I should know better

Had a busy week, involving judging a little open show in the NE of England at a charming hall where the lawns outside were ideal, with shade trees for dogs on a hot day. Even the lunchwas good - I remember judging in the Midlands when the lunch can only be described as "brown adhesive stuff with the consistency of Araldite just before it sets, and potatoes".....yes you do have to be polite and eat it.

So, a good experience, and a journey home through the north of England. England were to play another match that night. Footie fever. Every house had an England flag. Every second car had one too. People wandered about Newcastle station painted red and white. I`ve never seen anything quite like that before. It`s strange to see people in the grip of an obsession that means nothing to you. Probably that`s what the taxi driver thinks when he delivers me to that lonely carpark at midnight to catch the Big White Dogbus...

I did that this week too. Just before I was due to go, with the dogs all packed and the taxi lumbering down the road, I fell, hard, on both knees.

A sensible person would have cancelled the taxi and let the dogs loose. Of course I went. Allegra came away with a red first card , and I came away with a knee the size of a football. It didn`t help that I have to take pictures of the winning dogs for the Scottish Papillon Website, an photographing small dogs means - you guessed it - going down on your knees. So, all the way home from Wales with an unbending knee, walking like Frankenstein`s monster after a hard day terrorizing villagers. The bus was agony, the comfort stops were ....none too comfortable..

At one of the latter, a sad sight - all those World Cup England flags and favours being sold off in a dumpbin. A friend picked up a squashy little England lion mascot.

"Does it make a noise if you squeeze it?" she asked

"Aye," said a voice behind her - "it says `penalty shoot-out` and then cries"...

I think the final is tonight. No I`m not watching. And at least no-one is going to ask me why I`m not supporting Englsnd.

I believe Brazil is out.

But - although I have Brazilian relatives.....

....I have a lot more Italian ones. So I suppose it`s "avanti ragazzi !"