Tai's Milestone

It's been a funny ol' winter so far. It started off pretty wet (a bit of a relief after the drought) but it has been really mild and dry since. This is GOOD as I am bringing Spyke back into work and it is so great to be able to ride in the paddock.

Tai turned 32 last week!!! Here are some pics of him with his 'birthday cupcakes' (which he LOVED, bless him)

He's doing so well the ol' bugger. :-) He still bosses Spyke around in the paddock, although he HAS dropped down in the dinner time rankings bless him. Nearly everyone will steal his dinner given the chance so he gets to come out of the paddock for his dinner.

There's not much happening at the moment (this is a GOOD thing). Brina had a wee lump removed from her eyelid last week. The anesthetic knocked her about a bit but she is getting back to normal, although her arthritis is giving her a bit of gyp at the moment too. Poor little sausage. We are off to the Pet Expo in Hamilton this weekend to represent the BMD club (have suggested that Brina should possibly be a static display LOL). In light of the Expo I have discovered a whole new love (quite a sad one really) CUPCAKES!!!!! I am so enjoying making them!!! I am going to take some BMD cupcakes to the Expo. Here is the prototype:

I have made a decision re Spyke this year. I have decided that we are not going to compete this year. Since we have to work on a very limited budget, I am going to spend the money on lessons this year so that next year we will be able to get back competing and hopefully actually BE competitive. I have my first two clinics lined up. One with a top show hunter judge and one with a top instructor who has a bit of a reputation for being pretty scary so I'm not sure how that one is going to go!!!!!

That's about all from my world at the moment. :-)

AWESOME weekend

I have just been on one of the BEST weekends away ever. Last weekend I attended the North Island St Bernard Association Battle of the Giants, an annual fun event for giant breed dogs (Saints, Newfies, Pyrenese, Leonbergers and Bernese).

The event is usually held in summer but this year they decided to go for a winter weekend in the mountain region of the North Island in the hope that we may get snow. It was an inspired decision as the weather DEFINITELY suited the big hairy buggers. When I heard that it was going to be held between Turangi and National Park at the Mangetepopo Camp School I signed up straight away and I am SO glad I did. I did put an order in to Weatherwatch for some snow but they got it muddled and the snow arrived a week early so it was all gone by the time we got there. ;-)

We were so lucky with the weather (apart from the lack of snow). The drive down from Auckland was conducted under bright blue skies through the ever changing scenery of the north island. My first glimpse of the mountain bringing a huge smile to my face (I LOVE mountains).

The venue was fabulous!!! It was a typical set up for school camps with bunk rooms and shared facilities. I was very lucky and was allocated a room in the 'teachers' cottage. This meant a lounge with a tv, a HUGE firebox and a kitchen plus the three bunk rooms. The camp were generous enough to allow us to have the dogs in our rooms which, for me, made a really big difference. The camp was nestled below Mt Ruapehu and Mt Ngaruahoe and the views of the mountains were stunning.

Friday evening was spent walking dogs, meeting and greeting and then crashing into bed. Brina was exhausted from the drive down (it is hard work nailing down that back seat and supervising the driving) and was asleep before I could even get into bed.

(Apparently, that's a really comfy spot)The rooms were lovely and cosy as they all had oil heaters and double glazing so everyone had a really good nights sleep.

Saturday morning dawned bright, clear and COLD!!!! My car thermometer was reading minus 4 at about 8am. After a hearty breakfast there was a very relaxed morning of socialising, a wee grooming demo and 'what to expect' in the show ring opportunity for those who have never previously given it a whirl. A warming lunch was followed by the Match. It was VERY cold at times but it meant that the dogs all were lively and happy and I think everyone had a great time. Brina was a complete star and managed to win the Veteran class. She also (wait for it) won the 'Basic Handling' class (which was basic obedience but we're not allowed to call it that). I know!!!! BRINA????!!!! Bless her little cotton socks. She also managed to get the bernese high points so I was a VERY proud mother. :-)

Saturday evening was prize giving and a quiz night but I confess that I was SO tired after a long day out in the cold (not complaining, I LOVED it) that I was in bed asleep before the quiz started.

