Sloe gin puts hairs on your chest and a spring in your step, and we think it makes an important part of our winter.  We also love giving bottles of it as Christmas gifts.  So, on Sunday, Operation Sloe Gin commenced with Andrew and I setting out for a sloe berry picking session.  We'd already identified a promising lane on a foray with the dogs, so took our carrier bags and set out.  It was a beautiful, sunny, hazy afternoon and the hedges were thick with all sorts of berries, blackberries, hawthorn berries, rosehips and sloes.  They looked wonderful - beautiful glowing colours against the turning autumn foliage.  The sloes were a good crop with a real variety in size - some about the size of blueberries but with lots as big as a small plum.  These have gone into the freezer and then they'll be transferred into their bottles for the mixing with the gin and the sugar.  All being well, it will be ready just in time for the festive season.  Picking was enjoyable though many of the hedges were above steep ditches so we had some fun with me hanging on grimly to Andrew while he leaned over to get at the the pick of the berries while trying not to plummet into a ditch.  Fortunately we only got a few scratches, and our total haul was just over 3kg - plenty to make a good batch.  

On Tuesday, I attended a Dog Law Professional Seminar at the Holland House Hotel, in central Cardiff. Trevor Cooper is very well known in dog circles as being an expert on dog related law and there was also a barrister speaking on the Animal Welfare Act.  Around 35 people attended - a good mix of vets, police, dog/animal wardens, rescue people and RSPCA/big charities. We covered a lot of ground with a particular focus on the Dangerous Dogs Act - a complex and deeply flawed piece of legislation.  Personally, I still don't think this Act makes anybody safer and arguably has led to an explosion of "pit bull type" dogs, who are actually (paradoxically) more attractive to criminal elements because of their banned status.    I had lunch with Sian from the Dogs Trust, and she was telling me about the excellent work she is doing with social landlords, building in responsible dog ownership issues to tenancy agreements - a very welcome step.  Saw a few other familiar faces and was chatting to a couple of very pleasant vets over coffee - they are often at the sharp end of very tough ethical decisions.  It was an excellent day, though I came home feeling shattered - after a lot of concentration and learning.  I am still digesting the implications of what was discussed and will probably write more about these as my thoughts crystallise.  

Andrew set off early for the station this morning so I took him, with the dogs and headed to Tredegar House for an early morning walk after depositing Andrew.  It was lovely - a beautiful autumn morning, dew thick on the grass, masses of rabbits and squirrels, fungi sprouting in the grass and ducks everywhere.  The swallows have now departed.  Boola was running round like a mad thing, grinning all over his face and Andy was squirrel hunting in all the trees.  After having their breakfast, all the dogs are now peacefully asleep though Andy was snoring gently while I had a quick game of Angry Birds after my own breakfast.  Booty is now lying upside down on the bed with her legs in the air - she'll probably be snoring too shortly. 

The departure of the swallows from Tredegar and the house martens from our house as they set off for Africa makes me sad.  They are such a part of summer and when they go, I really know autumn is here and we won't see them again until the third week of April next year. This year, I think about my father - he'll never see them come back again.  One of the things I remember about him is his love of birds (and the natural world as a whole) and as a child he would teach us about birds, point them out to us and identify them, and encouraged us to enjoy watching and studying them.  I can still remember vividly his excitement at showing us choughs on the cliffs near Pennard when we were small.  Our postman was also a keen bird watcher and encouraged us as children to join the YOC - the junior branch of the RSPB.  Nowadays, I don't suppose they can do this sort of thing - it would probably be regarded as highly suspicious though I am very grateful for this kindness that was shown to us when we were younger.  The understandable concerns about child protection have, I think sadly, permanently lost a lot of the very good contacts between adults and children that used to take place. 

Thursday was a back-to-school day.  Trevithick Library had organised a mini awayday for all the staff to get us updated on what's happening in the Library service and to review the year.  We had an excellent morning and it was great to see people after being off for the summer.  Ruth, the library manager, decided to improve on perfection by bringing in a batch of home baked red velvet cupcakes and some almond frangipane tartlets for us to enjoy with our coffee - what a great idea! 

