Crufts 2015

For various reasons I haven't manged to visit Crufts in four years.  Between landlord evictions, pregnancy, having a busy baby etc. it hasn't really been possible.  Now we are settled in our own home and have a relative routine with Rowan, I decided 2015 would be the year to finally go to Crufts again!
As my Mother-in-law hadn't experienced Crufts, she and Rowan shared their first visit together.

We left at 9am to avoid the exhibitors driving to Birmingham (20,000 dogs are shown in Crufts over the four days, so I was expecting the roads to be busy) and had a really good drive down. The weather was dry and it was generally a pleasant journey - sometimes the driving styles of drivers clash, and can make it quite stressful.
We got to the NEC around 11am and attempted to orientate ourselves. The show is spread out over four massive halls, and it is very easy to get lost.  We had hoped to see the heelwork to music display, but unfortunately missed it as we were still lost at that point. Actually, we didn't see much of the activities apart from a pet obedience display which was interesting, but not as exciting as some of the other displays sounded!  I think Crufts is one of those events you need to be quite militant in your planning, otherwise you do miss a lot. Something I will remember for next time!

We walked around the Discover Dogs hall and enjoyed seeing and petting some of the dogs. I think both Lynn and Rowan enjoyed this part as you could get more hands-on with the dogs (with the owners' permission, of course!)
I absolutely fell in love with the Catalan Sheepdog! Such a gentle face, and that scruffy coat!  The breed is known for it's love of children, is very trainable and doesn't sound as highly strung as my first-love (Border Collies) so it might be a contender for our next dog since I don't think we can meet the demands of another collie where we are currently in life.  Catalan's are a rare breed however, so it may take a few more years of research!

I didn't get a lot of photos since I was simply enjoying being back at Crufts.

Catalan Sheepdog

Catalan Sheepdog

Hungarian Puli - the Rastafarian of the

dog world 

A close-up of the Puli's corded coat

We walked around the hundreds of stalls displaying a multitude of doggy merchandise.  Everything from squeaky toy trophies, diamante collars and genetic screening services.  I was a little disappointed to see that electric shock collars were being sold there, but that was certainly not the most controversy Crufts has generated this year.  Between alleged poisonings, a reported dog-beating in the car park and heavy handling by the best in show winner, Crufts has had a lot of negative coverage this year. Personally, I do not feel that the Kennel Club can be held responsible for the first two (even if the poisoning had occurred at the NEC). Regardless of how strict the implemented security was, it is unrealistic to assume they could have prevented it. However, I do feel that they should have stripped best in show handler, Rebecca Cross, of her win. She had reportedly been warned previously about heavy handling, and proceeded to do it again. Despite her protestations that is was a 'habit,' it sends a poor message about the care and welfare of dogs in the breed show world.

On top of a glut of treats for Tangent, I also came home with the contact details for the editor on Dogs Today.  Now I just need to find out if they accept freelance submissions and get writing!

A lone walk

I had a rare opportunity for a walk on my own with Tangent recently.  We just strolled over to our usual field, but it's amazing what you notice when you're not preoccupied entertaining a two year old!
Some the photos need cropping/editing at some point, but here they are in their raw form:

 The only purple flower in the field

 Buttercup

Trolley wheel

 Upended trolley, yes I live in quite a chavvy area

Love the red on this thorn branch

Tangent enjoying one-on-one time

Emma and Alexander's Christening

It was my niece and nephew's Christening last weekend. Unfortunately, due to work commitments, Gareth wasn't able to attend so Rowan and I went up to my sister's with my parents on Saturday.  Rowan was excited about visiting his cousins, and recited their names to us on the journey.  Tom, Lily and Emma are all very good with Rowan, and they had great fun playing together. We were able to stay for a few days and it was nice being able to spend a decent chunk of time with my family.

 I love this photo of my Dad with 2 of

his grandsons. It was taken with my 

mobile so it isn't the best quality. Sometimes

capturing a moment is more important

than the final aesthetic

On Sunday, we all got ready for the Christening and drove the hour to the church (Rowan took a quick catnap and woke up on hearing the word 'cake.' Uncanny).
It was a friendly service, and the vicar was very relaxed.  He involved the children in the service wherever possible, and was quite happy for them to run around the church - if you've ever tried to keep a young child sat still when there's an array of tempting (and fragile) decorations around, you'll appreciate how thankful the parents were to hear this!

