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| Our Diary |
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we're not sure how often this will be updated, but it should give you an insight into what a 'normal' husky owning household get up to in the UK. ok, maybe not so normal, we're quite active in certain parts of the husky scene, in other's not so.... hope you enjoy this little piece of voyeurism. |
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23
Jun
07 |
by Guy |
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 we're on our third set of hens, courtesy of mr fox. re-starting with 2 hybrid free range type breeds that are based on classics. they originally were a bit too flighty and insisted on wandering around the garden to finally perch on the bench less than a metre from the huskies. which obviously wound the poor boys up. we cured the wandering hens by keeping them in the ark for a week and now they are more than happy with their huge chicken run , laying over 10 eggs a week bewteen themselves. |
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13
Jan
07 |
by Guy |
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only a few days left until we're packing that van with 2 monkey rigs, 1 danler sled, 1 diggler scooter, 1 santa cruz heckler, 1 dyson vacuum cleaner and my fly fishing tackle. not forgeting the 5 boys and Helen, of course. today I slipped out to buy a fast sinking line from the tackle shop - ready to fish the trout ponds in Aviemore. it was at that point, clutching my bag of goodies, i realised the annual holiday is just around the corner. my business, SimpleUsability is moving to Leeds whilst away on holiday. i return from holiday to spend a weekend fitting out an office, ready to receive some very special clients. whilst the leasing aggreement states no dogs, I'm tempted to reinact our own iditarod with some of these orange dogs from Alessi. |
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10
Oct
06 |
by Helen |
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the trip up to Scotland on Sunday was certainly worth it with Elvis gaining his 4th CC and winning BIS at the first SSHC Championship Show. his sister Pearl, CH Huskidoo String of Pearls, was RBIS. it was great to end our show season on such a high note. guy spent the day at home kitting out the van which is coming along now, so hopefully it won't be long before the cages are finished. |
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8
Jun
06 |
by Helen |
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Elvis was awarded his third CC at Southern Counties Championship Show last weekend. the judge was Lisa Tebay who gave him a RCC back in 2002. we were over the moon to make him up to champion. |
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6
Jan
06 |
by Guy |
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our Danler Hornet racing sled arrived today from Austria. just need some more snow to give it a whirl. and for those who've ever wondered, you can fit a racing sled in the smart car. |
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4
Jan
06 |
by Guy |
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only 2 weeks until we're off to Aviemore for that world famous race and we've already been out on the sled twice this season. Christmas 2005 was fabulous. fab turkey from the farmers cart, fab company from down south, but unfortunately Santa forgot to leave the psp under the tree so Fairy Dixons may have one saved for me next time we're passing through duty free on a Swiss mission. many new things happening at Aviemore this year, new venues and activities to build on the vintage that was last year. i must remember to pack the new rod and flies for a spot of trout fishing on the Rothiemurchus Estate. after all the money we've raised for the race, will be nice to spend some time pulling trout of an edible kind. |
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23
Oct
05 |
by Guy |
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training is finally well under way at the York HQ. new lights have been bought to cope with the extra visibility needed with my increased team and the weather is finally starting to head into reasonable temperatures for running. the lights are a heath robinson system made from maplin parts - plastic case, 7.2 amp hour battery, xlr connectors, fuse holder, power switch, battery conditioner and a 55w drivers lamp from halfords. think it cost around 80 quid and built in a few hours. the main feature of the system is using xlr plugs/sockets so that the battery terminals are protected and the charger just plugs straight in.
the move from a 2 dog to a 3 dog team is impressive. far less scooting and the ability to promote and demote team members from lead to wheel is useful. it's early days yet and the dogs need many more miles. first rally is in a few weeks and we're not expecting much, unless everybody else is as unfit as us.
