September 4, 2009: "The best day of my life."
Kelvin started school this week. Teaching school, that is. He has a class of 31 children, aged 7 and 8, in Swansea. Yes, 31 kids! I don't know about you, but that's 31 more than I could cope with. His first day was yesterday. Only once did Kelvin betray the fact that he still has dogs on his brain when he told one of his kids to go to the book corner and "Lie Down." The two teacher's aids raised their eyebrows but the kid did as he was told. Next thing you know, Kelvin will be telling his dogs to go sit in the book corner and his kids to walk on. Later in the day, one of his kids looked up at Kelvin with his cherubic little face and said "This is the best day of my life." This little boy, and 30 others, are ecstatic at having a male teacher. At least one girl in another class is not so thrilled...she apparently would not leave the hallway when told...until Kelvin told her she had to and NOW! Action was rapid.

Now with Kelvin at school, I took the opportunity to play with all the tools Kelvin doesn't like me playing with. Out came the chainsaw. We have a huge branch that snapped off a tree in one of our training fields so my mission was to start to clean that up. Of course the chainsaw wouldn't start! Just as I was about to curse and swear at the darned thing, a neighbour arrived and got it started for me. Yes, I got the lecture about chainsaws being dangerous (for girls, that is) - blah, blah, blah. Uh, it's MY chainsaw. Off I went down into the field and was back within half an hour. Out of petrol. Still, I had made a start. Oh this reminds me. I went into the local agriculture store the other day wanting to buy a few bits and pieces, including a pick axe. I hate going to the shop and buying something battery operated and the batteries aren't included. Well, why do they sell pick axes and the handle is not included? What good is a pick axe without a handle, for goodness sake? I wanted to ask a few questions about pick axes and the first question I got in return was "who is it for?" "Me" I said. You should have seen the girl's face. Don't think they sell many pick axes to pint sized girls. I came home without a pick axe...much to my annoyance.

I digress...Next up was the brush cutter. Phew, got that started without too much trouble. It's been so wet here that I haven't been able to mow my lawn. One part was almost knee deep so I took the brush cutter down and cut the grass. A brushcutter is a bit of overkill for grass but I haven't yet figured out how to change the blade to the string. While down that way, I explored a part of the garden that, until yesterday, had been hidden by weeds. The brushcutter saw to those and uncovered a very pretty part of the garden. More work needed there.

After this, I decided that our main training field was too wet and I needed to start digging a drainage trench to stem some of the flooding. The dogs came out with me and spent two hours playing chase until all they wanted to do was lie and watch me work. Bailey, of course, was my helper. She digs on command and is ever useful in helping me pull out grass and weeds. The other dogs think she is weird! Steffi thought it was fun to stand behind Bailey and nip her in the butt. She was quickly corrected for that - by Bailey. She likes to do this to sheep to and she's being corrected by me for that!

By this time I was starting to get a bit tired! Imagine that. Time for some fun...training time. Yahoo. Jamie and I got to work on some shedding yesterday. I am not a very good shedder but Jamie is...and he is teaching me all he knows. On a side note, we went to the Llanllwni Trial near home earlier in the week. The sheep were fast and furious, and very difficult to manage around the course. We didn't have very good runs, and we weren't alone there, but in the shedding ring, I was absolutely thrilled with both Sioux and Jamie. Sioux came in to the smallest of gaps and took a clean shed that saw her turn right onto the nose of a ewe who was trying to break back to the other two sheep. I was astounded! Not a thought of a grip and she held the ewe better than I have ever seen her do this before. We've been playing a game of shedding at home and I think this is starting to build Sioux's confidence. In previous trials I have been guilty of not making a big enough gap for Jamie in the shed and have paid the price. Twice he has gripped as a ewe has come over the top of him. I have been trying to give him a better chance of a successful shed by doing my job better but at Llanllwni, the sheep were so difficult that you had to take the smallest of gaps if and when it came. Jamie took a small gap beautifully this week which left me smiling.

Kelvin and I tossed a coin and I got to run Roy at the trials as well. In the last trial Roy did not stop for Kelvin so I knew he was going to try this on with me too. In the National event, Roy did a very nice left hand outrun but the sheep bolted before he got to the top. I had to hard right whistle him and what I could not see because a hedge was in the way was that Roy took this right whistle at full speed. When he came into view, he was in full flight and I knew he was never going to take my stop whistle. Sure enough, he didn't. That's when he learned that my feet are not set in concrete at the post. He saw me coming and hit the deck so fast I thought he'd be half way to China and I'd have to dig him out. He was schooled off the course and told in no uncertain terms that lie down meant just that. About 45 minutes later we ran in the South Wales event. Roy took every lie down whistle instantly! He had a tremendous run...bringing the sheep slowly but steadily and on line, getting the fetch gates nicely, successfully negotiating both lanes of the maltese cross and penning easily. I was very pleased with him and although he only finished 4th, I felt his score was disappointing given his performance. Oh well, that's trialling. At least Roy is back to his best.

I have a few days off trialling now. Can't blow my whistle properly after having some skin biopsies cut off the top of my lip! It looks like I have had an argument with a chain saw and lost. At least with the weather here at the moment I have little need for sunscreen.

Oh yeah, we went to Mike and Nora's place for dinner this week. Oh my goodness, one never tires of Nora's cooking - and their company. Homemade applie pie. YUMMY! We had a lot of laughs and Bailey got her Welsh cake from Mike. He spoils her rotten!

I did start scrubbing the moss off my deck this week as well. I feel tired just thinking of the projects I've started and am a long way from finishing. Next up is to hand dig a few holes for some posts for a couple of new gates. Might enlist Kelvin's help over the weekend for that! Going to trials is SO much easier.

That's it from a soaking wet wales. Warm weather in the forecast for next week.