Some progress training Sam but then having a set back at GSPA Novice Field Trial at Goldsticks Farm near Braintree.
Home after to slump into the chair and watch an exciting televised football match in which Manchester United drew 2-2 with the top Spanish club Barcelona.
Elsewhere A row over the House of Commons Privileges Committee investigation into Tory MP's accepting bribes in return for tabling parliamentary questions
I arranged for Diana to give me a call at 6.00am this morning and went through my routine an hour early so as to be out in good time with Sam. A short walk for him and then the journey to Goldsticks Farm, near Braintree, for our second time here for a Novice Field Trial.
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I settled Sam down on arrival a lot easier than before partly because he had the extra experience, and partly because they were almost exclusively bitches running and only two other male dogs. Two of the runners were attending a field trial for the first time.
After our initial rendezvous, drink and briefing in the barn, we set off and ran each dog in turn amongst this mixed farm of hedges, setaside and fields cultivated with root crops and cereals so that it was a bit of a lottery as to who ran where and found what. I was drawn 4th.
Sam tackled a hedge first and produced a good point with a bird that was not shot and then he took over-large bites of a field of long grass and thistles that held plenty of birds. He pointed at least two more, held them until asked to flush and then the guns missed them again so that he had no retrieve to do again.
At this point he was rested and given another run later in the morning. Another point in a small cover strip and the same steadiness to point and flush but again the bird was not properly shot and glided, leg down, across a stream and into heavy cover on the other side.
I had to send Sam across for a retrieve and, leaving him downwind of the marked spot, he found another wounded bird flapping deep in the brambles and, upon command, swam over, dragged it out, picked it up and descended through the thistles into the water and up again to deliver the bird.
Unfortunately, he had crunched this young hen pheasant during the retrieve and was eliminated for the damage inflicted. Thus we had a setback at the end of a much better performance than last time but this fault can be very difficult to overcome. Back to the barn wearily to eat our lunches and then the rest of the day watching the others.
Alone of the other competitors, I left Sam in the car for the afternoon. There had been others eliminated and they kept their dogs along, but Sam had been whining a bit and so I felt the rest would do him some good and would give my arm and hand a rest.
I was soon to regret this as others had a brace of dogs and I could not decline to look after one that pulled even more than Sam! The additional experience of the journey in the game truck would have done him good as well. I stayed until the end of proceedings and listened to the judges awards and comments which were quite interesting.
There was a first and second place awarded and three Certificates of Merit to end a successful day overall. Those I spoke to tried to encourage me to come again but I think that I need to train and test Sam out on retrieving more game before I would risk his hard mouth becoming a habit.
Long telephone conversations on the way home with Jim, who could sympathise with my disappointment and then with Diana about my arrangements for tea and with Wiggly, who was quite chatty about her day.
She had been resolving her dispute with her insurers about the terms for the new car and claim for loss of the last one and had also persuaded the gas board to come and attempt another repair on her gas oven after their failure to properly do so last time.
Overall, she seemed to be maintaining her independence and happiness which was refreshing. Home after to slump into the chair and watch an exciting televised football match in which Manchester United drew 2-2 with the top Spanish club Barcelona.
Arab extremists Islamic Jehad, are thought to be responsible for the bus bomb that killed dozens and injured as many more on a crowded street in Israel. This in reprisal for the storming of their house in which another Israeli soldier hostage was killed along with two of their members.
A row over the House of Commons Privileges Committee investigation into Tory MP's accepting bribes in return for tabling parliamentary questions. Labour committee members are resigning in protest that the hearings will be held in private and a newspaper article has accused two Tory Ministers of doing the same thing.