Getting ready for Xmas!!

Oh dear.......how much time has passed since my last blog entry?!!

Ade and I are well and truly into our "Christmas Countdown".  The lack of Snow this year has meant that we have been able to do all of our usual Xmassy things plus a couple of new experiences to add to our list.

We really missed our visit to Lincoln Xmas Market last year but made up for it by spending most of Sunday 3rd there!!

Last Friday we spent the evening at Rufford Country Park admiring the Aura Illuminations followed by a day at Newark visiting the Christmas Tree Festival.

We'd been to something similar at Melton in previous years and, although there were nowhere near as many trees here, we found Newark to be just as nice :-)

Our trip this weekend was to the impressive Hardwick Hall.  We've spotted the Hall from the M1 several times when passing but hadn't actually visited it before.  This visit has made us realise that we needed a lot more time then we had allowed to see all it had to offer.  I think we may be planning a return visit in the Summer.

So onto Agility matters!!!

Decembers Nuts show was last Sunday and I wasn't judging so had a chance to work both my boys on all of the courses :-)

Kiros missed his weave entry in the Agility so was E'd and had a pole down in TYOL but won both his Jumping and the Speed and Power:-)

Reno

Elementary Agility - Judge:- Di Polkey - Tricky weave entry that he missed and then a mistake in the weaves and run by at the Dog Walk.  Having said that, he did great "stop" contacts and the run by was my fault for not straightening him properly.  In that situation I'd rather he bailed out then taking the up plank in an unsafe manner.

Elementary Speed and Power - Judge:- Andrew Green- I handled the Speed section really badly getting Reno eliminated for back jumping.  Again good contacts but he needed two attempts at the weaves.

Elementary Jumping - Judge:- Ann Miller - Lovely course but Reno really disappointed me on this one:-(  He started well but when I asked him to weave he turned around and bit me!! He did eventually complete them and finished the course well but I know he could have done better.

Elementary TYOL Jumping - Judge:- Nell Pegg - Reno completely miss judged a bounce stride, landing on and demolishing a jump!  This meant that he took a jump out of order so I had to quickly re-think my course.  Miraculously I managed to avoid elimination - No placing but at least points for the league.

Today we had the NADTC Xmas party.  Kiros couldn't come as his neck is giving him a bit of pain again but Reno had the time of his life!!

He loved the games and came 2nd in one the involved my carrying a present as I ran him.  The "eat a sausage" game was probably his favourite but he had a pole down so came home with 10th place.

As I was judging the last game Ann got to run him for the first time.  Reno was such a good boy for her, in fact probably a little to focused on her as he was convinced she was going to give him a sausage and kept looking at her hands rather then going into tunnels!!

Again I want to finish this post by congratulating Paul and Tiber on their amazing Nuts debut :-)  No clears but some really competitive times.  Make sure you take his collar off in future Paul!!