I caught Andy's bug after return from Lune Valley. Whereas he had a cough, I got laryngitis and couldn't speak for nearly a week! You can imagine how happy Andy was at this time! I went into hospital to have my facet joints injected and was very lucky they did the procedure as I was running a temperature. Oops I told them the laryngitis was down to hay fever, I think they saw through that. However, as my airways were clear they went ahead. My back was good for a few days but then not so good. Having been back to the consultant I am now booked to go in the week after Dogs in Need for another procedure, this time to have radio frequency lesioning which is where the nerves are killed off semi-permanently. I last had this done 11 years ago and it gave me a number of pain free years so fingers crossed it works again. They won't do this procedure until they have first tried the injections.
The garden has been hard work this year as we had neglected some tasks last summer/autumn. We have had to give in a get a bit of help. Julie who occasionally trains with me has been twice now and her project is the long border. So far she has had two sessions on it and needs one more to finish clearing it out. Then she will help us plant it with perennials in the autumn. I hope it will look beautiful next year.
Above: the overgrown border and with no structure to anything!
Below: after two sessions by Julie, just the last third to go which she'll tackle after we get back from DIN
You can also see yet another chore - a new shed roof is needed!
The other major chore in the back garden is the side opposite the long border. As you can see it is very overgrown. I know the colours look lovely but beneath that growth is our beautiful old brick wall and we do like to be able to see it! All that growth sticks out by over a metre and encroaches the lawn. Andy tackled that side himself with a little bit of help from me.
Above the overgrown greenery and below, we can see our lovely wall again!
On top of this Andy has cut all the hedges in the agility area and in the front. We love our beautiful garden but it is a lot of hard work for sure!
It's a long trip to the Lune/Barrow show ground but a gorgeous venue with a the lovely canal walk right off site plus of course loads more walking off site if you choose. We took the lazy option this year and walked along the canal each day. The intrepid Bays went offsite and climbed mountains each day. One day they even took Mr Murf!
Murphy and his 'other' family
The show ground had changed this year which meant a different layout. It wasn't as nice and neither was the running ground. The show committees had done their best but there was a heck of a lot of walking from the caravan to the rings and by the end of the week my legs were done! Andy caught a horrible bug whilst there and became ill half way through the week so that spoilt things a bit. Andy did a day's judging for Lune and myself and Bernadette did some training for Barrow's charity raising.
The showground from the canal. You can see how the rings were right up one end and the camping all behind. Not good on the legs!
Poppy having a snooze in Zeki's little bed!
A lovely property at the end of the canal with its own private jetty. Beautiful.
Kizzy did some good runs and got some placings but she's still not running flat out. We have to work hard to bring her back to her old self. Not entirely sure what has knocked her confidence so much but hopefully we'll get there. Niamh and Zeki were great and Zeki and I managed two wins towards G7, both in agility. Niamh got two third places one of which was in agility and possibly one of her best ever runs (sadly no video). She was third behind two very fast dogs by just fractions of a second and this gave me a real boost.
On the Sunday of Lune Valley, Bernadette and I travelled all the way down to Daventry for the World Try Outs. This is the first time I've ever taken part in this and I have slightly mixed feelings about the experience but I'm glad I did it and very happy that my little Niamh performed brilliantly. The courses were a little bit easier than I had been expecting and so I kind of knew we wouldn't be able to out-run the really fast partnerships. We got E'd on the jumping course but I don't feel too bad about that as a lot of people met the same fate on this course. It wasn't a hard course there just one bit on it that caused the problems. We had a pole in one agility class and a clear in the next agility run. We got into the final round and I was very proud of both Niamh and myself on the day; her for her great runs and me for holding my nerve.
Actually, the most stressful thing for me on the day was that there was nobody to take your lead; this I find hard because Niamh is a handful on the start line and I need to get her onto her toy at the end of a round otherwise she will try to go back into the ring. Strange that such a simple thing was overlooked at such an important event.
