busy!

Gosh! I am so busy! I don't know why, I seems to go in and out and do jobs here and there in the farm ... there's always "something" to do. I am not complaining as I really enjoy my farm life. The country fresh air and all the space the shelties have freedom to run around and I do not have to worry about dogs attacking them.

I am very lucky to have so many people helping me to improve the house/farm all the time. At the moment, I am trying to improve the front garden. It used to look untidy, overgrown grass, weed, stingy nettle everywhere. I spent last week mowing the law, cut in right down and strimming it, it looks so tidy now. Today, I plant some sunflowers and other little plants ... it looks lovely!

My other important project is to build an enclosed garden for the chicken and duck. All the foundation is nearly done and we have some post up ready to put the netting up. The chicken will be very angry once they have their new area but I hate to see my chicken down one by one :(  Hopefully, we will have some Indian Runners soon :) Colin bought me an incubator for birthday, he determined I should hatch my own ducklings :) I hope the boys will enjoy herding them.

All the animals are well, Smasher is looking very handsome with his new summer coat. He is nearly 13 months now. He has a lovely temperament, nothing like what other describe a shetland pony to "shitland". I just loved him. I may be a very lucky person to have such a nice little shetland pony. Funnily enough, he still doesn't like Sipzie though!

Due to the hot weather, Colin is staying in the farm with the dogs and doing a bit of jobs here and there and I took Sizzle and Sonic to compete on the weekend. I've also taken Spie with me to get her to socialise as well. We went to Dawn Weaver's FAB show at Forest Oak Farm on the weekend. I was originally booked in camping but I was too tired to tow, so Christina, Dawn's show secretary kindly arranged a caravan for me and my dogs to stay over. What a FAB service!

I've entered both boys at the IFCS and an extra run for Sonic in the Grand Prix. On Saturday, the weather was pooring, high wind and wet. We have IFCS Agility, IFCS Snooker and Grand Prix. Unfortunately, I slipped and mishandled in my first run with Sonic, poor boy took the wrong jump as I was waving both arm to steady myself not to fell over. He was a wonderful boy to do what I was asking him to do though. Sizzle is an experienced dog, I slipped again in the same place but he save me from taking the correct jump after I screaming my head off :) He was the only clear dog in the Toy and Mini height. It wasn't a terribly difficult course but it definitely involved handling. 

In the IFCS Snooker, both boys were "weaved out!" lol. Because the way the course was set, the quicker and easier way is to do the 12 weave 3 times in the opening and 1 time in the closing. Both Sizzle and Sonic did exactly the same course, and both did very well and Q but I was afraid that they will probably pop out next day as they have been weaving 48 poles in one course!

Sonic won the Grand Prix, he was a very good boy, I am so happy that he's now going on without me, at least we are improving :)

There's no video on Saturday as I was on my own.

On Sunday, we have IFCS Jumping and IFCS Gamblers, I've also entered Sonic in the Grand Prix. Like what I have been worried, Sizzle pop out of the weave in the IFCS Jumping. I think I may have moved too soon but I was expecting him being an experienced dog to stay in :) Oops! Naughty Sizzle needs weave camp :D

This is Sonic running over the same course. It was a pretty shaky run, the straight pipe tunnels and crossing jumps were not pretty but we managed to get a clear and he came 2nd in that round. Phew! Our "ketscheker turn" only got better each time :)

This is Sonic running over Small height on the Grand Prix. I chose to run Small because I think it is better for a smaller medium dog to run on a more comfortable height, this will encourage the speed as well (my personal thought). I managed to cross behind the weave and he stay in all the way that made me very happy. He didn't even twitch or look back for me, I think we have done something good there :) I was worried that he is going to take the AF, so I pulled a bit too much that he missed the tunnel underneath the AF. He listened and responded turning right after the 2nd tunnel. Majority of dogs got eliminated as the dog took the jump in front of the tunnel. I am really happy with this run as we did some very good work.

My Gambling Boy didn't get the Gambler this time. I wasn't expect him to run full power, so I walked the course slightly different to Sonic. As you can see me trying to catch up. I was hoping to do the route I planned for Sonic but the judge was in the way, so I have to play by ear. We were in the wrong place when the whistle blew and I can't get the right position to do the gambler. We only have 12 seconds for the closing, so I was worried that I lost so much time to recover from see-saw to the 1st jump in the Gambler but I was happy that he was fast :)

Sonic did a superb round in this Gambler. I can't run fast enough for him so I have to recall him through the weave after the tunnel and he was great. I was half way in the weave and he stay in and finished the 12 poles both time. I am very very happy! Having problem with him before popping out weave and this really make me feel proud. Although he was twirling before going into the tunnel but he did go into the tunnel. You won't believe he is the dog that dislike tunnel. You can see we have been working hard on our little problems :) Love this boy!