We talked about ways we could improve customer service in the library, the ongoing Lean programme for the University and the library's new Twitter feed.  The morning flew by and we finished with an inspiring tour of the SCOLAR section - Special Collections and Archives. This includes the rare books previously owned by the City Council that were controversially sold off a couple of years ago and a variety of specialist collections, including Welsh literature and specialist medical textbooks.  Much of this is now being digitised to share with the world via websites - it was fascinating to get a glimpse into this aspect of the library service. Click here   to link to the website for more info. 

On Friday I met up with my friend Helen for lunch down the Bay.  Unfortunately it turned out to be a bad day for her - their much loved Shetland pony, Doughnut, a real character, had to be put down by the vet after breaking her leg, so Helen was in need of getting away from the farm and a change of scene.  We ended up lunching at Cafe Rouge, and had a leisurely and very relaxing meal, catching up with a bucket of news.  Food was great, then we sauntered over to Starbucks for a coffee and more chat.  I popped into the Millennium Centre to buy some tickets - I, Andrew's sister Claire and Rita are going together to see Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker in November, which will be Rita's birthday present. 

Today had another birthday themed activity.  Last year, for Andrew's 40th, his parents and sister clubbed together to get him an Adopt a Vine certificate at Three Choirs Vineyard, Herefordshire.  As part of the package, Andrew could go and visit, and had a voucher to spend in the vineyard shop, as well as being entitled to two free bottles of wine. The weather today was lovely, warm and sunny, so after walking the dogs and having brunch we headed up the M50 for a beautiful drive up to the vineyard.  We were warmly welcomed and enjoyed looking round - there is lots to see and the vineyard has a restaurant, shop, cafe area, walks, ponds, wildlife zones and accommodation.  You can see their website here.   Dotted around the vines were smart gazebos, and when you approached each one, inside there was a solar powered audio pod, with touch controls, which gave you a brief audio guide to some aspect of the vineyard, such as the wildlife, the grape varieties, the calendar of activities through the year and so on. This was a great idea.  

We finished up by browsing in the shop and Andrew choosing a wonderful variety of wine to take home.  Some is going to be kept back for Christmas, but a couple of bottles are in the fridge and we are looking forward to one tonight as we're having squid and then fish.  We took lots of pictures, including of Andrew with "his" vine.  Then it was back to the car, and a short journey home.  

Opera gala, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

The opera gala first.  Held in the Hoddinott Hall, a complete sell out and the final event of Cardiff Music Festival, this was something we'd been anticipating for some time.  It featured a range of up and coming younger singers as well as a special guest appearance from the much loved Dennis O'Neill.  He has been working hard to set up the Wales Academy of Voice (see link here) to bring on younger opera singers and has a real dedication to this which is to be welcomed and commended.  We have seen Angharad Morgan before (she was one of the soloists with the Cardiff Bach Choir) and she has a gorgeous voice, with a lovely warmth and richness, plus a great stage presence.  There was a nice mix of classic arias plus some pieces for the orchestra like the intermezzo from Cav Rust.  I was less impressed with the conducting, but Andrew felt it was fine, so perhaps that was just me.  

It was also another opportunity to spend time in the Millennium Centre - I love this building with a passion.   It works so well when catering for crowds, and has enough space that you can wander about during the interval and just enjoy being in there and admire the views without being crushed in a bar or having to queue endlessly for the loo.   I like the sound in the Hoddinott Hall - there's a warmth and clarity there.  While we were there, we looked at what was coming up and have booked for Parsifal next year (done by the Mariinsky, as was the Ring Cycle) plus Derren Brown. 

Yesterday, we went to see "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy",  the new film of the novel, starring Gary Oldman and with an excellent ensemble cast. I approached it with particular anticipation.  The book is one of my favourite novels, my copy of it is battered with many re-readings and of course it was made into a truly magnificent TV series with Alec Guinness as Smiley.  The film had had good reviews and was made by the director who did "Let the Right One In", a Swedish film I'd enjoyed very much, so the auguries were good.  

