The drought is affecting us – sheepdog school at Binalong is cancelled until next year because the sheep have not got enough feed or water and are in bad condition. This is dreadful, dreadful news. We went this weekend to Michelago and it was nice but I do miss Brad and the nice big pens at Binalong. It is now a very long time since it rained and the temperature has been in the 30s – in October – everyone says we are in for a long, hot dry summer with no rain in sight – there was only 3mm of rain in October instead of the 64mm we used to average. Lots of the farmers here are selling their stock because they cannot afford to buy feed and water for them. It depends on whether we have rain whether we can go to Michelago again – we won’t be going this year. I think my career as a working dog may be over before it has really started.
Anyway, I cannot complain – we had a good time while it lasted and Ailsa says we can probably find a farmer locally who will give us some lessons until school opens up again. The weekend at Michelago was fun although yesterday it was very hot and windy and I kept thinking I could smell bushfires. It is very hard to work when it is so hot and that farm has some very bolshy sheep – one in particular – a ewe with a red tag in her ear gave me a lot of cheek and in the end I had to get in a corner and tell her she would be roast lamb for my dinner with some mint sauce on the side if she did not start behaving better. Robert wanted me to go and work in the big paddock but it was so hot and windy and it is on a hill and the sheep are scattered to the four corners of the paddock, that I was not very keen and this afternoon he let me stay in the small one.
There were lots of new puppies at the school and Robert was telling everyone how to check whether a pup would be a good working dog – it was very interesting but Ailsa says she will never have a puppy because they are too much work and she would rather take an older rescue dog – just as well or she might not have got me. One of my worstest rivals at sheepdog school – a Kelpie called Red Rocket – had six 8 week old puppies and Ailsa said they were very cute but I did not think so. I liked my mate Chance’s daughter better – Fleck is a red merle Koolie and she is very pretty and you should have seen her taking an interest in the sheep – Ailsa took some photos of her for the Koolie Club newsletter. Koolies rule!!!!
Going to the farm gave me a chance to see my friends Harry and Lucinda again – Harry is just four and Lucinda is three – they have both had chicken pox but they are getting better now so they were allowed to come and play ball with me.
Ailsa has ordered some Christmas stamps – they have a photo of me with sheep at the farm at Michelago. She says we can also make some Christmas cards with the same photo on and we can put lettering on the bottom which says “While shepherds watched …” I hope people like them.
Anyway, I cannot complain – we had a good time while it lasted and Ailsa says we can probably find a farmer locally who will give us some lessons until school opens up again. The weekend at Michelago was fun although yesterday it was very hot and windy and I kept thinking I could smell bushfires. It is very hard to work when it is so hot and that farm has some very bolshy sheep – one in particular – a ewe with a red tag in her ear gave me a lot of cheek and in the end I had to get in a corner and tell her she would be roast lamb for my dinner with some mint sauce on the side if she did not start behaving better. Robert wanted me to go and work in the big paddock but it was so hot and windy and it is on a hill and the sheep are scattered to the four corners of the paddock, that I was not very keen and this afternoon he let me stay in the small one.
There were lots of new puppies at the school and Robert was telling everyone how to check whether a pup would be a good working dog – it was very interesting but Ailsa says she will never have a puppy because they are too much work and she would rather take an older rescue dog – just as well or she might not have got me. One of my worstest rivals at sheepdog school – a Kelpie called Red Rocket – had six 8 week old puppies and Ailsa said they were very cute but I did not think so. I liked my mate Chance’s daughter better – Fleck is a red merle Koolie and she is very pretty and you should have seen her taking an interest in the sheep – Ailsa took some photos of her for the Koolie Club newsletter. Koolies rule!!!!
Going to the farm gave me a chance to see my friends Harry and Lucinda again – Harry is just four and Lucinda is three – they have both had chicken pox but they are getting better now so they were allowed to come and play ball with me.
Ailsa has ordered some Christmas stamps – they have a photo of me with sheep at the farm at Michelago. She says we can also make some Christmas cards with the same photo on and we can put lettering on the bottom which says “While shepherds watched …” I hope people like them.
Now she has finished having to go to the office for that big job she can work from home and that means we get to go to the dog club and play ball most days - I just love chasing the ball for her and she loves throwing it. Usually we go to the post office and collect the mail, then we go to the nice bakery called Silo and buy some breakfast, then we go to the dog club and share it while we play ball - pretty good.
Guess what, I have a thread on eBay in the Antiques and Collectables discussion group! Bet that surprised you and you would never have guessed. It is for all the dogs of the people who talk on there and there are a lot of us and several of us have been rescued from bad starts in life. There are also some cats and even a snake called Slithers – we were all a bit wary of a snake but he has promised not to hurt us and provided we keep our relationship confined to the internet I think we will all be safe.
Guess what, I have a thread on eBay in the Antiques and Collectables discussion group! Bet that surprised you and you would never have guessed. It is for all the dogs of the people who talk on there and there are a lot of us and several of us have been rescued from bad starts in life. There are also some cats and even a snake called Slithers – we were all a bit wary of a snake but he has promised not to hurt us and provided we keep our relationship confined to the internet I think we will all be safe.
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