens rose is still flowering and looking lovely!

And our first wonky carrot!

Stowe visit

We heard this week that masks are becoming mandatory in shops from next friday and there will be a £100 fine for people who don't comply. I agree that it is a sensible idea, there was sadly 136 deaths yesterday over a 24 hour period so we are far from out of this pandemic. To be honest I have avoided shops on the whole and done pay at pump when getting petrol as I don't want to be around people too much!

At the end of last week Matt and I had a couple of training sessions and a walk at Stowe as we needed a change of scene and some time to oursleves. It was lovely to have a wander round the gardens and we hardly scratched the surface but hopefully we will go back soon!

Bru had ripped a dew claw at training so he didn't get to walk!

I got a new phone and have been trying to play around with the camera a bit, love a Bean nose pic!

Tired little Rupert!

Tired Spark taking up the whole sofa! 

Pimms with home grown strawberries and mint!

I love these frilly petunias! 

Had a lovely late walk yesterday, it was so peaceful!

I brought this plant from the garden centre, its called a Celosia (I think!) my friend thinks it looks like Stickle bricks so she has been named Stella stickelbricks!

My handsome little boy! He has been fixed by Sally physio and enjoyed his first hoopers session yesterday!

And first courgette cake of the year! 

Lockdown Day...no clue!!

I know we are now past a hundred and something days since Lockdown started, at the weekend the pubs and cafes were allowed to open on what Boris called 'Super Saturday' I'm sure the poor couple who moved in to the bungalow next to the social club fields didn't agree that it was very super when they had drunk people fighting at 1am outside! I fear there may be more restrictions in place at some stage as people can't seem to control themselves and I have noticed even with my clients that there is a much more relaxed attitude to handling stuff and standing close to me. I'm not too bothered mostly but I am aware that I don't want to be too 'peopley'! I have struggled a bit with lack of me time recently which sounds a bit selfish but after weeks of it just being me and Matt with the dogs (I count time with Matt as me time as we can really chill out) it is hard to be sociable sometimes. I realise how much I need weekends as down time to switch off. Its funny how lockdown has made a lot of people learn things about themselves, it was such a strange situation to be in! I am loving being back at work but miss my time in the garden and exploring walks.

Our tomato plant is now a giant!! You can't tell but its about 7ft tall!

Goofy Sparkle!

I absolutely love the Hydrangeas round the village, the colours are so pretty!

Talking of work I ran my show over the last couple of weeks and this week I have been handling rosettes out. I am so very proud of everyone who took part and had a go! Some amazing young baby dogs doing their first ever courses right through to older dogs who are nearing retirement and won't ever compete again. I got to do some course running of my own on Monday as I entered Brooke into the series 2 of the Lucky 13's online competition. She hasn't done one yet and when my friend Helen said she had the courses set up, I went and taught her and ran Brooke. Here are her two runs! She was a good little Bean 💚