I was one of the godparents so didn't get an opportunity to take any photos of the service itself. Emma was also a little shy and didn't want her photo taken so there are no pictures of her here. It's a shame as she was very enchanting in her dress. However, Alex was unable to voice any such protest...

Paula and baby Alex

Mark, Paula and Alex

The friendly vicar. This picture makes him

a little imposing, but he was very relaxed

After the Christening, we went to a local carvery for lunch.  Rowan was somewhat tired at this point (he never sleeps that well when away from home unless I'm in the room with him - thank goodness for the Kindle paperwhite, or those early nights would have felt very long!) and I struggled to cajole good behaviour from him. In these situations you do tend to reach a point of 'bugger it' and just let things slide. As long as he wasn't hitting etc., I admit I wasn't exactly trying to establish good table manners.
We survived lunch, and then traveled to Paula's in-laws for the evening. They are a very welcoming family, and I felt relaxed with them. Rowan was happily zooming around their house (with permission, I should add), and was delighted when he located the mop (for some reason Rowan loves anything related to cleaning).  Along with a sit-on car, this became his toy of choice till we returned to Paula's house.

Alex car jacking in his finery

Christening cake

More cake. Because... cake

Paula and Alex

Cheeky face!

Keeping an eye on his mum's whereabouts

We spent all of Monday and Tuesday morning catching up, and then my parents drove us home. It takes 3 hours to drive to my sister's, and they went back the same day - 6 hours of driving just to take me home; crazy (but kind) people!  I had an excellent few days spending time with family. Rowan was generally well behaved. I think sometimes I forget he is only 2 years old, and expect too much from him.

Driving home

Rowan catching up on his reading

Project #4

I made a long bib for Rowan completely upcycled from items languishing in my remnants pile. It might not be the most coordinated accessory, but it's perfectly functional!

Pleased with his new bib

I cut an old hand towel in half and trimmed off the patterned ends. Using one half of the towel, I double-folded the raw edges and sewed them closed. 
For the ribbed collar, I cut the collar out from an old T-shirt of Gareth's.  I then used it as a template to mark the neck hole in the towel and cut out a circle.  I pinned the collar to the towel and sewed it to the towel and finished it with a zigzag stitch along the raw edge (if I knew how to use my overlocker I could have omitted the zigzag step).

Super simple towel-bib

This was a really easy project that took less than half an hour to throw together.  You could easily make a couple of these during nap times (if your children still nap).
I still need to trim the seams around the collar, but Rowan was so thrilled with his new bib he refused to take it off when I tried it on him to test for fit. He wore it like a superhero cape!

I like the length of this towel-bib. I find a lot of the commercially bought bibs are just too short for a 2 year old.  I'm looking forward to making a second bib with the remaining half of the towel once I have access to another collar - Gareth may need to keep an eye on his T-shirts...

Project #3

My third project of the year was a peg bag made for my Mother-in-law.  I had some remnants from a blue flowery skirt I made last year.  I thought the fabric lent itself well to a summery peg bag, with the addition of some yellow bias binding and buttons.
Overall, it's functional but a bit tight around the coat hanger - I miscalculated and didn't allow enough seam allowance.  If I was keeping it myself I'd just live with it, but as it is a gift I want to make another one to replace it eventually.  My bias binding stitching is also a bit laughable, but you learn with every project. The tutorial I followed said to stitch the bias binding in place once the bag was complete.  This was incredibly fiddly in such a confined space so next time I will stitch it in place before sewing the front and back together.  Luckily a couple of decorative buttons concealed a few shabby ends!

Pancake day

I think Rowan likes the idea of pancakes more than the taste.  He gets excited about making them, and choosing the fillings but he usually ends up dissecting them to access the filling, abandoning the actual pancake.  For Rowan, pancakes are a warm, floppy plate for holding the tasty main event.

This year, we made savoury cheese pancakes followed by lemon and sugar pancakes (Rowan has a surprising fondness for the tart taste of lemon).

I should probably point out the cut on Rowan's lip in the photos.  He fell face-first off his bike at nursery a couple of days earlier and is now sporting an impressive cut and swelling.

Ready to make some pancakes

The serious business of dissecting pancakes

Because one plate of pancakes is 

never enough 

Coated in refined sugar - I can already hear the

self-righteous netmum zealots!

Fiscal responsibility

Rowan has started saving early.  One day he'll be able to emulate Scrooge Mcduck's money dive (as long as the coins are really, really soft, otherwise he'll just have concussion).