Bernadette and Zen made the medium team so big congrats to them on being part of the team for the umpteenth time. What a great partnership. We have excellent teams in all three height categories and I really think we can do well in October. Good Luck guys and girls!
It was a long drive back to Lune Valley show! Here are my videos from the day (thanks to Bernadette):
Rugby
Quite enjoyed Rugby but the camping was pretty awful as we had the day trippers right outside our caravan which can be a bit annoying as some dogs just bark all day long. Not very peaceful. The venue seems to be struggling with the size of the show. Mixed results with the doglets. Niamh did a lovely run in Simon Chandler's KCQ but had a pole down. We were E'd in the champ jumping as Niamh chose to flick away from me in the weaves, something I had been practising rather a lot and obviously need to proof against!
Zeki was a little star and came 3rd in the Crufts singles. I couldn't believe it. The course was a a bit different from the usual but still quite fast. She did run it well but I still didn't expect to come that high in a 6/7 qualifier. The Crufts points are no use to us as I am judging at Crufts next year (yikes!) but I believe the class was also an EO qualifier so that might do us some good if we try out. Zeki was leading her jumping right until the end when we got beaten by Gemma and Hoax and so ended up in 2nd place. We did a good run in the KCQ right until the end when I pulled Zeki off a jump. We wouldn't have been quick enough to qualify though as the top three spots went to border collies and they will always be faster across the ground than us.
Agility Club
Well, this was different from usual as it was held at Ardingly. It was a nice show but boy was there some walking. The way that the club had been forced to lay out the show was pretty awful. All the rings ran across the very top of the ground and then the camping just went back. To make things worse all the rings were situated within enclosures with only two gates to get in and out of each enclosure. Of course the gate was always opposite where you ended up or wanted to be! I think this is possibly the most walking I have done at a show perhaps apart from last year's KC Festival. Hard to tell!
Results-wise, nothing for Niamh. I chose not to run her on the Saturday as it was quite wet when her runs were due and the courses a little too twisty for my liking (in those conditions.) I saw so many dogs hit the A-Frame in the KCQ that it made me feel sick and at times upset.
We didn't do very well in the champ on Sunday but Zeki made up for it by winning her Graded 6 agility in style (by 10 seconds!) It was a tricky course set by Andy Longley and I thoroughly enjoyed it as you had to handle the whole way round. I was really pleased to get this third win in agility as we had almost won a class on Saturday only to be beaten again by Gemma and Hoax. I am delighted to say (both for Gemma and Hoax, and for me and Zeki LOL) that they are now in G7! One more win to go for the Beek! Thank you very much to Colin for filming this run for me.
I ran Kizzy on the Saturday and she worked really nicely because Andy wasn't there! Had he been around she would have looked for him. He had to stay home to catch up with work. We got 5 in the champ jumping and a clear in the agility but didn't make the final. Unusual for a small champ as you normally would get to the final on 5. Never mind! Again thanks to Colin for the videos.
Obay Winners at the Agility ClubYazz (G3); Zen (KCQ); Zaz (G5), Itzy (G4) and my little Zeki (G6)
Kizzy preferring to stay home on the Sunday!
Burridge
Oh gosh, what a long trip for two runs but I am sooooooooooooooo glad I went. Niamh and I qualified for a KC Olympia semi-final on the Saturday. I loved the course, set by Andy Sandercock, it was full of handling and choices. I chose a couple of safe options but took some risk in other places. I trusted Niamh completely on the obstacle discrimination (both times) and she did her job. Clever little girlie. We had a very near miss right at the end of the course, I opted to go for the faster finish and it almost cost us as Niamh very nearly took the wrong jump, I yelled her name and she just turned off it but it cost us time. I really thought I had blown it with that error and was so pleased when friends told me we had come 7th with two people in the top five already qualifying this meant we had done it! I was a very happy bunny and took my three dogs off for a nice walk on the New Forest with Karen and her gang. I didn't do Niamh's second run as I was so happy I didn't care about it!
