David A Broad
A personal story
More than 40 years, told day by day
Pigeon Shooting with Nigel and then travelling to see the Crufts Gun Dog show and meeting up with GSP friends and colleagues.
News of a second mortar attack by the I.R.A. on Heathrow Airport and this just before the Queen's aircraft was due to land there.
Nigel had told me that he could not manage the pigeon shooting yesterday and so we arranged to go early this morning together. I collected him at 6.00am and, after we dropped off some things at Cambridge Street and his Volvo at Cambridge Street Motors for service, we took off up the A1 and arrived well before 7.00am.
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Dog Training on a bright and sunny day and Kennel cleaning before collecting fencing materials and my repaired lawn mower from Ibbetts.
I drove over to Molesworth in the afternoon and ran Sam over quite a lot of the upland fields and then taking Diana to Peterborough where we saw and enjoyed the film "Pelican Brief" together.
It was a bright and sunny day and, after taking Sam out for his normal run and water retrieve, I used the good weather to first brush out and then disinfect his kennel. I ended up by putting one of his new blankets inside to see how he got on with it.
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Still mild again as the family embarked upon the third morning's effort to get fed and out of the house. Diana was back from the health farm later after I had more success with him pointing pheasants and I had tackled a backlog of filing.
England beat Denmark 1-0 in their first football international since Terry Venables took over as their coach.
Still mild again as the family embarked upon the third morning's effort to get fed and out of the house. Della was the latest to bed last night and the most reluctant up today in consequence but at least she made it with the others. Some more waterwork with Sam after breakfast; choosing Mill Meadow for the task.
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As the weather continued mild, seeing the children off to the school bus stop and then more time training Sam as Nigel cancels shooting and applying for my Firearms Certificate variation.
Out with the children for tea again - this time at The Happy Eater in Croxton and then the evening with Sam again at Cromwell Kennels, Bury, where he did reasonably well at his obedience class.
Britain is going to send another battalion of 650 men to Bosnia
The weather continued mild again but was increasingly windy. Awake at 6.30am, half an hour early for the alarm again, and called Daniel and Della ready for breakfast together. Then out with Sam briefly to make him comfortable before meeting up with the girls at the bus stop to see them off with him. Della, in particular, was pleased to see Sam and petted him quite happily.
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Home alone with Diana away concentrating on training Sam taking account of the working test feedback, with pigeon shooting and water training to the fore. To bed quite tired after helping Debbie with her school project for much of the evening
Our first full day without Diana and we managed well enough by all mucking in and doing something. I was awake early and so could ensure that everybody got up all right and then they all got themselves ready and were out of the house in good time.
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Sam did not do too badly at his working test against some very good puppies ending in fifth place out of a field of ten. Diana got away all right for Henlow Grange.
Once back, then watched the fifth and final one day test match between England and the West Indies. We won this match but still lost the series by three matches to two
It was chillier today but at least it stayed dry for my trip to Markfield, near Leicester, for Sam's working test. I met up with the Steeles on the A14 and we drove in convoy; arriving quite early and in good time for the test. It was a long day, with a large field of dogs, and time dragged somewhat but, as usual, the mingling with other dogs and handlers was always an experience and education.
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