I have to say that despite all, I thoroughly enjoyed Crufts this year. I sat with Nicky and Erin Logie throughout the Munsterlander judging, and Nicky and I put the world to rights and were amazed at how similar our views were on the dogs entered. It was nice to see Ghillie's brother over from Belgium win the post grad dog class and his mum win the special working gundog bitch class. Erin did a magnificent job of handling Mo's Poppy; she is an absolute star and a teenager to boot, having attained the scarey age of 13 last Sunday.
I felt it was a shame that the winning line-ups of dogs were pulled out and presented to the least well populated side of the ring so that the handlers had their backs towards the majority of the spectators. Not only were most of us deprived of seeing the dogs in the line-ups, but we were also unable to take any photos had we wished to do so. I don't know whether it was decided by the Kennel Club or the ring stewards that the dogs should all stand in numerical order of entry and be so close to each other that it caused added problems for some handlers to stand and present their dogs to the best of their ability.
I actually managed to see some of the obedience this year, both the inter-regionals and some of the bitch championships. I think it's such a shame that the television programmes show nothing of the obedience. I know it can be a bit like dressage in horses and only really appeals to those with a deep understanding of the sport, but what about showing something of the YKC or the good citizen obedience or even the World Cup which is more visually interesting with its hurdle and retrieve and directional retrieve.
I was glued to the telly for the BIS on Sunday. I thought it was a really fabulous line-up of group winners and I believe that for once they were all British although the Fox Terrier is heading for Brazil. Even during the gundog group judging, when just lying down, that wonderful flatcoat's tail was wagging non-stop. When he moved on Sunday night he was magnificent and I have never seen such a gleam on a dogs coat. I think that was a sight I will never forget and I was ecstatic when he won.
I left Crufts at lunchtime on Friday. Spurred home by dire weather forecasts of heavy snow, I did the trip in four and a half hours, I think my best run-through ever, and that included a hold-up because of an accident and a blizzard over Shap. I am now waiting with baited breath for speeding tickets to drop on the front door mat!!
To say Ghillie went ballistic when I arrived home does not even begin to describe my reception. Frank had been an absolute star coping on his own. I think Frank, Ghillie, Flyn and myself were all glad to be together again. It might have only been two days but I think the dislike of separation is mutual between all of us. Ghillie has been a bit loose again which I think was due to stress as much as anything else. He certainly showed no ill effects on Saturday morning when he disappeared after deer, screaming his head off and, totally oblivious to my whistle. He has been under very firm control since, just reminding him that I am home and am 'she who must be obeyed'.
This has really been a birding year so far. Frank's incapacity with his broken leg has meant days out with scopes and binoculars so he can sit and bird watch while I walk the dogs. By far the most exciting spots have come from our back garden. Considering that half the garden is given over to a little used kennel and a garage overflowing with junk, it is amazing the variety of birds that arrive at our feeders on a regular basis. I guess the garden area is only about 25 ft x 25 ft, but blackbirds nest every year in our back hedge and bluetits produce a brood every year in our nestbox on the side fence. Greenfinches used to be regular visitors but we hadn't seen them for some years so, I was delighted when I saw one arrive on the feeders a few weeks ago. This prompted me to rush out and buy some niger seed, which I know finches are partial to, and some new feeders. Within hours siskins arrived en masse along with several chaffinches. It was then that I noticed a flash of red and grabbing the binoculars was amazed to see that there were red polls as well. We had only ever seen red polls once before and never in the garden. Gold finches are now back on the feeders in force after an absence of a couple of years. Sadly I haven't seen the greenfich again, but maybe he comes when I am not looking. We have a full array of tits including my favourite longtails who arrive in a pack in both the front and the back garden. The other day, a sparrowhawk was sitting on top of the bird table and on Sunday morning a great spotted woodpecker was happily munching peanuts. In the front garden, dunnocks and robins are nesting in the woodpiles left when the trees were heavily pruned a few months ago, we are now stuck with the wood until later in the year!! I think we are incredibly lucky to have such a wide variety of birds so close to hand; trouble is, I am starting to think they are costing me more to feed than the dogs!!
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| Longtail tits on feeder before tree was pruned |
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