We hadn't been to the cinema for a while - generally, it's expensive and audience behaviour is so bad that you can't enjoy the film because of rowdy teenagers and rioting children.  Fortunately, this isn't the sort of film that children would go and see, but we were both horrified at how expensive seats are now - nearly £20 for a couple if you want the Premium Seating, and around £8 for an ordinary seat. Fortunately Andrew had a discount, and I also had an offer via my phone for some free popcorn - but over £3 for a bottle of water!!! Aaargh.  Not funny.  At these prices, cinema going will continue to be a rare treat, and we will enjoy watching films via Sky. 

Anyway, almost from the first frame, I felt an enormous sense of relief and a deep sense of pleasure - the book had been respected and a wonderful film had been created.  The acting was superb - I foresee a huge crop of Oscars, Emmys, BAFTAs etc for this.  Difficult to pick out individuals since there really wasn't a dud in it - but Benedict Cumberbatch was superb as Guillam, Cieran Hinds brought a real sense of thuggish intimidation to his role, and of course Gary Oldman acted as the pivot for the whole thing as Smiley.  He was truly superb, and top marks to him for not overdoing things - so much of the character of Smiley and his portrayal is about absence, repression and observation, rather than action and expression.  It was such a pleasure to watch a truly adult film, not in the sexual sense, but in the sense of it being made intelligently, and allowing the audience to fill in gaps, join dots and infer things that were hinted rather than stated.  Visually, it was also wonderful - a murky, sepia reminder of the decay and depression of the 1970s.  I really can't praise it highly enough, and even by the time we walked back to the car, I mentioned to Andrew that I was looking forward to seeing it again when it reaches Sky, as I've no doubt there will be even more nuances I'll pick up the second time around.  

I haven't felt this happy about the adaptation of a much loved book since we watched Lord of the Rings.  Conversely, when an adaptation goes badly wrong, it's hard to explain the sense of fury and almost of violation that you feel - where much loved characters, places or language get trashed or misunderstood. 

The past ten days or so have been, perhaps understandably, a time of great emotional turmoil, but I've tried to keep going and stick to planned activities wherever possible.  On Thursday afternoon, I attended a meeting of the new Cross Sectoral Companion Animal Welfare Group - chaired by WG, with attendance from local authorities, vets and various voluntary sector organisations.  It was particularly interesting, and one thing that did give me some hope was that WG laid out their planned schedule of work for Animal Welfare over the next year.  They seem very determined to drive through the dog breeding legislation and I'm hopeful that by this time next year, we may actually have some legislation that will begin to bite in combating the dreadful problems of puppy farming in West Wales.  The proposed legislation requires microchipping for puppies and breeding bitches at registered premises, but one of the things that emerged from the meeting was the almost unanimous agreement from everyone involved in dog issues that chipping is the way to go and if at all possible should be made universal and compulsory, as it covers so many issues.  WG indicated that the other British administrations are looking very seriously at this issue, and I'd hate for Wales to be left behind if this were the case.  I really cannot understand why they cannot act in a more co-ordinated manner on this issue.  Anyway, it was good to see some familiar faces, meet some interesting new people, and I tore myself away as Booty had her hydrotherapy appointment.  That went very well.  

On Saturday (pic attached) I attended Rumney Folk Festival.  I've been along several times to the folk club and to their annual festival, both of which are relaxed and agreeably low key.  Yesterday continued this theme - bands started playing at around 5 p.m.  and there was a good mix of musicians and singers, with an agreeable range of styles - from "classic" one person and a guitar to a pretty full on rock style band 

This time was my first foray into stall holding - and I was quite pleased.  A few drawbacks - the venue is a church hall with all the windows covered by curtains (you can see one behind me in the photograph) with small candles on each table and flickering sconces on the walls - fabulous for atmosphere, but hopeless for selling stitched goods, especially when they're brightly coloured! I didn't sell a huge amount but was cheered by the fact that everyone who actually came to the stall ended up buying something, and I had some very positive feedback.  So the stall will be making future appearances.  We picked up a Chinese takeaway on the way home (which was delicious) and had a quiet evening catching up with Doctor Who and Torchwood before bed. 