Sunday morning was a relaxed start again with hot cooked brekkie. It was followed by carting put on by the bernese club. It was awesome to see all breeds giving it a go and seeing some dogs going from being quite nervous of the cart to a confident, happy carting dog.

After an amazing lunch, BOG 2013 drew to a close and we all headed home with some pretty tired dogs in the car. It was a fabulous weekend, I loved every second of it. The only two things that could have improved it would be SNOW and, more importantly, for Sammie to have been with me. There was a really big hole where she should have been.

SLACKER!!!!!

That's what I am, a slacker. It is so easy to just post what is happening on fb that I am lazy about blogging properly. Hence it has been EIGHT months since my last post. Tsk tsk.

A lot happened in that eight months but I will probably only end up talking about the big stuff as that is what happens when you don't write regularly.

The saddest news is that I lost Sammie 6 weeks ago. On April 13th My beautiful Sammie passed away peacefully in my arms. I think she had some sort of aneurism and passed pain free. It was a dreadful day and a total shock but I really could not have asked for a better way for her to go. I just wish I could have spent another couple of years with her. She was in SUCH good health and was a happy girl. I miss her!!!

Brina is really well and loving being an only dog. :-/ To start with she was very quiet out on walks and didn't really leave my side but now she is back to her normal bouncy self. She is also now an incredibly 'huggy' dog which has helped me HUGELY in the last 6 weeks. I am hoping that she won't be an 'only' dog for too long though. There are plans afoot that I will reveal at a later date.

Spyke and Tai are both still very well. Spyke is now on holiday after a REALLY busy summer (more on that soon). I had planned to keep him going through the winter but I lost a lot of motivation for a few weeks after Sammie died and then winter arrived and it just seemed a bit hard. It won't hurt him at all to have a bit of a break as he worked REALLY hard for me over the last year.

We competed at registered show hunter over the summer. This was a BIG step up from the winter series and, while we didn't cover ourselves with glory, we were not out of place competing at that level. We managed a couple of placings, including a third at the World Cup show in the metre class. We certainly didn't come close to achieving my goal of qualifying for HOY (You need to gain 20 points and we got a grand total of 4 for the season) and I CONSTANTLY beat myself up about not achieving it but, if I am realistic, it was a big hairy audacious goal. It was possible but not likely. I have to keep reminding myself that this time last year I was competing at 60cm classes and was TERRIFIED and now I am competing at a metre (and am even MORE terrified. LOL Those metre high oxers look ENORMOUS as you canter into them). While we are not placing we are not far off it. If I can just ride better and get more consistent we MAY start placing....and I REALLY want to get better!!!!! In a lot of ways we are doing the hard way as I simply can't afford regular lessons so that lessens my opportunities to improve myself. Still, it is all about the journey and Spyke makes the journey really enjoyable. I just wish I could do him the justice he deserves.

I am still baking, I LOVE baking but it is hard as keeping the 18kg that I lost at bay is a constant battle NOT helped by baking. And, of course, now that I am not riding I am also lacking exercise so I have to work REALLY hard at eating less. Not easy when the café in the building makes THE most amazing chocolate croissants!!!!!

The family are all well. I guess the big family news is that Mum and Dad have sold their house that they have lived in for 25 years and have moved to Hawkes Bay. They went down there eight months ago for a wee holiday and never came back. Next month they are moving into a lovely brand new townhouse in a retirement village in Hastings. It is PERFECT for them. :-)

I will finish off now as my toes are starting to freeze here in the spare room. Here are a few pics from the last little while. Many of them in honour of my beautiful NZ Champion Sam I Am of Estcarp, My beautiful Sammie Sue.

 

 

 

 

And Finally, Spyke over a metre.