Sassie with Poppy and Zeki in a little stream on the forest
The following day was a choice for me. Chippenham and Niamh's champ or back to Burridge for a last ditch attempt for Zeki in the KCQ. I chose to go back to Burridge and am glad I did even though we didn't qualify. Zeki worked beautifully but had a pole; we stayed on for our 6/7 agility and honestly think we might have won it but for one half of the partnership letting the other half down right at the end of the course. You can see for yourselves which half let the other down!
Well done to Karen and Todd for winning the KCQ and getting to the semi-finals in September. Karen had to withdraw from Olympia last year so I hope with all my heart they make it through this year. Oh and not forgetting little Yazzooooooooooo, not to be outdone by her brother she won two classes on the Sunday!
Well, now it's just a case of getting ready for the up and coming KC Festival and Dogs in Need. I am so looking forward to this feast of agility. I will try to do a more timely report on our return!
My poor blog is feeling very neglected. I have lots to update but no time to do it. I also have some videos of my doglets but no time to download them. I guess it's to be expected at this time of year with so many shows and a very large and wild garden to tend on top of the usual office work and looking after the doglets! I also had facet joint injections in my back followed by a horrible bout of laryngitis which meant a few days where I couldn't do much and so got even more behind!
So, this post is really just to acknowledge that Hudsondoglets and their humans are all well and that it is my plan to do a megga update before leaving for the KC Festival. We are so looking forward to some time away with our doglets in the caravan!
Happy birthday to my gorgeous, beautiful, wicked, Naughty Niamh. I cannot believe she is six years old today. The years have flown by since we trekked all the way up to Lancashire to collect her. Thank you Natalie for letting me have this wonderful little dog. I won't lie to you, she has been hard work at times but oh so worth it. I love her to pieces. We share the same birthday and I do believe when she was born, she was meant for me. She is my wonderful Beeby Neebs!
We'll soon be off to Lune and Barrow. So much to get ready and so little time! We really loved these two shows last year even though it was megga hot! I'm doing some training for Barrow during the week (along with several others), I like doing this as all the money goes to their various charities. Hopefully we'll get to visit the Lakes whilst we're there, last year it was the only cool place we could find for the dogs during our days off agility.
This year I am driving down to the Midlands on the Sunday of Lune Valley as I've decided to try out for the worlds with Naughty Niamh. We will give it our best shot and it will certainly help to give us some focus. Maybe next year I'll do it with Zeki too!
We are lucky to have people looking after the house whilst we're away, that always means peace of mind and that the flowers will get watered!
Almost the last update on the studio. The shower is now finished and looks very nice. I love the tiles and would like them in our en-suite one day. The ones we have are horrible but as usual it's a question of priorities!
We have a few more bits to do like choosing and fitting some flooring to the toilet/shower area, making the outside steps, fixing the rainwater pipes but almost there.
Oak sleepers that Andy got from the farm across the road. These will be made into steps.
Our friend Andy is good at fixing clocks and he has managed to mend our old Captain's clock. We haven't had it running since we moved here and so it's nice to have it back. It now lives in the studio and looks good against the oak doors.
The new blinds fitted very well by the 'blind' man!
That's it on the studio for now. Hopefully I will be able to report that it is completely finished in the very near future! It's hard to believe that just seven months ago we moved the greenhouse and now this stands in its place!
Thanks to Candice for these two great shots of Niamh from Hinckley show a couple of weeks back. I particularly love the seesaw shot. The tunnel shot is also great but Niamh was obviously having a "bad ear" day!
I love Axstane show normally but this year didn't enjoy it as much partly because it was so cold and partly because the show ground has really deteriorated. There are pot holes everywhere (from rabbits I think) but more worryingly there is litter everywhere including glass and other unsavoury items.
We arrived quite early on the Friday to get set up and ready to help them build the rings. Andy, Al and Dan did this whilst I chilled with the doglets. It was good to see Tel and Bill and we all got together for Friday evening to watch the football. Bit of a let down to say the least. Nat and Tracey brought pizzas with them so no cooking. Great.
