I should know better

....Well, it feels like that, doesn`t it? You expect to see the ark floating by any minute, with Noah looking out at the Papillons and shouting, "Two of those I absolutely refuse to take!"

Last show was a lot like that. In raincoats and wellies (mine fluorescent orange) we soldiered on, one eye on the dog, one on the rising floodwater, already ankle deep in the benching and parts of the rings. We changed rings, and still the water rose.

My lot seemed to like it. Papillons are very drawn to mud. Allegra in particular made it clear that she would like to get right in to the waterlogged bits - probably to roll, possibly to swim. Marcus made it clear he didn`t care, as long as he could be sure of an admiring audience of the opposite sex. Merlin was just hyper. He wouldn`t have noticed a plague of frogs, let alone torrential rain. (Actually, now I come to think of it, my lot would have loved a plague of frogs... there`s always great excitement when we have a hatch of toads at home).

Allegra did really well. So well that I needed a picture of her for the Club website, but had no help. I was reduced to tying her to the leg of my chair and trying for a head shot. She was secure (round turn and two half hitches, good sailor`s knot), but bid fair to take the whole chair with her in her indignant efforts to escape. I was left with a picture of her clearly saying "I`ve been tied to a damned chair!! How dare you!"

And then suddenly the rain cleared and the sun shone.

And we headed off for the big white bus, the seat next to the toilet (I often get that one somehow), and the hundreds of miles home.