We are off to Landsdown this Saturday, Sizzle is running in the Small Crufts Team with his girl friends @ Little Bitz :) This is Sonic's 3rd KC show this year. I hope he will be a good boy doing the KC medium height. His running DW is still 100%, although I was worried how he will hit the contact zone in the IFCS as the DW will be lower than KC. Is either he will hit it higher or deeper and thank God, he chose to hit it lower :)

This year is the first time I suffered greatly with Hay Fever since I moved to England :( I can't stop rubbing my eyes and I can't stop sneezing too! BooHoo!

here and there, this and that ...

We had a weekend at home last weekend, Sing and Skye's puppy Silky and her family came to stay. I didn't realised it was Father's Day on Sunday, so it made it extra special for Sing to have two of his children with him on a glorious day. 

Sing with his children, Silky on the left and Sonic on the right. 

this photo is courtesy of Silky's daddy

We were so lucky to have two glorious sunny breezy day on Saturday and Sunday, that made Silky's visit a pleasant one. It was very good to have Silky and Coco around. They were so good and happy to join our pack. Coco used to be nervous around with our shelties but she is getting better each time I see her. I think she is slowly getting used to them, knowing that they will not hurt her. She is a very sweet nature dog, very good with people (Coco is a PAT dog). 

this is Silky and Coco posing infront of one of the Lakes. 

Silky & Coco with the boys

this photo is courtesy of Silky's daddy

We also have a bit Agility fun with Silky and Coco during their stay. Silky is very enthusiastic about agility. She is nicely build and she has amazing speed. For me, the most impressive skill she has is the way she catch her frisbee and ball, she is truly Sing's junior is a different colour and different sex lol!

being a Sing's puppy, she is also a ball maniac :)

It has been rather busy over here at the moment, we have a very handsome boy Jack staying for a little while. His mummy is on holiday. Jack is a loving boy, he loves all the human contact and attention. I have fun teaching him some tricks, he is a fast learner and it's amazing to see how quickly a dog learns, eventhough he is not a puppy :)

Introducing this gorgeous black & white (bi-black) Miss Pie "SPIE". Spie has been with me for two weeks now. She is absolutely delightful little character. She is settling in well and she loves to keep the boys on their toes. She is so busy chasing them but she loves having cuddles. 

 this gorgeous photo of Spie is courtesy of Silky's daddy

 not the best photo but she is a natural. 

Spie loves the farm life. She's out with me working in the farm, she's very good with horses, chicken and sheep. She does not chase them and she will not back away from them. I am so happy with her.

Also, introduce little Seren, she is just over 16 weeks now. She is Silky's cousin, Skye's litter sister's puppy. I have Seren since she was just under 8 weeks. She is with me for 10 weeks now and she has a very happy temperament, very outgoing, pushy, playful ... a real bundle of joy!

Now you wonder why I have no time on the computer :)

FAB, Sheltie Camp & Bitz N Chipz

I just couldn't keep up with my blog fast enough, Oops! Life in this beautiful countryside, such a waste to spend time on the boring computer with a slow Internet connection :( I'll try to my best to keep up :)

Apart from farming, I got to spent the weekends with my boys Sonic and Sizzle competing; I've also done a little bit with Sipzie as well. She's a bit stroppy since after her season, so we only compete in Jumping and leave out the Agility until we have our contacts sorted. 

3 weekends ago, me and my two boys drove to Gloucestershire to compete at Dawn's FAB show. I've only entered the boys in the IFCS, so they have 4 runs each, that would be plenty for them. It's good to give Sonic the experienced to run some challenging courses. 

Unfortunately, I had a terribly day competing. I woke up too early (4am!) to travel down to Gloucestershire  and I was too tired to concentrate. My first run with Sizzle was a disaster. I wasn't sure if his back twitch again or motivation problem but he wasn't running at all. After the 5th obstacle in IFCS Agility run, I have to carry him out :( I felt demotivated myself and nearly sank into depression :(

I know I have to be strong for Sonic but he was a gobby monster. He was too busy barking his head off and I was trying to be clever to take him to jump tighter that I have learned from Dawn's camp. As you can see that surely lack of practice and trying to put it into a competition that didn't work :( My shoulder must have been shown him something else! Oops! The more I watched this video, the more I feel like a terrible handler :(

Please excuse Bracken whinning in the background. This little ginger hamster loves my Sonic :)

Thank God, after the IFCS Agility round, we have a couple of hours break, so I can clear my mind off a bad start. I helped in the ring when they ran other classes, I think I finally awake after walking up and down helping :) My next few runs were much better :)

IFCS Gamblers was next, Sizzle ran before Sonic. Sizzle is a real gambler dog and I always feel good running him in the Gamblers. Although after our Spain trip, I still haven't work it out what exactly is wrong with him, so we still have an issue of whether he is "running" or not. Pretty much of pot luck with him :( Also, he wasn't running in the IFCS Agility made me feel uneasy, I do not want to run him if he is not well ... After asking the judge if I can take him out if he is not running, I decided to give him another go. Well, Mr Gambler did well to Q :) I have to plan a different route for him to gain more opening points. If he is normal, I will run the course differently but I am very happy we Q.

