June
2008
Big Trip - part 10
How time flies…. Mist did get some more training in the second half of May, but Jon was away quite a bit so I was home alone with dog + baby and had to get things ready for our Big Trip…. so it was only the odd search square and some obedience.
Can’t quite believe we’re now almost 3 weeks into our 11-week summer holiday! We left Sandnes on 9th June, and (thanks to Mist!) took the long route to the UK via Denmark, Germany and Nederlands, and an overnight ferry. We then drove all the way to Aviemore in the Highlands of Scotland for a long weekend with a bunch of friends, then back down to the Yorkshire Dales to stay with my parents.
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The journey to the UK went fairly well - we travelled mainly during Thomas’s usual sleeping times, as we had suspicions (duly confirmed 
) that he wouldn’t be too happy about hours in a car seat if he was awake. The first day, we managed to pop in very briefly to see Sandy + Aksel Hott in Kristiansand (briefer than originally intended, but better than nothing 
) just before taking the ferry to Denmark. The crossing was fine, and Thomas impressed fellow passengers with his ability to sleep anywhere (*not any more it seems*).
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Neither Jon nor I slept particularly well our first night in the campervan at Hirtshals as a result of strong winds blowing straight off the sea, and Thomas’s multiple night-awakenings (a recent development which no doubt will only make the summer more interesting ).
On day2, we dropped in on Mist’s breeder and caught up with some of the family, and fortunately hadn’t had time to grab the sandwiches we’d intended to make beforehand, as we were invited to stay for lunch.
Mist had a great time with sister Ginger, and was bullied by the newest addition to Kennel Kewstock, 5month-old Phoenix….
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Ginger is very like Mist, although a much lighter build, and darker in colouring. It was also interesting to see Mist’s mum being trained (agility) and when given her rope toy as reward, ‘killing’ it in just the same way Mist does 
Day3 we had a vet’s appointment in Neumunster in Germany - arranged with the help of a German friend, after some failed phone calls on my part. After a few circuits of town, we found the right place and Mist was given the once-over, tick and worm treatments and her passport filled in.
Day4 we finally made it to the ferry at ‘Rotterdam’. Neither Jon nor I had checked where the ferry would go from so, given Jon had taken a ferry to the UK from there before, we drove to Hook of Holland only to find that it was the port for Stena Line only and that for P&O ferries we needed to get to ‘the other side of the river’….. another 40minutes drive, about 20minutes of which was backtracking where we’d come from.. oops! 
Mist got a last walk around the delightful (not!) port of Europoort and was then shut in the car for the following 14hours. The ferry did have kennels available, but we chose to leave her in the car as it’s ‘home’ and we thought she would be less stressed. Although very pleased to see us the following morning, she certainly didn’t seem to have suffered. We were lucky to find some big park/playing fields on arrival in Hull so Mist was able to let off some steam before the long drive to Scotland.
We had a fantastic weekend staying at Badaguish near Aviemore with a group of friends from Scotland. The weather wasn’t particularly kind and although not bad by Scottish standards, the midges were many and annoying. Katy & Peter were running a bike event, so we were roped in to help on the Sunday (easier than taking part anyway). Mist got to ‘do’ the Mheall A Buichaille ridge twice - once runninng with Jon on Saturday morning, and again in the afternoon with me, Jill, Fiona and Beth. She also discovered the delights of red grouse, and had to be kept on the lead after a couple of rounds of bird-chasing 
since there were signs asking dog owners to keep dogs under control due to ground nesting birds 
. We managed to do a bit of tracking and some search square practice while there - the lodges are in the forest, so there was plenty of suitable terrain. On the Sunday evening we realised that the talk of ‘diesel shortages’ we’d heard on the radio, was now a serious issue, and with only 70km of diesel left in the van (according to the computer) we were getting nervous about our trip south the following day. In the end, Dave’s mum was roped in to search the internet to find info on petrol stations in the highlands so that we could find out where there was diesel available, and Jon made the 120km round trip to Inverness to fill up….. good job the information was right and Tesco’s at Inverness did have plenty, as he didn’t have enough to get back to Aviemore 
So, on Monday 16th June we drove south, and made it all the way to Wensleydale to stay with my parents. Since then, Jon has been away more than he has been here (ironically flying back to Norway for a race last weekend!). We have had visits from aunts, uncles, great-aunts, great-uncles, cousins, you name it! And have introduced Thomas to great-grandpa. Mist has enjoyed many good walks on the extensive network of public footpaths in the area, has discovered the delights of more British birds, and rabbits, which must outnumber humans here by many 10s to 1 (disappointingly for my parents, though, she hasn’t managed to catch any in the garden where they’re struggling to get rid of the resident population who like it so much that they are reproducing at a great rate!). I think Sisco, Mist’s greyhound friend, has a lot to answer for as I was somewhat surprised to see Mist actually gaining on a rabbit she was chasing - I really didn’t know what would happen if she caught it. ….. Quite comically, the rabbit headed for a low point in a stone wall, leapt over and SPLASH! into a water trough. Fortunately (?) I managed to get to the trough and pull out the rabbit as Mist frantically snapped at the slowly sinking bunny, and released it and kept Mist on the lead for the rest of that walk.
On a more ‘well-behaved’ note, we have been walking lots in fields of sheep, including yesterday, walking through 3 fields full of sheep, with Mist off lead 
She is interested in them, but is learning that they’re not worth bothering with. The tups (male sheep) we met yesterday afternoon probably helped, when they approached her, seemingly harmless, had a little sniff, wandered around a bit, then took a step back and Bam! headbutted her in the shoulder Poor Mist, she’d done her best to look small and harmless….
Last Friday Mist had an internet date with a friend I ‘met’ through a dog-related forum. Louise has a german wirehaired pointer with many characteristics shared with thule, my previous dog - mainly an amazing independence, and a desire to hunt! Sadly Connie (the GWP) was run over last year and after not mending properly, had to have a leg amputated. She is however, still fully active and even if slightly less agile these days, still has the same mind. We had a lovely walk in meadows in Balderdale near Barnard Castle with Louise, Connie and Jasper (a friend’s cocker spaniel) and Connie demonstrated her hunting prowess by catching a baby rabbit in the long grass! Luckily, Mist didn’t see!
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Just spent the weekend with my brother and his girlfriend in Lincolnshire - Mist and Euan are as daft as each other and it’s a good job we weren’t staying any longer or I think I would have to forget any attempt to teach Mist not to jump on, lick, mouth, push people etc. as Euan spent most of the time rolling around on the floor with her, encouraging all previously discouraged behaviours His plans for a ’safe’ walk for us on Saturday (no stock, no traffic, no people etc etc) were a nice idea but Mist managed to prove him wrong in quite spectacular style when she plummeted at top-speed 2metres down a boundary dyke (field edges are bounded by ditches rather than hedges in this part of the country) - in the long grass, she clearly had no idea there was anything there, so got quite a shock! Awaiting a splash which never came, I was worried she might have hurt herself but it appeared only pride had taken a tumble when she clambered back up the steep sides, with every inch from her neck down plastered with thick, black mud. We changed the route-plan to include a river to try to get the worst of it off, but despite also shampooing her when we got home, she still smells of mud Just wish we’d had the camera.