Helen's been taking Baloo and Mookie swimming at a local dog swimming pool, Merrylegs - or Canine Hydrotherapy Centre - if you want the posh name from a swimming pool with dog hair. we're swimming Baloo to help keep him mobile with his arthritis and Mookie because he's a pup that needs some muscles for his first rally season. It's an amazing facility and well worth the money. the staff work hard with the dogs and the two boys seem to have benefitted loads. infact, Baloo is possibly the happiest dog in York and wants everybody to know, at the most incovenient times of the day. super fit, super happy and in fine voice when ever the urge for a howl comes around. our aim is keep Baloo running for as long as he wants to. he's had one pre-season cartrophen injection and a daily Synoquin capsule. we're aiming to stay ahead of the arthritis this year - not wanting any stiffness brought about by over training or arthitic flair ups.
this season may see us trading in the caravan for a van. something big like a lwb sprinter or an iveco daily. the reasoning behind it is that we've got two boys not far off their bus passes. we want to give the old boys plenty of room at rallies cos we all know how unreasonable and grumpy the old folk get. |
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20
Apr
05 |
by Guy |
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We finished the rally season by winning the D class at Bowlands. we've had a really good year with the racing and did our bit to keep the drinks industry profits high. we had our best Aviemore yet - trying lots of new places to dine out in with a great bunch of people - oh and I smashed the 20 minute barrier and even got faster on the second day due to chasing my new trail buddy, Justin. our new puppy, Mookie, is very happy with his new pals at chez Redwood. he's definitely a character and putting a lot of effort into doing the usual 'chew everything' that puppies do. we've got a few shows on the horizon, but I'm keen to enjoy a bit more of he garden this year and that fab warm weather we keep having. |
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12
Nov
04 |
by Guy |
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we haven't added much here for a few months - but we will.... soon. but thought as we head into Christmas, I should publish my wishlist to help santa. |
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21
Jun
04 |
by Guy |
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this weekend saw Elvis get a 1st in Limit under breed specialist and keen musher, Lindsey Sutherland. we all got a tad excited in the challenge as the judge carefully compared Elvis with his father, Kaliznic.
as you can see, he was looking rather good chasing his dad around the ring. there are some more photos of him from this show on his page here. what a fabulous venue this show has. it was nice to be only a minute away form the car, without having to go through barriers etc. it was noted by a few, that the few periods of rain had little affect on the dogs that work in Winter. what's a rain shower to an outdoor dog? many a rally is spent in the wet! I do agree with the judges decision to stay outdoors. the wet-weather ring was tiny and we would never had got the chance to see our boy move so well.
after Kelso, we headed down for a sleepy night at the Metal Bridge hotel in Carlisle. on Sunday, Elvis was placed second to his brother, Fya in Open class, at the SHCGB Northern Open Show. the grass was a tad long and the terrain undulating in the dog ring. he went on to be thrown out of the working stakes class, which left me somewhat speechless, considering he was number 3 in the 2003/4 UK Dual Championship. to finish the day, our Jeep sprung a radiator leak just as we set off, which meant us travelling back to York with the car on the back of flatbed tow truck. suppose we saved on petrol?
big thanks to Mark and Bette for providing coffee and cakes whilst we waited for the AA to turn up to diagnose that we needed a tow home. it was only 12 months ago that the radiator on the mr2 sprung a leak on the way home from Blackpool on a queuing motorway - which then saw a line of husky people pulling over with offers of help. Anthony Rees gave us a bottle of water for Elvis cos this extra wait had not been part of our plan. we have some great friends in the Husky Club. |
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14
Jun
04 |
by Guy |
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our dogs had their eye test last weekend under the club eye scheme hosted by John Evans in Brixworth, run by the leading expert, Professor Bedford. fortunately all our dogs remained clear. it has to be said that John was looking rather well and happy in himself. I'm sure it's more than his pending wedding that produced an aura of 'life is wonderful' that followed him around that day.
we've been busy building a deck in the back garden. for the growing number of people that's watching the webcam each day, that's why the dogs have been sat by the right of the run for much time - keeping an eye on our workmanship. party planning is moving along with an initial list of 75 people. if half accept, it should make a rather pleasant summer evening. our international guest has booked his flight last week!
there were two new squeakers in the dove cote. one brown and one white. it's the first time we've seen two youngsters sit on the edge watching the world go by. As I typed this out in the garden - Helen found the white youngster, minus a head in the grass. I do wish the cats would pick on the more 'pigeon coloured' doves in preference to the white ones.