On Saturday morning we had a bit of a lie in as there was nothing for either of our dogs to do first thing. Although this was nice, I kind of lose my focus when I haven't got anything to walk. Then of course everything came at once. I had all three of Niamh's courses to walk at the same time and frankly I made a mess of two of them but did get a clear in the agility. I think I got a place but not sure where as I forgot to collect my rosette. All three courses were quite tricky and it was too much for my brain!
Zeki was a good girl and we got a clear in the helter skelter but no place. However, she amazed me in the KC Olympia qualifier. I do these as an extra run for her with no expectation whatsoever (for this year, watch out next year though!) Zeki was having none of that and did a really good round in which we were placed 3rd behind Sian and Jazzy and Carol and Marli. This is our best result to date and I am so happy even though we missed qualifying by just the one place. We were 2 seconds behind Sian and just fractions behind Carol. This makes me feel really positive that we are making good progress.
Here is a video of her run taken on our brand new video camera. It's amazing, so tiny but the quality is great. You can put it in your pocket, so much easier than lugging a big camera around which I can't be bothered to do any more. Plus the best thing about it is that although it's described as red it isn't, it is PINK. Perfect. I haven't figured out how to edit anything yet so this is just a basic download from the camera. More reading up to do!
We had another lie in on Sunday as nothing much for us to do. Andy walked the champ class at medium height ready for Kizzy's run. Kizzy was running well this weekend and got a few placings but she was a BAD sheltie in her champ jumping. The course was pretty tricky and she and Andy actually got round the pattern really well. However, Kizzy shot up a tunnel right at the start of the course which got them eliminated. Oh well.
I missed walking one of Niamh's courses so just trained the run but she did a lovely run in her Graded 7 jumping and came 4th. I loved the course as the dogs could really open up and run but it wasn't an advantage to people could run fast. The obstacles came up naturally for the dogs to take and so you could cut corners. Thank you Stuart Carter for a really fun course. Here is the lovely but Naughty Niamh in action.
I only ran Zeki in one of her classes as both her others were right at the end of the day and we were so cold we just wanted to get home. I'm glad we did leave early as it meant we had time to clean out the caravan ready for our trip up to Lune Valley and Barrow.
Last but not least, yet another whirlwind at Axstane. We see these every year at this venue and this year was no different except we were lucky that nobody got hurt when a medium sized marquee was lifted right over the top of the main marquee and landed at the entrance to the first row of rings. The wind held the marquee in the air for a few moments and so people were able to scatter and thank god no-one or any dogs were hurt. Very scary.
Wasn't sure about Thames as when we got up on Friday morning it was pouring with rain. However I was assured by Dan that the forecast was good from lunchtime onwards so we decided to go. I am very glad that we did as the weather did pick up and we had a brilliant weekend.
Andy did an 8.00 am treatment before we left home but we still got away in good time and had the caravan all set up and dogs walked by about 3.00 pm. Very civilised. We all had chili a la Karen for supper together with baked potatoes and some nice red fizzy wine to celebrate Dan and Tig's win into G5.
Saturday was possibly one of the busiest days I've ever had in agility terms. I was quite lucky that most of my runs were in the top area of rings but I was still exhausted by the end of the day. For the first time I had late running orders in the champ class and I find that quite stressful as it means that you have to keep an eye on the ring all the time. Now that I have Zeki running it is even harder because very often the medium classes are over before they've started (or so it can seem!)
I had run Niamh in the first leg of the champ (jumping) and got clear. Of course this meant I was keen to run clear in the agility round but I also had a class coming up for Zeki. I marked myself as late in Zeki's class even though I was drawn last in the class, I just didn't want them to close it before I ran. I had about six dogs to run in front of me in the champ class when I heard my name being called. Zeki's class was about to close and they were giving me two minutes to go and run. I have never been in such a panic as I really didn't want to miss her run as I'm so enjoying her. Thank goodness for friends! Leah ran back to get Zeki, Janet Jackson held onto Niamh and I raced up to the other ring. I literally threw poor little Beeks onto the startline and off we went. She was a star and ran clear and won the class. We exited the ring, Zeki was shoved at Karen and I tore back to the champ ring with just one dog to run in front. Luckily for me somebody (who shall remain nameless) was late and they were doing a 2 minute countdown for that person to arrive (see I am so kind I'm not even letting on their gender.) That gave me the chance to get my breath back before I ran Niamh. Not to be outdone by Zeki she also ran clear. At that point I fell in a heap but not for long as I had another class to run with Zeki!
