Quiet Weeks
My computer unexpectedly died late last week, and it doesn’t look like we can get it looked at until the end of the month. I’m hoping that we’ll at least be able to recover the hundreds of photos and videos I had on the hard drive of the dogs, but I’m feeling a little disheartened by the idea that it’s all lost. At the moment, it just means that my time on a computer is limited to maybe 20-30minutes a day at best. It’s a struggle!
As a result, the dogs and I have been alternatively lounging around or going for impulsive walks to the local parks. We’re so bored we considered taking up Geocaching, although the fact we don’t have any kind of GPS device scuppered that plan.
The weather too, is scuppering all plans. It’s gone very autumnal this week, which of course means endless downpours. It’s been raining for a week and already I’m looking forward, rather desperately, to next summer. Dylan and I are forced to practise our heelwork inside, which means it’s taken a bit of a backseat. We can only walk around 10ft before having to make a sharp left or right, and then it starts looking more like very small heelwork circles, which I don’t think is doing either of us any good. I’m having problems with it anyway, as I decided to start using the clicker, which turned out to be a complete disaster. It’s too specific – I can end up clicking him for for head position, hind position, left or right paw off the floor, moving, and if I get my timing wrong, general bouncing and enthusiasm. That’s too many things in one click, and I can’t simplify any more than I have. So we’re using verbal markers, and it seems to be working.
We’re flyballing at Redcar this weekend, in rather unexpectedly mixed teams, but there is always a beach to console us if it all goes wrong. This is probably my favourite venue in the country (although I wish it had better showers!) but I have a feeling this weekend is going to be very damp. Unless we all freeze to death, as the weatherman is happily anticipating — but then, he’s been wrong all summer, so I’m not inclined to start believing him now.