SOUTH OF ENGLAND

So, whilst I can keep my eyes open, a catch up on my weekend at the South of England Show.  I went without Rebecca this time, she stayed at home promising to revise.  Me and Nikki from Faraway Alpacas (or is it Nikki and I, I never know which is correct) stayed in a Hotel just down the road. When we checked in we discovered that there was a wedding reception going on.  We fought through the crowd of suits and posh frocks in our wellies and straw covered fleeces and headed for a quiet part of the hotel for a drink and supper, we had changed and washed our hands by then! However, it wasn't quiet for long as we were invaded by a lot of very rowdy and mostly drunk wedding guests and were consequently forgotten in the rush. After much complaining to a rather harassed young bar manager, our food finally arrived, after waiting almost an hour and a half we were hungry - by then it was on the house - so we ordered puddings and coffee too!  I got off to sleep OK but was woken at 4.30 am by a very noisy threesome, two male voices and one female, lots of laughing from her, coming from the room above me. They seemed to be having a much better time than me, but thankfully wore themselves out after an hour or so!

Anyway I was first in the ring with my black female Enigma, in a class of one, actually we were the only black female! I thought they'd be loads of black animals with Tim Hey judging .. anyway, he praised her highly and said that she was a worthy winner of a Champion ribbon. Always seems a bit daft to me to award a Champion in a one animal category, but I'm not complaining. Thankfully our other entries had more competition. Selene also placed 1st and then took Champion brown female, I was very happy as I think she is beautiful, but then I would. Macy Grey came 2nd and The Sorcerer won his class. Then after lunch it was the fawns. The standard was high, Bonami won his class and we stood in the Championship lineup, one of them being Houghton Halls fawn intermediate who won the Supreme Champion at the Heart of England the previous week. Tim spent a long time weighing up all the traits, going back and forth mainly between Bonami and the Houghton boy - much suspense! Needless to say I was chuffed to bits when he walked towards me with the sash!

Nikki went home at the end of the day, so Vicki from Spring Farm kindly invited me over to join them for a curry. Just as we got stuck in we were interrupted with an urgent call from Nikki to call home. Jazz, our English Pointer, was very ill. He sometimes gets severe colic, which has the potential to develop into a twisted gut.  I decided to go back to the hotel and if he hadn't improved on his medication, check out and drive the 2 hours home to care for him myself.

Back at the hotel I was greeted with a steaming flood of boiling hot water, pouring out of a cupboard in the corridor outside my room. A detour via the kitchens and a fire escape took me around the flood, which was by now creeping under my door. Phoned home to hear the dog had responded to his medication and as it was getting rather late I decided to stay and was eventually moved to another room, where I didn't sleep much because I was worrying about the dog and kept thinking I should have gone home! 

A phone call to hubby early in the morning and was relieved to hear that Jazz was OK but rather subdued, as was Peter, who stayed up til 1.30 am with him (I told him he had to stay with him until he seemed ok)  He doesn't really like the dogs, just not a doggy person, I have some serious making up to do I think, but I do think he might have bonded with Jazz a little!

Back to the show and I had two juniors females left to go - Dynasty in lights and Bling in whites and they both came 2nd with more great comments.

Then came the supremes, Houghton Hall won both, and I was pretty pleased to have 3 Champions in the line-up.  Having got them back to the stables, I was told they were needed for Best of British, so got them back out again! There were 5 qualified altogether and Tim award it to Bonami, I was very happy, I do love Bonami.  Another sash, plus a lovely prize of a hanging basket bracket thingy with alpacas on it.

We have a busy week ahead - with shearing planned on Thursday, weather permitting, visitors from overseas on Friday and the BAS Evaluation course here on Saturday.