Happy Christmas wishes......

Nellie-Bean and Archie audition as shepherds for the local nativity play!

This picture is a bit of a cobbled together job. Archie had had his fight with a barbed wire fence only two days before and because this year I hadn't got the same enthusiasm for a Christmas pic before hand, nor the energy or time to think of anything exciting and new, it had to be something simple and easy. If you look carefully you can see I am cunningly disguised as a fleece blanket complete with sheep whilst holding both dogs in the porch (Archie especially carefully). Two flowery tea towels and some tinsel complete the 'look'. Couldn't quite bring myself to sprinkle straw all over the entrance to the living room though ;-) Still Nells and Marp look fab and that's the main thing.

Archie had his stitches out yesterday but four hours later, despite him having been completely rested in the crate still with his bonnet which was the vet's instruction for 48 hours to protect the wound, I saw a small amount of gaping in one part and rushed him back to the vet. The middle of the wound had begun to break down a bit and so that section has now been stapled. The top and bottom third are looking good. This bit of skin is right on where he flexes his leg - even going for a pee, getting up and moving in his crate flexes it. I think I was naive to think it would be straightforward after the stitches. Stupid. So two more weeks of crating, bonnet and 10 mins on lead and harness only 'walks'. To be frank, he is not even having that now. If he is on his feet for five minutes to toilet and sniff that's it - twice a day. Though obviously the crate is big enough for him to move very freely in - it was used in our old estate car and filled the boot. How on earth do the dogs recover from this sort of thing when the owners don't have or even know about crates, when the dogs are crashing round the house with their bonnets on, jumping off steps and so on. I have been soooo careful with him and yet.....Good news is that most of the wound is healing really well and looks very healthy and even the bit that has had a set back is very, very healthy skin and it is all so clean. So we are on the right track. Christmas and New Year plans have been changed to balance out his and Nellie's needs. Iain will be dismantling the old chook pen and I will be painting the book shelves we had made in the dining room almost 18 months ago....We have 10 days of holiday together (from the point when Iain walks through the door any minute) and so we can be sure that Archie is not left alone while Nellie can have good walks and we can take it in turns to enjoy those with her. Clouds and silver linings.

Can I wish all of you who read this blog a very Merry Christmas and happiness and good health in 2012? There you go, I did it anyway!

Thank you for reading, thank you for sharing that you read it and thank you for caring. This year, even more than usual, many different people have started a conversation with: 'Hi Helen, you don't know me but I love your blog.....' One lady went on to tell me how she and a bunch of other people who don't blog themselves, but like to read various ones, were all giving me virtual hugs, 'holding' my hand and sending so many loving thoughts to Pop and me after her tumour was diagnosed. What a lovely thing to do.

I realised recently (still learning about blog stuff!) that I could get the stats on blog hits so I now know lots of people read it, and that it is read in many different countries. It never occurred to me when I started writing it though that anybody unknown to me would read it. In fact I think if I had known I'd never have dared to write anything. Much too scary! I was just writing it for a few friends and family who knew me and knew Nellie - or so I thought.

But I have been quite amazed at how many of you are 'silent' blog addicts:-).You might not comment (it is easy to do as anonymous by the way!)but read and follow with great interest!

Someone said 'Hello Archie' at a show recently, a lady I have never met before, and followed it up with, 'he looks so small compared to how he looks on the blog' and so the penny dropped in my brain ;-). I have been reprimanded on numerous occasions when I haven't felt like writing anything for a while and people have even been worried about me when I have been a bit quiet.

I thought people would only be interested in things to do with agility or dog training on the whole so didn't write about much else very often at the start but so many people over the last four or so years have sidled up and said 'I really liked reading that one about your chickens or house or walks or holiday or garden or pictures or (even) opinions you expressed about..' etc that those 'other life' things have nudged their way forward more often.

I have, as someone pointed out to me, opened up a window on my world and, at times, into my heart, and met some very kind people as a consequence.

Thank you all of you. Have a peaceful festive season with your dogs and other family :-)