Leaving Norfolk with Sam to join Jim with Ben for a Eastwick Harlow training day where Sam was selected to join Mr Botterman and company for some hunting and pointing on some nearby farmland.
An GPR Club AGM followed and then home to treat Daniel and friends Gary Skinner and Jason Chambers to a pizza. By now the early morning sun had passed through a day of chilly winds and showers and it all ended up in yet more gales and rain for the night
Sam was still on his antibiotics and gradually being given more Repnor Gold within his gruel of chicken pieces and boiled rice. His coat was now going quite chestnut brown which was probably due to his moult but might also have been due to his diet and condition and his haunch and rib bones were showing quite proud as I now resolved to get some more weight on him.
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With all this, it was with some trepidation that I prepared to take him off for a couple of days training and pointing with Jim and Ben. I gave him a bit of a run across some fields near Horning Church and stopped in the village for a paper. I gave him his latest pill and partial meal and then laid him down on a blanket on the balcony step whilst I packed and prepared the car. It had started as a really nice sunny and still day, and he lay there whilst both girls made a fuss of him as good as could be. I left in good time and said good-bye to everyone and arrived at Jim's house in Great Melton early for our 12.00 noon rendezvous.
A little while having a cup of tea with Julie and family and then, with Ben in the back and Jim and his gear in the front with me, we made our way along the A11 and down the M11 to Harlow for the normal first Sunday Eastwick training session. Sam was playing up again upon arrival but soon settled down and we chatted and circulated until all the others had arrived. Jim received a blow when he found that Ben had been put back into a basic obedience and training class, but Sam and I were invited to join Mr Botterman and company for some hunting and pointing on some nearby farmland. I gave club chairman David Winser and his 7-year-old bitch a ride up there and stayed with him as the others worked to give me a running commentary and advice session as to what was happening.
When my turn came, Botterman wanted me to let Sam run, and we just tried body movement to try to control and influence him. Of course, Sam went far ahead whilst hunting well and quartering to a good pattern and I got the advice that I should now handle him closely until I get him watching and obeying me better. This was the month where the branch AGM followed the meet, and we all went up to a local hall for the meeting. Several of us had high hopes for the occasion as the club had been drifting in recent times with much muttering and discontent as to the way things had been going.
I tried to get some life into the meeting with a few questions and a couple of proposals, but this unfortunately backfired and caused some conflict. There was a struggle to elect the necessary officers and they then tried to press me to serve as Secretary which did not suit me, and this all left a rather embarrassing atmosphere. The long drive home to Paxton in deep discussion with Jim putting the world to rights.
Once back in Paxton for the night, we settled in with Daniel and friends Gary Skinner and Jason Chambers and I paid for some pizza all round if they ordered and served it and the arrangement worked out well. The dogs settled down quite well after their time together and, after I opened a pack of mail and returned a number of telephone calls we settled down for the night. By now the early morning sun had passed through a day of chilly winds and showers and it all ended up in yet more gales and rain for the night.