This weekend sees us back in the show ring, Kelso on Saturday and then Carlisle on the Sunday.... I think. one thing is for sure, the fun starts on Friday lunchtime when the rigrunner clan visit, to break up their journey north. |
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28
May
04 |
by Guy |
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the dog run is looking a lot smarter now. all 5 barrels are sat on a rack - yup we'll be adding a young boy to our pack at some point soon. I won't do the soapbox speech about spreading your dogs out over the years to help keep your pack stable, oap vet bills down and just simply enjoying a pack of mature dogs without upstarts finding their place. the kids now have an extended roof on the dog run and walls have been painted again. I'll try to take some photos and update the (hidden) information on how we built our dog run for all those curious, soon.
there are some big things on the radar at chez redwood, 2004 could be a real vintage. due to popular demand, we will be having another summer party this year. rsvps will be sent out soon, i think our bedrooms are already nearly booked up. watch this space. |
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9
May
04 |
by Guy |
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I'm sat at my hotel room desk on the 61st floor over looking the Olympic Park in Atlanta watching our huskies through our new webcam. I've just made it live today to all through this site today. I'm sure I found a husky hair in my breakfast this morning.... so even after a 9 hour flight, I've still got our boys around me! I wouldn't want to start any rumours of importing some famous lines from Georgia and New York, would I :-) As always - watch this space. |
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25
Apr
04 |
by Guy |
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Elvis came third in the SHCGB Dual Championship this year, announced at the club AGM on Saturday. This is one hell of an achievement. You only have to stand on the back of rig, watching him work, to comprehend what a good Siberian Husky is all about. I do think that judges should be made to take a team of huskies out to experience what it's all about. It just makes sense when you see a dog like Elvis working without effort and then compare it to another that's trying but just isn't built for it.
Anyway, it's that time of year where we pick our shows and dream of winter. We're aiming to do less showing this year. I want to spend more time at home and enjoy a little more of Summer in the garden.
Last month, the rally season came to close with a fabulous rally in Scotland. John Carter invited the husky club up onto his land giving us an amazing set of courses with lots of turns, bumps and hills. The rally attracted a great bunch of people, who hit the town on Saturday night for a quiet meal with a few drinks. The club goes from strength to strength, and our collection of husky friends continues to grow. There's some really nice people out there in the husky world and life's too short not to enjoy them. |
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31
Jan
04 |
by Guy |
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so we got snowed in at Aviemore and ended up coming back a day late from our annual holiday.... spending two days on the sled with really fresh snow at Feshie Bridge. Helen came 28th and myself 13th out of 46 in the two-dog class. my runs were slow at times, with Elvis barely trotting along in a world of his own. on the first day we overtook a few malamute and Samoyed teams - one lead Samy took a chunk of hair out of Elvis as we overtook - and I thought Samys were sweet? the second day was more interesting after meeting Sue Blake and Jim Taylor in the first mile of the course. we went around as a group, overtaking and chatting to keep up momentum. for me, that's one of the great things about Aviemore, we have one minute start intervals so you do get to meet others and enjoy the spirit of one of the largest sled dog races in Europe. car needed jump-starting in the rally car park thanks to the technicians at our local Jeep dealership loosening the battery connectors at its last service..... the trek was absolutely magical. Snow everywhere and was the first time with the monkey for over 10 miles in rough terrain. the monkey rig made it so much more fun. Really stable in the tricky rocky descents, brakes worked a treat and the high footplates didn't hit a thing. you may have heard me laughing all along the goat trail. it reminded me of the first time I rode a full suspension mountain bike off-road - just so much better than any other rig I've used.
Aviemore highlights?