That was kind of how the day continued and I was very proud of my two girls both of whom ran clear in all their classes. Over the weekend Zeki collected three first places and two seconds. Niamh got into the champ final and this time I didn't mess her up in the final, we just weren't quick enough on the day but we did put in a good round so I was more than happy. Greg won the ticket with Detox with a round that I can only dream of doing. It was an amazing run.
We watched the football on Saturday evening with Dan and Mac and it was very disappointing but hopefully the team will pick up this Friday. They had better otherwise I shall tear my flag down (only joking!) After the football we went across to the live band and had a great time going mad on the dance floor. Unfortunately I had to go before it finished as my ears hurt so much from the loud music. I don't think it's any coincidence that my dizziness came back on Monday. I've still got it now and they say it's connected with my inner ear. I guess the loud music probably set something off.
Niamh ended up on Sunday with a completely clean slate but unfortunately in our last run I managed to get poor Zeki eliminated and it was in her qualifier. Oh well I certainly cannot complain. Niamh did a lovely run in her KC qualifier but due to a slight misunderstanding about releasing the A-Frame we weren't quite as quick as we might have been. We still got 7th place which was good but I would have preferred a slightly higher place. Oh well, onwards and sideways on that front!
Kizzy also had a good weekend running clear in all her classes except one. She had a clean slate in the champ class and got into her first final at only her second champ attempt. She and Andy have a way to go before they regain their previous form but this was a good start.
Here is a video of Niamh's KC run, courtesy of Mrs Bay and also a photo of Zeki with her haul from the weekend.
The final instalment (thank the lord I hear you sigh!)
Going off on one for a moment, someone was quite horrible to me recently about my blog making much of the fact that how sad it is that I blog about my life rather than live it. Well hopefully you can see from my catch up posts that we do live a life (and indeed one outside of agility!) More importantly this blog is for my family and my friends. I have lots of family that I don't see very often if at all but they like to keep up to date with our news and I find this a great way of being able to keep them updated with pictures and videos. So, I will live my life thank you kindly but I also choose to blog about it; other people can choose to read or not to read it! In fact I would suggest that the saddest people of all are those who make disparaging remarks but then still read other peoples' blogs!
That out of the way on with the important stuff ..... my doglets and agility shows!
First of all Nottingham. Well that was an event in itself as I ended up sleeping in my little van for the night. We were due to camp but Andy had a really bad migraine attack where he lost not only his vision but also his ability to put names to faces. This is always scary and we think probably associated with the fact that he had stopped taking aspirin for a few days as he kept getting nose bleeds. Hopefully things will settle down a bit. I don't think the stress of exams is helping but thankfully they'll soon be behind him.
Anyway I desperately wanted to go to Nottingham as it was Zeki's one and only opportunity to win into G6 in time for Lune Valley/Barrow. It was my goal to get her into G6 for these shows as she has a reasonable chance of getting to G7 there as she won't always be up against the more experienced dogs. I would love to get her to G7 so we can have the challenge of more difficult courses.
I knew that Nottingham would be a bit stressful as I wanted that win for Zeki plus Niamh had a champ class. So, it was probably good that Andy didn't come along as I might have been unpleasant company ;o)
I was going to book B&B but then decided this was stupid as I'd already paid out for camping so I came up with my little plan. I didn't think Andy would be too happy but he thought it was a great idea and helped me to kit out the van with a comfy bed and curtains. Here is my little camper van:
Leah and Jay tried every trick in the book to persuade me to stay in their caravan which was very kind of them but I was actually quite excited about my adventure. My dogs always sleep in the caravan at dog shows as I choose not to leave them out by themselves, however I was happy for them to sleep in the van with me. I had Zeki in the bed with me but Niamh stayed in her kennel as she's a little too big to sleep on my feet in such cramped quarters!
