December 18 2008: Frigid Temps...in Canada
Not much to report from this part of the planet. Kelvin is just back from a short trip to Canada. He managed to find some time to head off to Scott and Jenny Glen's place and saw Tui, River and Tuque working (all part of our team this time last year, but now living in the US). All are coming along just fine and are at various stages of training. Scott is doing a mighty fine job with them all, as expected. Kelvin thoroughly enjoyed Scott and Jenny's humour and will forever be in Jenny's debt for she told him how he had put on weight and how good he looked! For those who don't know, Scott is the best darned handler and trainer in Canada, and he's won all the big trials in the US too. Nice to see a Canadian stealing American hardware. (OK, Jenny is an American and now Canadian too). We digress....On the way back from Scott and Jenny's place, Kelvin and Ann, our super friend (who owns a litter sister to Tuque - no she is not a sheep dog, although she did have a go while at Scott and Jenny's - we won't mention the outcome!) hit a huge snow storm...a usual 3 hour journey home took 7 hours!!! That's Calgary for you!
Kelvin caught up with many friends, even shocking some with a surprise appearance at the Annual 'Dog Team' Christmas Beer and Pizza run. This is our group of running friends in Calgary that meet periodically for a run followed by a meal, usually pizza, at a restaurant close to our old University. This group refers to us as 'the two who jumped ship and now run their own Dog Team albeit a sheep dog team.' How we miss this super group of enthusiastic runners, and friends.
Kelvin spent much of his time by the bedside of George - his friend, mentor, and masters and PhD supervisor who is very ill. Thankfully George rallied a little and they could share some laughs and old times. When we first started out with our dogs on our farm in Canada, George would visit us and out into the field we would go. We'd drag a chair out with us for George to sit on and them 'show off' the dogs to George. He loved it -and thankfully he had no idea that we knew absolutely nothing about training or working with border collies. If he did know, he never let on and wouldn't have cared anyway. He just loved seeing the dogs, and visiting us on the farm. When the dogs came off the sheep and put their heads in George's lap, George's smile could have been seen around the world. Those are the moments in life that one treasures to the end.
It was -30 degrees C when Kelvin left Calgary. The plane was 2 hours late leaving as the nozzle on the de-icing truck froze, then some instruments froze...in other words, it was COLD! Wales has been positively balmy in comparison.
Not much news on the trialling front. Went to the South Wales Nursery final and had a bad day. Not a good day to have a bad day but you have to take the good with the bad - and be a good sport about it. Mike and Chip had a good day and made the All Wales Nursery final. They did not go to the final as Chip had been sold and with the weather getting colder in North America, he was shipped out before the final. Mike and Chip are firm winners of the Brynberllan Challenge...Ace and Angie concede! Perhaps it is right for the owners of Brynberllan to take that honour. Oh imagine Mike's shame if a beginner, a foreigner, and a 'girl' with an 18 month old bitch had beaten an 'old-timer' (ha ha), a Welshman, on his home turf, and a dog a year older than Ace.
Christmas is around the corner and once again we have decided that rather than send Christmas cards etc, we will make a charitable donation on behalf of our friends, family and acquaintances. As Tiny Tim said "God bless us, everyone."
Feathering the turkeys is coming up soon... |