- meeting Sue on the trail on Sunday
- playing in the snow with the dogs and running the sled
- awesome snow covered scenery on the trek
- 8 days spent with a really cool bunch of friends
- stopping Mick Bray's loose team running towards me whilst marshalling, after he fell off his rig when his handle bars snapped on the second day.
Aviemore low points?
- my sniffling cold
- a stack of mobile speeding cameras on the A66 on the journey up
- being too tired every night to party (old age?)
- missing Leslie Monk and Andy Pullen comparing trophies in the bar on Sunday night.
before Aviemore we had a very enjoyable rally at Clipstone. Mick and Ann with helpers put on a really good night and day rally. Saturday evening was a classic with the bar running out of glasses and mixed grills. it's all down hill from here. the dogs are looking fitter and making more noise in the dog run but the rally season heads into it's last few months towards summer. |
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15
Dec
03 |
by Guy |
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what a busy Winter we're having! busy with work, busy with rallies and busy fitting a new kitchen. Grizedale rally was superb. we had a cracking night in the pub, great food and crazy game of darts - with Leslie Robinson singing 'gay bar' between crys of 'are you going to wee your doggies?' in keeping with tradition, it rained..... but the dogs loved it and pulled me up the hill on both days. still not fit enough for a good performance on the second day (both musher and dogs), but still a pleasure to run.
we then went to our local rally in Dalby. new course, with an interesting road crossing that looked like a finish line to my boys on both days.... we had a house full with visitors. Friday night we discovered our local pub does serve good food, and Saturday took us for a great night in York - Meltons2 is a fab place to eat.
Fineshades was superb as always. we missed last year's rally due to kennel cough - so this year we enjoyed it with a vengence. warmed by mulled wine on both days after two very pleasureable runs. Sunday was colder and the dogs ran faster. Fineshades send the 2 dog classes out first - which is always nice cos the dogs are fresh and excited - maybe that's why they had a large D class entry?
we do need to get out more and train a little harder. Baloo is beginning to be a little bit of problem for the neighbours with his new found love of life. he's howling and banging on the kitchen door a little bit too much. We're going to have a go at building some dogs boxes for them to snooze in over Christmas, so they've got somewhere quiet and warm to snuggle up in. |
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11
Dec
03 |
by Guy |
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Helen came home at lunchtime to find Basil holding a dove in his paws. well, they have been breeding a lot recently and getting a little too confident with strutting around the dog run only half a meter from the dogs on the bench. |
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16
Nov
03 |
by Guy |
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since our last entry, we've helped out at the Delamere Teach-in and ran at the Delamere Night and Kielder 2 day rally. not done much training due to work and all the other usual excuses! today we ran across the road and came back with 6 pheasant! a gift from Ray and Bob cos they had some spare. we've left them hanging from one of the rigs in the boiler room. had to mend a flat tire before running. it's the first flat we've had on the Monkey Rig and the wheel dropped out and back in really easily and the brakes worked straight away. life is much easier with a Monkey!
Delamere was fun - the teach-in was held outside and a good bunch of people attended. one experienced musher actually fell off her rig at under 5 mile an hour - not sure how but it was more of a stumble than a fall. Elvis and Basil ran the night rally ok to begin with and then went into a trot which gave us a below average placing.
Kielder was really good fun - great bunch of people with cmaping in the Anglers Arms pub carpark. fabulous new course that had everybody parking in an old quarry. the pub had been done up since we were last there. Saturday wasn't a late night, the hill on the course had worn most of us out - with many nearly falling to sleep in their dinner.
think we need to zing up the training cos the pups seem to be getting board and picking up some arrogant bad habbits. next rally is Kirroghtree - that's another rally with the bar less than 100m from the caravan.