Sonic wasn't so lucky in his Gamblers run. He was doing what I asked for in the opening but in the Gambler part, the pole of the last jump drop (due to high wind) just before he coming up to it and he decided he is not taking the jump :( Later, judge Daneen Fox came to me and offered us a second chance to do the Gambler part again. I was rather nervous as I don't know what Sonic will do? Will he still miss the jump out? No, he was a very good boy and we Q!

Next up IFCS Snooker. I have been unlucky in the past, I have no Snooker Q with either of the boys. I don't seems to be able to change my luck, Sonic didn't Q this time either! He missed the #7, otherwise, he did lovely! Poor Sizzle, see-saw has been a BIG problem in our IFCS qualifier! Hmm ...

The last IFCS of the day is the Jumping round. Sadly, both boys got eliminated to the tunnel. Oops!

Special Thanks to Matthew and Rhoda for filming the boys' runs @ IFCS Glos. 

2 weekends ago, we went to our annual Sheltie Camp. The venue was closed to our previous home but a fair distance to travel now since we moved. I travel down on Friday afternoon. It should be a 2.5 hours journey but it took us 5 hours! We got stuck on M25 solid for 2.5 hours! It was a hot day, me and the dogs were exhausted in the hot car although we have the air conditioning full blast! After we left M25, we still got stuck in Guildford for 30 minutes! By the time I got to the Camp, I was very grumpy! Then, I went to fetch Colin from the station and I was stuck in the traffic once again. To top the worst day, I parked the car on the roadside (parking bay) to get a take away and came out with a hit and run case. Some IDIOT smashed my side mirror! Grrr ...

Apart from that, Sheltie Camp was an enjoyable one. I always love Sheltie Camp, lovely sunny weather surrounding by shelties. Sonic's puppies Tula was camp next to us, so we have fun catching up and played. Then, on Sunday, Rae came and we have more fun!

 Rae, Sonic, Sing and Tula

 3 generations

 father and son 

 Tula

 Rae

 sisters playing

  sisters playing

  sisters playing

Of course, we didn't miss Brooke bean out. Her daddy and mummy were teaching at the Camp and this is her watching. She is such a clever bean!

 Also, we have Silky and her big sister Coco joining the Camp too :)

 Silky practice Agility

 Auntie Roz has an important role at the Camp, entertaining the puppies!

Sheltie Camp 2013

WooHoo! Camp over!!

If you are on my Facebook page, there are more photos there ...

Almost there ... Last weekend, we have two local shows, Bitz N Bobz and Chipping Norton, only 6 miles from home! I have entered both shows but only made it to Saturday's Bitz N Bobz. Such a shamed that I can't do Chipping Norton but family does come first. My brother in law Russell and sister in law Kyung came to celebrate my birthday. 

We were so casual and lazy, woke up at 6:30am, fed the dogs, fed the animals around the farm and left home at 7:40am. We got there plenty of time for me to walk my first class! It's a Graded 4-5 Jumping. I have entered Sipzie and Sonic in this class. Sipzie has to run first according to running order. Sadly, Colin wasn't quite awake and miss video her run. Sipzie did well but she was too busy barking at me and didn't look ahead and went under jump and knocked some poles! Because I handled Sipzie so badly, I nearly messed up my run with Sonic as they were two pull through (my favourite, NOT!), I wasn't plan to do the 1st pull through like what I did in the video but good Sonic save me by winning the class over 7 seconds!

Next up was Sizzle in the Graded 6-7 Jumping. He started it off a bit slow but he speed up, as you can hear my audience said "oh ... bad luck!" but he was a very good boy and ran well. 

Next, Sonic in Graded 4-5 Agility. This show is all about pull through. I don't remembered there is NO pull through in the classes I ran on Saturday. Almost every single class has at least one pull through! Well, it looks like pull through is still my weakest link!

Next, Sizzle in the Graded 6-7 Agility. This is not an easy course. There is only one clear round in the Medium height. The judge set a very tight course time! I am so glad Sizzle ran clear and in the course time! Phew! We came 2nd in this class, just behind Sizzle's mate Keanne the pocket rocket :)

Next, was Sonic's Combined 4-5 Agility. This was a very challenging course. The beginning was a challenge already. I was planning a ketschker turn but I failed. Sonic was very gobby, he would not listen but just barked! At the end, I have to carry him out as he was too busy barking and not looking ahead :( I felt terrible after I carried him out as I have never done that to him. I was worried that he is going to associate this with agility but after that in the Combined 1-7 Jumping, he wasn't worried, he was still eager to go. Phew! He got a 5th place in this class :)

Please excuse Sipzie barking in the background, that made Sonic looked back to check on her!

You may want to turn down the volume as we have a very jealous Sonic barking crazy!

That summarise my 3 weekends of Agility fun with my dogs :) I will try to catch up on the non-agility bit sometimes soon.