Dragons, Dragons, Dragons!!

1 of my favourite shows of the season last weekend at Caerphilly. Beautiful grounds, lovely organisation and the chance of 1 of those elusive Dragon trophies! 
It was a beautiful weekend weather wise, almost too hot at times for the dogs, but Lilys new swamp coat helped keep her cool. I have to admit for probably the first time since I started running agility 18 months ago, I felt quietly confident in my dogs. I wouldn't say I was sure I could win a Dragon, but I am starting to realise that I am not a bad handler, and both dogs are so genuine and talented that they will do their best to go clear, and are starting to do so regularly.
The first run on Saturday was a fairly tricky jumping and I decided a clear would be good going. I'd have been happy with just that but Lily started in style and in our first run we had 2nd place and our first Dragon! She went on to get 6th in 1 agility and 4th in the other. 3 out of 3 for Lily and I couldn't be more proud. Then there's Olli, who after weeks of being carried out every agility round cos he misses his contacts, nailed his contacts in his agility runs, and surprised us all with a 2nd place!! Olli won his own Dragon!
Sunday and he did it again, but no Dragon just a 4th place, still amazed. Lily had a brilliant clear in Collie sprint and then a beautiful round in Agility to finish the weekend with a 3rd place and her 2nd Dragon.

Great company, great fun, great show, and most of all great dogs! Wouldn't swap them for the world.

Lows & highs all in 48 hrs

I am emotionally and physically exhausted, so this will be a short blog. My mum suddenly and very unexpectedly was rushed to hospital on Friday eve with stomach pains. At 3am Saturday morning she was operated on for a ruptured bowel, and was very lucky to be alive. My brother drove through the night down from Norfolk, and we spent Saturday, settling my 92 yr old Gran into a care home as my mum is her full time carer, then sitting with mum as she came round from anaesthetic. Obviously I missed Roseland show on Saturday so no more qualifiers in ABC for Olli.
My mum was awake enough to tell me to go to the show Sunday at South Devon, and as there was nothing else I could do I decided to drag myself out of bed and go. My close agility friends were all there and all very concerned about my mum and me, but I couldn't accept a hug as I would've cried in an instant.
I ran Olli & Lily in the jumping and was amazed to go clear with them both, but even more amazed when Olli was 6th and Lily won!!!! The flood waters opened and I cried like a pillock. Then hugged everybody! Only 1 more jumping win and Lily would be grade 6 and i was thinking about the shows that are coming up over the next month and whether she would manage it before the end of the season. I needn't have worried. With what I can only say was probably our best run ever, we sailed around the agility like clockwork and won it by 3.80 seconds!!!! Yep I cried again. Lily Fudge Cake is still the most genuine, wonderfully mental, talented dog and is now Grade 6!!!
Fern & I stopped off at the hospital on the way back and as we walked into the ward, carrying my trophy and rosette, mums face lit up. I did it for her, and boy didn't we bloody nail it!!!!!!!!!!

Mum has improved drastically over the last 24 hrs, so maybe I will sleep tonight. I look and feel about 90, until I look at Lily, grin like a Cheshire cat and that wave of pride takes over.