Baloo is more than happy since his arthritis flaired up. he's in such good form that I asked the vet on his 3rd injection whether Cartrophen has any mental side affects - she said no. maybe his persistent banging on the door is just cos he's a yob. |
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30
Oct
03 |
by Guy |
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it's become very clear that Baloo is on the mend. he's had one cartrophen injection and 3 days of rest...... but now capable of charging around the house and jumping to bang on the back door. any visitor would now, once again, struggle to pick out the dog that has arthritis. we now have the task of weening Baloo off his temporary life of pamper and exclusion. huskies seem to know how to milk a good thing and this one is trying very hard to stick with his new found lifestyle. he's still a little stiff - but could be trotting around the race this weekend at this rate. |
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27
Oct
03 |
by Guy |
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we spent Sunday morning running the dogs in Dalby Forest. got a bit wet but the dogs and ourselves really enjoyed it. unfortunately for Baloo, his arthritis kicked in and he started to moan with pain. so he's been back to the vets today to start a course of cartrophen injections and two capsules of Synoquin a day. it was just under 12 months since he last had this treatment. he is feeling very sorry for himself, no longer the crazy dog charging around causing grief - he's just curled up resting his sore hip. looks like Helen's going to be borrowing a dog on Saturday to run at the night rally. |
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25
Oct
03 |
by Guy |
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Elvis had a fantastic day in the ring today with Helen at the Midland Counties show. beating 18 other dogs in his class to go on and get a reserve cc under Sheila Luxmoore. it's nice to hear so many people cheering Elvis on in the ring, he's grown quite a fan club. i did miss him dearly though. i made the unfortunate mistake of taking the remaining three out for a run across the road. Basil and Baloo were up front with Teba running at wheel. The two boys looked good, being closely related, they did run like a matching pair, apart from Baloo running with little strain to protect his arthritic hip. Teba just went along for the ride, neckline taught and lines slack! Baloo darted off for a pee at one point - and remained oblivious to my annoyance at his pig headedness. tomorrow we're in the forest and i'll have my V8 back to run with Basil, just hoping he's not too tired from the show today. |
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22
Oct
03 |
by Guy |
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one of the dovelettes took it's first unfortunate flight today, a few days too early. poor little thing struggled to fly back into the cote and we ended up capturing it to place back with it's buddy. not the first time we've had to help a young dove back into the cote, due to it coming out too early. After clearing an infestation of red mite in the chicken ark, we're now on 2 eggs a day - bantham and silkie egg. the hens have really perked up - i guess it's pretty horrible having things jumping on you at night to feast on your blood. training last night was really nice. it was really cold and the dogs ran well most of the way. Basil was a bit spooked by a few shapes shifting in the bushes and a few rabbits - but we made it back in reasonable time. our first rally is a week on Saturday..... only 2.5 miles but we're only just doing this in training, so it should be fun to see if the dogs run all the way around. |
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19
Oct
03 |
by Guy |
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wow - that would be three days this week that the boys have had a run. aren't we the good mushing household even if we didn't run until 11am? Ray finaly filmed the dogs running on his farm tracks, he was pretty surprised at how fast and strong two huskies are. had an interesting discussion about land drains, silt, digging out sunken farm machinery and sugar beet. I decided to take the s-bend squatting down in the rig to see what would happen today. no surprises, the rig just took the corners as if it was on tramlines. |
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17
Oct
03 |
by Guy |
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went for a run tonight down the cycle way and had a few moments where Basil was more interested in a smell in the bushes. he's not normally like that - so there must have been something different knocking around. i got the boys to run twice past a dead rabbit on the trail - on my return, I stopped to kick it out of the way - cos Helen would be out later with the old boys and they'd have had it. think we did about 2.5 miles and they ran pretty strong all the way. |
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14
Oct
03 |
by Guy |
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ran just before dusk across the road again. there's a sharp s-bend just out from where we start and it's nice to see the rig take it in it's stride. our other rigs were a bit hairy on that corner but the monkey goes well. next time we'll take lights - cos Helen was only just back in time to see where the trail was. |
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11
Oct
03 |
by Guy |
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went for a 9am run across the road. Ray still hasn't fulfilled his desire to film us out training but did ask where we'd been. the youngsters ran well, reminding me of why running fit dogs is so much more fun. |
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