Yes, Yippee, the rain stopped, but at 3 o'clock, so not enough time to get to the lake to meet up with Maddie. I hope she and her family didn't get too wet in all this weather. We jumped in the car and went to our local pet store for a new squeaky toy for Mirabelle and a new waterproof coat for Nelly. These photo's were taken on the short drive home, it just goes to show that barbets don't care what they are wearing, if they want to get wet, they will.
It has been raining non-stop since yesterday. My plans for today were to meet up with Maddie and let Mirabelle go for a swim, mmmm, I think she could swim outside my front door never mind going to the lake. So time for coffee and try to convince myself that it is not madness to go out for a swim in weather like this!
The rain has been persistent today, not a break in the gray cloud, so no chores in the garden today, even the chickens didn't want to come out. So we hot footed it down into town.
We ended up in Marylebone, at a wonderful Saturday Market held in a churchyard, just round the corner from Harley street and Baker Street (Sherlock Holmes). As we walked through the ornate gates, we were asked if we wanted to enter their little dog shows that they had planned in the afternoon. Oh dear, these were all the local Westminster and Islington ladies, with their small city pooches, dressed up in fancy coats, or carried in little bags, Odo was a giant in comparison! But . . . . on his best behaviour, he went into the ring, OK, it was a small circle of very muddy and slippery grass, with one large old tree in the middle where the judge managed to shelter from the rain. The judge was a TV personality, and boy did he like Odo, who came first Yay, a big red rosette for him. Next up, best puppy, would Mirabelle be up to the task? Well, she strutt her stuff, stopped for a poo halfway round, then struck a pose, and she came second, behind a very worthy winner, and a lovely blue rosette for her. There were many stalls selling handmade dog paraphernalia, so I promised to give some of them a mention, and very many beautiful cake and sweet stalls, definately worth a visit for anyone coming to London, especially as it is just a short trot up the road from the Eurostar Terminus at St. Pancras. So, a great day out for Dad and Daughter again, really good to see Mirabelle strutting down the streets of Central London with not a care in the world, and not being bothered by any of the sights or sounds, and we do forgive her for relieving herself in the churchyard. A few links from today, all the people on the stalls were soaked through and cold by the end of the afternoon, so they deserve a mention. http://www.cabbagesandfrocks.co.uk/index.html (market) http://www.petographer.co.uk (pet portraits) http://hollyandlil.co.uk (bling bling collars) http://www.scrufts.co.uk (stylish hand made collars and leads) http://www.barkerandwalker.com (presents for you and your dog) Well, as you all know (or not if you haven't been kept up to date), The Kennel Club has had 2 meetings regarding the application for recognition of breed, the first on the 3rd April, then the second on the 17th. I just thought you would all like to be updated with what is happening, as nothing has been published about it anywhere.
They (The Kennel Club) are concerned that the breed base and ownership in the UK is narrow (as if we didn't know that already), also they need detail of the breeds the barbet has been outcrossed with in the past, and whether any attempt is being made to form a breed club!!!!!!!!! So, another meeting will take place later in the year, but as they originally wanted at least 20 unrelated dogs, and we don't fill this criteria yet, I'm not sure what will swing it. But at least we know they are doing their job thoroughly. Lovely afternoon here today, the rain finally stopped after nearly a week of heavy rain, and we had blue skies and white fluffy clouds, perfect for Dads to go out for a walk with their Daughters. Had some really good news this week, but I'm not allowed to say.
However, check back in a little while and all will be revealed In the meantime, I'm twiddling my thumbs just dying to write something. I couldn't be happier with the progress of Odo and Nelly's pups.
. I've just been told that little Maddie has spent 5 days in the company of 52 Newfoundlands, I'm sure she thinks she will grow to be one of them. She also passed her first obedience test. click on the link to see the company she keeps, scroll through the photos and you will see her http://theworkingnewfoundlandclub.co.uk/launchweekend.html I really must try to learn to speak French. I can read it vaguely, but it just one of those languages that I can never quite grasp. How strange, there are only 23 miles of water between our two countries, I can be in Paris in 3 hours by train, but our schools in my day taught Spanish and German, with the option of Russian or Latin in later years! So, when I have to communicate with anyone in France, I just have to pray that they speak and understand English. Fortunately so far, I've not met with any problems.
I know several of you have been asking how long it will be before Mirabelle goes swimming, but I can't believe that 845 people looked for this info on my blog one day last week! anyway, so as to not let anyone down, she finally entered the water of her own volition, and had a little swim. Well done Mirabelle.
She also chased a couple of geese, who had been chatting to her on the jetty. Well they popped themselves into the water when she got too close for comfort, and she too popped into the water after them, so we do have the possibility of our own Dock Diving Barbet here. Hope you all had a peaceful and happy Easter. |