Here I am at work, all on my own and longing to get home again. Hopefully I'll be leaving about 3 o'clock so I can get a fairly decent walk in before it gets too dark but to be honest I think they'll be happy with a short one as yesterday they looked at me as if to say 'when are you going back to work so we can get some sleep'.

On Monday we went to see Tania & Steve at Hassocks (near Brighton) and went for a lovely, but chilly, walk on the downs with them and their four Border Terriers, Dudley had a whale of a time dashing about investigating hedge rows and gorse bushes. He was a bit put out when we got to a pond and it was frozen solid, he did have a skate about but I called him off as I was a bit worried he would go through the ice, don't think I needed to worry as Tanie tried to break it so they could have a drink and was standing completely on it with nothing happening.

Yesterday I took the boys to Eridge Forest, we haven't been there for ages as it get's so muddy but it was frozen solid so no muddy dogs to clean when we got home. The RSPB seem to have started investing some money as there were new maps showing you the site and where the gates were etc which was good for me as I always seem to go to the wrong one when trying to find the car. The signs say that cycling is no longer permitted which is a shame for the cyclists but I did notice mountain bike tracks so I'm not sure how strictly it's inforced, it also says to pick up after dogs and stick to the tracks so birds are not disturbed so I think this might be a walk we don't do too often as I can't always guarantee that Dudley wont wander from the tracks. Didn't take Suzi as it was so cold and she really feels it, Dad says she went straight back to bed as soon as I shut the back door so I didn't feel too bad about not taking her.

I'm off to see my friend Karen on Friday as she has a new addition to the family who I'm dying to meet, not it's not a baby it's a SHELTIE called Murray who arrived last Sunday. She has two Border Terriers too and the Billy is overjoyed to have someone to play with but Daisy is not impressed and ignores him but I'm sure it wont be long before she's playing too. Dudley ignored Suzi for weeks when she first arrived and acted like a real spoiled brat by hiding all the toys behind an armchair then standing guard over them.

I have a training session with Natasha Wise on Saturday and am taking Suzi, I don't often do these with here as she doesn't always work very well and get's a bit clingy so I may take Dudley as backup incase she goes off the boil after the first hour.

Well suppose I should get on with the end of year reports then I can b****r off home.

Thought I'd better update Tom's blog as it's been 10 days but have to say haven't got much to write really. Tom continues to improve and I took him training on Thursday where we did some little bits and carried on with the stopping every 3-4 obstacles and playing/treating. I'm really pleased with him at the moment and will be taking him back to see Julia in January.

Wednesday night was party night at Sevenoaks and we had our end of year competition with an agility, a jumping and a helter skelter. The courses were challenging and included putting in to practise the stuff we've been doing this term. I ran Dudley who was a bit over excited and we ended up with 2 E's because a) he wasn't listening and b) I assumed he would jump the long jump and not go round it to get to the tunnel :) Suzi was a little angel and came 1st overall in the agility, we did get an E in the jumping but it was my fault for looking at the finish jump as we went past instead of the jump we were supposed to be doing. The helter skelter was a proper helter skelter spiralling out from the middle and the people that do KC shows were all grumbling away to themselves as I'm sure they were expecting the sort of the thing they see at a show, you know the one just a jumping course with perhaps a circle in it somewhere, so were all moaning saying that they were going to get lost.

I'm going to stay with Dad for Christmas which will be very quiet I'm sure, Mum was the one for Christmas and used to go to town with presents and food but I've just got a few small treats in and am doing roast beef on Christmas day. The dogs will get lots of walks and I'm hoping it goes back to being cold and frosty.

This weekend

Leah is holding another of her ANJU training shows tomorrow and although I'm not running my dogs I'm going to help and am at the moment brewing some of my Fordcombe Famous mulled wine to warm the cockles of the competitors hearts, I'm doing two brews an alcholic one and a non alchoholic one so hopefully everyone can have some. The weather looks like it's going to be awful tomorrow so let's hope it doesn't put anyone off.

Can't believe Christmas and Olympia will all be over in 2 weeks time and I haven't even written any cards yet, must sit down and make an effort as I'm really naughty about cards and I wont see anyone after next week.

Still doing my exercises with Tom and after reading about Hannah's course last weekend I might ask her for some more as I'm sure they will compliment Julia's. Tom and I have been on one of these courses and really enjoyed it although he was really unhappy on the wobble boards so I haven't pushed him to do iit even though a friend's husband made me a small one.

Schedules for the start of the season have started coming out in the net and I'm struggling to not enter any especially as I still haven't decided what to do with Dudley. I have been taking him training with Mac on Wednesdays in Tom's places and he's been working so well that I haven't been able to get to the places I normally can with him but I know that when we get to a show he will probably start biting me again but to be honest I don't think I'm ready for Allsorts with him yet but might do more in the Summer once I've seen what he gets up to.

Oooo smells like the first batch of mulled wine is ready.

If men feel how I do every time they have a cold I have to say I feel sorry for them, I've been off all work all week and have hardly been able to get out of bed with aching bones and sore throat and now a cough. The poor dogs have had to cope with a quick run round while I've mucked out Fenella but I have to say they've been very good and have slept most of the time.

I've now got a thumping headache and feel sorry for myself so I'm going to have a hot Vimto and go back to bed.

Tom went back to see Julia last week and we had a long session of treatment and an even longer session discussing the problem, she thinks that he could have hurt his back a while ago and has compensated by using his front end more than his back end as he seems to have lost a lot of his muscle on his back legs and lower back but is a bit like a body builder at the front. I have to admit that although I’ve changed his collar because his other one had become too small I hadn’t thought much of it other than that he was maturing.

At the moment the plan is to try and kick start the muscles on his back legs into working properly by getting him to pace out rather than scampering, I’m doing this by slowing down my pace when he’s on the lead and making him trot and when we are in the woods I’m putting him on the lead and getting him to step over small sticks and logs rather than jumping them. I’ve also got a balance cushion and every other day he’s standing on it with his back legs for a minute and then his front legs, while he’s standing square I have to nudge him slightly off balance so he has to use his muscles to stand square again.

After Christmas I’m going to try and do some swimming with him to hopefully get his muscles even stronger which will hopefully prevent his patellas from popping so much.

I’ve run Shy again on Tom’s Thursday session and have really enjoyed working with her and I think I got my contacts timing right last week plus I remembered to say OK instead of Go.

Poor Leah has gone down with the horrible fluey bug going round so no training tonight which is lucky as poor Dad has had to go into hospital to have a blood transfusion as he’s so anaemic due to having had a really bad bout of colitis. Hopefully he will be out tomorrow or Saturday and until he does Suzi is staying at my place and has taken over the big dog bed so Dudley has had to sleep on the back of my chair.