As it was the weather was kind to us and not at all cold. We all three slept well and I would do it again for sure!
On to the agility. Well I achieved one goal by 8.40 am on the Saturday morning when Zeki won the G3-5 agility by a small margin of 9 seconds. It was a good course with several pull throughs and some tricky angles and I was very pleased that we had done it so early. That meant I could relax about Zeki and concentrate on NN. Well as it turned out I didn't do well in the champ with poor Niamh. We were clear in the agility but disaster in the jumping when my poor handling meant that Niamh back jumped so we were eliminated. I was very disappointed as my goal for Niamh was not to get eliminated in any champ classes. Damn that one has gone out of the window. To make up for it Zeki won two more classes and came second in another. I think I got a 20th place with Niamh in one of the classes but we weren't really in tune after our champ mishap!
I had a great weekend, thanks to Leah and Jay for countless cups of coffee and good company.
Here is my clever little sheltie with her haul from Nottingham.
Zeki with her win(s) to Grade 6
Last weekend was Hinckley show. I enjoy this show as it is very well organised and always runs smoothly. However I was a bit dismayed that beyond 3rd place all that you got was a card rather than a rosette. I personally don't think this is a great idea. I was really disappointed when I got 11th place in the KC qualifier with Niamh only to get a clear round card, not even 11th place. Bit mean I think.
Anyway I did enjoy the show very much. I wasn't at all stressed running Zeki as we were in with the G7's all weekend so I just concentrated on training contacts and trying different things. She didn't disappoint getting 5/5 clear rounds with two placings. I was thrilled with her. She is just the best in my medium world. Obviously Niamh is the best in my large world! Overall Poppy is the best of course.
Niamh was superb all weekend. We got into the champ final but I am sorry to report that a momentary lack of concentration meant that we had a pole down and that was the end of that. I was quite upset because I hate letting my dogs down in finals. I don't expect to win but I do expect myself to perform well and I didn't. Kick up the butt required! Niamh didn't know and that's all that matters but I want people to see her for the great little dog that she is and not being messed up by stupid handling errors. Onwards and sideways. I guess it's not bad going that we've got into 2 out of 4 champ finals that we've so far taken part in.
On the Sunday we had a great course to challenge us. Leah judged the KC qualifier and it was a fair but tough course. I was very unsure when I first walked it; I liked it but truly didn't think I'd get Niamh round. There was a lot of handling and it was one of those courses that you had to work every step of the way from #1 through to #20 and all spaces in between. Niamh was brilliant. We ran #12 and it was still quite slippery from the night before's rain. We ran clear and for a long time it looked as if we might just qualify. But at the end of the class some superb rounds came in and we finished in 11th which I was not disappointed with. I believe there were only 16 or 17 clear rounds. The course certainly took some prisoners! If only the old system were in place, we would have more or less been guaranteed a semi-final run with an 11th place. Oh well, we will keep trying.
Andy and Kizzy competed for the first time in ages. They have lost their mojo right now. It wasn't helped by the very hot and humid weather. Kizzy really seems to hate these conditions so we're hoping for cooler weather at Thames. That said they got 7th place in their first agility run and then a clear in their first ever champ run. Sadly Kizzy was a very bad sheltie and popped out of the weaves in the jumping leg of the champ. Andy tried to get her back to the start of the weaves but she wouldn't come to him and back weaved = E! Now Andy wishes he had just popped her back into the last weave gap but hindsight and all that!
We very much enjoyed the show but I think if it clashes with Dartford/Keston next year I will probably opt for the more local show as it's a long haul to Hinckley and does seem a bit crazy when there is a perfectly good show almost on the doorstep!
Other than the studio we have also managed to cross some other long-standing jobs off our list.
