All or nothing......

Marc and Bigs - EOs 2014

It has been a year of highs and lows and it has not even finished yet. The EO and FCI worlds with Agility Team GB came and went in a blur. The cramming it all in approach to life has possibly reached saturation point in the Wingate-Wynne household, it has been manic in a good way. The hardest part was and continues to be the lost of Nuts from our lives. In the darkest hours I find myself waking up to feel sometimes the wet tears that have fallen in sleep, time as always moves on. life goes on but in a weirdest way it also feels that it is dragging and a bit remote.

3rd Ticket Win - Aug 14 - Christine & Zev

The high of achieving Zev's Agility Champion Title. The Agility Net - Champions Listing really brings it home how hard it is to achieve this agility dream of the championship title. 

Little Bear is challenged in size both vertically and horizontally, compact he certainly is. So far he has been slowly entered into the competitive agility world and has had two wins at KC and one at UKA in jumping classes. Each time he has rewarded me with great attention and determination. I have now started to teach him the a-frame this week and hopefully at some point he will make his full agility debut. He endears himself to many and for me his determination and attitude, and how he is for me just as ‘sweet as pie’ with a brilliantly cute cheeky element means he has it all.

Bear & Christine - Sept 14

Wings and Raz have aged as you would start to be expect as the approach their 12 birthday, things are more difficult for Raz with his sight loss, but we continue to try and do our best. Wings grows sweeter each year and is it amazing to think the behavioral problems she had when we took her on and how we turned that around. It was looking back both foolhardy I guess and a leap of faith. Ultimately it worked and she has had many happy and contented years.  It is all that you can do. Marc with Bigs, picked up 3 reserve CC's, qualified crufts singles and team, and with Dixie also achieved a reserved, so so many successes all round.

With Mr Britannia at FCI 2014 

Agility Team GB was challenging, tough and good. A real mixture of emotions and a helpful influence on some factors we had been working on, At a time when many people may be easing up in their lives we are heading in the opposite direction and ‘ramping’ it up.

One of the Italian Agility Team at the EO’s had a brilliant slogan – ‘all or nothing’, that is certainly inspirational and that is how we feel now it is all or nothing…..

Time to get a life back :):):) the course is finished!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wingate-Wynnes @ WAO Spain 2013

It has been intense. Marc and Big’s at WAO’s in Oviedo, Spain – fabulous 2 seconds and 2 firsts, a good clear in the team to assist England to achieve a Silver team medal. In England they have won two reserve tickets and qualified for the semis. Great form. For me grooming for Bigs to sitting last major exam, submitting an assignment and doing a presentation.  The discipline to keep going the last two years has been intense. With agility it has been a case of there but not there, so much

studying and how Zev and I have managed to achieve being reserve

Bear and Zev - play time

both for WAO England and Team GB, whilst all this is going on is both amazing and crazy. Being the team reserve has it down and up sides. The training sessions meant Zev and I were getting some training, remembering agility and gaining some great ideas to improve our competitiveness. The down side of being the reserve is just being nearly there but not there!!!! Mentally it is quite a challenge, but I’d rather be a reserve and than not gain a place at all.

I am already thinking how I can make me and Zev a better and faster team. As the rules for having a chance to try out for representing Team GB have changed. Understandably I get why, but bugger me we need to seriously raise our game. How much can we max out of our performances every time? We are so on the edge J, so I need to now get back to agility being seriously fun and nail those courses.
We have ordered some more and much needed agility equipment so that we can start to set proper courses rather than elements of courses. This should be arriving this month. Who knows I might do some teaching of agility again?

Then the beautiful Bear continues to be a delight and lead me quite the merry dance. He has topped it by having his first fox poo-roll. Darn, foxes coming into the garden ;)

 

All about love and life..

Valentine week saw my beloved Nuts turn 13, it is a continued source of joy that he still with us. Then I think of the luck and work that Marc and I are still together since we met 20 odd years ago.

Love is a transient thing it could last a day or a lifetime. That is the scary thing I guess it can make you feel 'top of the world' high or when broken 'the lowest of the low'.

 

The truth is no one knows why love happens as it does.  That gives it both strength and also fragility. The same is true of life spans, why some live long and for others it seems as if they were robbed of time.

Another joy of the Valentine week is Bear has joined our family. This puppy search has been long and hard, and I have had a few disappointments on the way. Even grief as one pup I really longed for died at just 10 hours old.  I lighted a candle for him and cried as so many dreams and hopes seemed to wither at this point.   I thought of giving up but friends rallied and a through a journey of unexpected turns I found Bear.

As soon as I saw his photo I knew, as soon as I met him I knew and most importantly he liked me.  It was instant and it would seem I am an instant kinda gal. What relief, what joy. The cliche of life being a journey so true in this case and so we are joined by a much loved and long wanted addition :)

Bear in action, playing and having a chew... puppy time



Snow and Rest 2013

Snow brings both chaos and pleasure. But as always the guys have such a delight in the initial snow and Nut's new coat from Camddwr Canine has been a brilliant blend of providing him with warmth but so light and comfortable that he will come in the house and lay down in it and quite happily keep it on. Which for his comfort needs is perfect, otherwise it just would have been too cold for him to come out and play.

Snow will always be a chance to capture memories of the guys having a good time.

 

 

 

We have had a complete two month off from training, and next week will see us getting back into training. So glad to have the time off for various reasons and we really think it does us all good the canines and the humans.

Hello to 2013

The Guys New Years Eve 2012

Wow on Christmas Day, discovered this fabulous new walk for the guys acres and acres to be explored and hours can be enjoyed watching the guys having a great time. It is off the beaten track, so the guys can really let rip and we can walk to the walk - perfect. Since moving to the midlands we have found many lovely walks but this is the best so far :-)

So many things seem to be falling into place, just can't help feeling that frisson and excitment for what may be coming next. So time to say goodbye to 2012 and hello 2013...

Humbled and sad....and proud

In Life there are always moments that humble me, more often at times I least expect and I am humbled by the capacity of how thoughtful people can be. Last night I saw Gem, no 'D', had not seen her for around 3 weeks, and I knew something was up. The seriousness of the 'something up' took my breath away, her beautiful big man, 'D' was no longer with us a victim of gastric torsion. We hugged, Rivi hugged, we hugged the sadness and the tears. And the shock that Diesel, coming up to 4 years old will no longer be bounding around. So why am I humbled? Coz in the shock of the loss Gem still managed to give me a card and a present so say thank you for helping with their training, support and friendship. That is why I am so touched and at the same time so sad for Gem and 'D'. In reply I can say I am proud...to have met them and been around at the start of their taste for agility. Hopefully, one day Gem will come back to agility as her interest and efforts in learning to be a compassionate, thoughtful, understanding agility partner and most of all enjoying the sport with her dog, was impressive.

It seems far too many have loved and lost far to soon, and know heartache when it should have been the most distance glimmer in a future not yet due to arrive :-(

The Video is of Rivi with one of her recent wins at the weekend just gone.  The guys all did great, and it was a great weekend, but really wanted this posting to be a tribute to Gem and 'D'