I should know better

And off I went to the show, with the lip much reduced.   A long journey south, but a welcoming hotel at the end of it.

The day of the show was hot.   Really hot.  Over eighty.   But fortunately we were in the shade.  I started quickly as other breeds would be in the ring after us.

And on we went.   Little dogs showing well despite the heat, and the howls and barks of the Afghans behind us.   I had the pleasure of putting up a dog I really admire.

I had said that I would prefer a picnic lunch, as I didn`t want to stop.

And it arrived.    The stewards (who were useless) were in fits of laughter.   "Straight from the Ritz", they cackled.

Here is is:

One tiny cheese sandwich cut in four.  (I can`t eat cheese)
One pork pie
4 grapes
One banana
One bag crisps
One tin of Tango

Not the worst show lunch ever - that was at an open show in the north of England and I can only describe it as "something brown with potatoes."   But close.

We went on.  All the young bitches seemed to be "just out of season" and were very flighty, and the Afghan sound effects didn`t help.   Tails were dropping.   And it got hotter.

I was tired, and glad to get to the end.  But happy to give top honours to a promising young bitch, and make that admirable dog overall winner.

Now I could get down to sorting out the results printout, which was complicated by the fact that the stewards couldn`t be bothered to send the results over to the secretary, and haggling over my expenses (eventually I played both the Little Old Lady and the Recovering from Illness cards), and at last we faced the horrors of the M25 on the long way home.

Delivered to the door by my good friend, I found all the dogs delighted to see me, especially the puppies.

And Cupcake was so delighted his ears were up!