I have long wanted a gate on the other end of the alley-way which runs alongside the house. We have a gate between the alley and the front yard and big gates on the front but I am forever having to go out to check that the alley gate is shut when I let the doglets outside. We live on a road which can be busy at times and I am paranoid about my dogs being safe. So at last I have my second gate and it's wonderful. It means I can just glance outside and know that the dogs are secure. Andy made it and it's very nice. At the same time I got him to put a new latch on the garden gate as originally it had a bolt and I was forever taking the skin off my fingers trying to open or close it with one hand.
Another nice outcome of the studio being finished is that I get my lovely little day sitting room back. Andy had been using it as a treatment room for the past six or seven months and it's great to have it back. I am not the only one happy about this!
When we moved in three years ago we replaced all of the front windows but couldn't afford to do the same in the rest of the house even though the windows were in rather poor condition. I hated the window in my bedroom but it just wasn't a priority. It was always on a list to be replaced one day but just kept slipping down as other more important stuff came up. My brother Dan has recently started up a new business offering refurbishment of upvc windows so we decided to give him the job. Basically we have kept the frame but have replaced the plain glass with leaded and put on new handles. The difference is amazing. I would really recommend this as an affordable option to anyone wanting to upgrade who can't afford it but also where the basic frame is sound.
The old handle and plain glass
Smart new handle with leaded light glass
The final job (well almost, it will be complete once the Blind Man has visited today!)
As well as dog shows, work, garden, studio build Andy is also studying massage. Along with this comes Anatomy & Physiology (A&P) studies which he has found quite hard. Last night was his exam in A&P and we just heard that he passed with a score of 97%. To say he is delighted is an understatement. His coursework still has to be assessed but hopefully that will all be ok.
Tonight he has the written exam for swedish massage and then over the next two weeks will be the practical exams. In these exams he has to gain 100% to pass. In the hope that he does he will then be moving onto sports massage which will take another year. He has already done a lot of this in years gone by under the wing of a gymnasium trainer but he didn't go on to take the qualifications. Hopefully he will achieve them so that he can start to split his time between architectural work and sports massage.
Hurrah, I am so pleased for him as he has been working really hard for this.
It's been a while since I put anything on about the studio build but that's mainly because I haven't time to blog because we've been so busy doing stuff like ..... the studio build. It's very irritating when life gets so busy that you simply don't have time to blog!
Anyway work is almost finished. We have a few bits still to do like tiling out the shower, laying a floor in the toilet/shower area, finishing off the rainwater pipes and building steps outside the two doors but I think all that will be completed quite soon.
Michael did a lot of stuff for us and we are really grateful as his workmanship is superb. He had a hard act to follow in Al but between them they have been brilliant. Andy has also done quite a few bits himself including putting up the oak above the shelf which I think looks really nice and laying the laminate flooring in the main area. Anyway, here are some pictures of the almost completed project:
The back door leading off my dog washing/log store area
The kitchen before the fridge
The kitchen with its new (black) fridge!
The wall prior to oak panelling (darn doglets get everywhere!)
and with the oak panelling (much nicer I think!)
The treatment table in place
The lounge area
Shower waiting to be tiled and for shower door to be fitted ... oh and for the shower to be fitted!
Dinky little toilet and basin!
The day we kitted it out it was so funny to see the dogs. Each one of them came in to investigate the new space. Niamh came in and got straight on the new sofa and curled up. How naughty is that!
Andy has started to use the studio for treatments and so far everyone loves it and finds it a nice relaxing space to be in.
Today the Blind Man (bad English I know but it makes us laugh) is coming to fit the blinds to the french doors and the two windows so that will be the main area complete apart from the step outside the french doors.
He is also fitting blinds to my bedroom and en-suite windows in the house. Hurrah almost three years and I'm finally getting blinds in those two rooms. I hope he can see what he's doing ;o)
Above: the overgrown border and with no structure to anything!
You can also see yet another chore - a new shed roof is needed!
Above the overgrown greenery and below, we can see our lovely wall again!
