Another pointless thread

On the subject of puppies, Glen has passed his assessment and goes on to Guide Dog Training School at Forfar next month. They've asked us if we can take another puppy now, two at the same time I suppose the needs of a six week old dog and a fourteen month one are very different.

Glen will help train the new one, and it will settle in quicker with another dog around (well that's the theory :lol.

Walking them is the only problem - Glen will want a lot more exercise than a six week old could cope with.

You're a better person than me Ken - I could never cope with training puppies and then letting them go.

I keep being tempted by a second dog but our future is very uncertain now so I am being firm and sticking to the one, though I do miss having a second dog around.

Good Grief - 2 pups in training !!

Mind you - I suppose it's a compliment - you've done such a good job with Glen that they want you to repeat the process

You've had dogs, why don't you volunteer? They're desperate for people, it is much harder work than I had anticipated but immensely rewarding and a lot of fun, especially now that people assume that I'm blind because I have a full size guide dog. I overheard someone say, as I negotiated stairs the way a visually impaired person might, 'I'd give my life to help that blind man down those stairs'. How generous!

Still haven't managed to ask a client if they mind if I bring my guide on the shoot, though.

I met someone last week who is on her ninth pup.

I hope that seeing you with a guide dog doesn't put off potential customers.

Of course, you could turn it to your advantage:

Gartmore - the Amazing Blind Photographer!

Should be good for publicity.

G

I wonder what the effect on the guest etc would be as you step from your car with your dog

So you pass your test and get sent to Fife. Not much incentive then!

Hmmm

I have a problem

Just had my main course for my evening meal now for my second course [ wine is a thing on it's own - it's just drunk as a matter of course ]

NOW the options are

1) some chocolate cheesecake

or

2) Oat cakes and white stilton with Mango and Ginger

Both are yummy

your views ?

Tozza ?

I'd go for the stilton option

I'd go for the Stilton, if it wasn't contaminated.

I have to say the Stilton with Mango and Ginger is lovely - it is white not blue .

And I also enjoy the dark Chocolate Cheesecake - but both would be a tad too much

Small pieces:

hmm

< thinking >

yup - a bit of both

Sheer indulgence

I regret to announce some disturbing news.

Talking to my local butcher the other day, he told me that the Chinese are rapidly developing a taste for lamb, and that all the best New Zealand lamb now goes to China. What we get here is second-rate, and increasingly expensive.

Quite a lot is going to Arabia too, apparently.

Today the BBc reports that the Chinese are now the world's biggest importer of claret (red Bordeaux). It used to be us until fairly recently.

If this trend continues, which it inevitably will, a lot of nice things which we can afford today will soon be out of our reach.

It's a sobering thought.

G (reaching for another glass of just-affordable claret)

PS: He told me this to soften me up just before charging me an arm and a leg for some salt-marsh lamb. But it rings true.