Menolloping; Less Agility, More Indignity

I may overstate it... then again...

Having departed Lanark and taken a couple of days to saunter westward, I reached the town of Ayr. That third weekend of September was dedicated to being with blogpals, and the focus was Nobby performing at the final agility show of the season. But I'll get to that.

Gail had alerted me to the event quite a few weeks earlier, and the timing was perfect. Then, a little later, during the week I was in Lanark, I heard from Tigger's Mum, F, that she and Mr B would be in Scotland by the weekend. The flow of things enabled them to join in at the event, so one of my longest and dearest pals met through blogging would meet some of the newest (and as dear!). I was confident they would hit it off, having many common interests. As there was time to spend before Nobby's afternoon slots, we first took a turn around the grounds of the Rozelle Estate, spotting lots of intriguing brush sculptures, some more recognisable than others.

Then, it was lunch and toilet breaks. Nobby had two events, back-to-back on both days. On the Saturday when we were all together, the weather was not the best: fierce and biting wind and lots of sharp showers. The voices of many of the handlers got lost in the air, and a lot of the dogs had trouble completing their rounds successfully. 

Nobby was not for having anything to do with it! Once he did get started on one round, he managed about a third of the course before defaulting...

On Saturday evening, Gail and F joined me in The Grey to eat our evening meals... each got what they fancied. Unfortunately, that meant that Mr B went for garlic pizza (not sure there was anything else on it). When he opened their van door the odour had me reeling (I'm allergic to garlic, and it makes me quite nauseous even by its smell), which meant he was eating solo! I felt bad about that, but even F agreed it was well-pungent. Her pizza caused no disturbance, and Gail's fish supper looked scrummy - I had made myself a pasta dish.

Then came the time for goodbyes. I was sad, for I will not see F again for quite some time. Those who read her blog will know she is repatriating to New Zealand. It was with some degree of dismay that I realised I had been so focused on drinking every moment with her and Mr B that I entirely forgot to get any photos of them! Naughty Yamini.

On Sunday, Gail and Nobby once again reported for participation at the agility. The day was brighter and drier, though the winds still cut slices. Things looked promising for a while...

It was still mid-afternoon by the time he'd done, so Gail and I took him over to The Burns Museum, which has some lovely grounds... but more on that tomorrow!

Let me leave you with two rather fine "pawtraits"... the first taken looking into the van, and the second taken looking out...