Today we went over to the greyhound field and as usual the dogs had a whale of a time.  There were a few intermittent showers but on the whole we were lucky with the weather.  There was a great deal of grass munching, lots of scampering about and a good time was had by all.  We always take a thermos of coffee, and it's great to be able to have mug while the dogs are sniffing and chasing about.  Some pics attached.  

Tonight, as part of the Cardiff Music Festival, we're going to the Opera Gala at the Millennium Centre.  

Finally, a big thank you to all those who've sent or passed on their condolences, it is very much appreciated. 

Michael John Evans

2nd October 1943 - 13th September 2011

RIP Dad  

Today was a big day for me - my first foray into judging at a dog show. Paula from Greyhound Welfare asked me back in the spring if I would like to judge at the annual late summer show at All Saints Church, Llandaff North. I agreed, with a certain amount of trepidation. Over the summer, we've taken Boola to plenty of local charity shows and I've been keeping a close eye on judging practice, and wherever possible, looking at dogs with a "How would I judge these?" sort of view.

It was at this show last year that Boola really made his showing debut, and of course won a beautiful challenge trophy, which sadly had to be returned today, though now of course with his name on it. I dithered about what to wear, and eventually settled for a black printed cotton fitted dress with a below the knee full skirt and a long sleeved black linen mix broderie anglaise fitted jacket, which I bought many years ago at Marks and Spencer and has been one of those reliable old faithfuls that every wardrobe should have. Unfortunately, my choice of outfit was not successful as the weather was changeable, and in particular the wind was very gusty, so I spent most of the afternoon battling with my billowing skirt.

We arrived in good time, armed with trophy, water, clipboard (for Andrew, who agreed to steward for me) and a tin of Quality Street and a bottle of wine for the raffle. The weather all day had been veering between clouds and showers, with the occasional flash of blue sky. This, along with the rugby, had affected numbers attending, but there was a good crowd and it was nice to see stalls for Greyhound Welfare itself and Four Paws, another local all breed dog rescue. The church hall was doing a roaring trade in teas and coffees.

We started at 2 p.m. promptly and I recognised several faces from other shows we've attended over the summer. First up were the pedigree classes - these are contested very hotly, by people who take their breeding and showing seriously. It's a big responsibility when competitors are so committed to ensure they are judged as fairly and thoroughly as possible. There were some gorgeous dogs and it was a pleasure to give out the rosettes, which I found out were made by one of GW's volunteers, a very talented lady. Then I judged the Best Pedigree (another super rosette) and it was half time and time for the raffle, to draw breath and have a quick drink of water. Then back into the ring for the novelty classes, and these were great. A much bigger variety of dogs, with lots of non-showy owners and handlers - mainly family pets, often with the dog charging round the ring and showing the child! The classes that are hardest but also the nicest are the ones for the veterans/oldies and also the Best Rescue - I'd love to be able to give a rosette to every competitor in those classes as they all have heartrending stories to tell. Today was no different - there were dogs who'd been dumped on a motorway (understandably still nervous around traffic), dogs who'd been pulled out of a pound hours before facing the needle, dogs who'd been abandoned, beaten and starved. To see them all now with delighted happy owners, looking well fed, happy and loved was a wonderful and joyous occasion and it was a real pleasure to be able to, in some small way, celebrate their new lives. These classes will always matter to me much, much more than the "pure" pedigree ones, lovely though the pedigree dogs are.

Finally, after the mayhem and anarchy of the egg and spoon and the sausage eating race, it was time for the Best Novelty and then it was all over. Andrew and I helped return the chairs to the church hall and just as we were leaving, down came the rain. It had been a very enjoyable but surprisingly tiring afternoon. We've had a quiet evening, with a beef casserole that Andrew prepared last night and a nice bottle of red wine.

Next weekend is another interesting first for me. I've decided to take the plunge, and am having a stall at Rumney Folk Festival, a local, annual event hosted by our local folk club. It's very low key, and rather nice, with lots of local bands and musicians, food and stalls, all raising money for the church restoration fund. I'll be selling a range of stitchy gifts, with some pretty gingham applique drawstring bags, tissue holders, lavender bags and fabric holders for cleansing wipes and so on. It'll be a nice foray for me to see what sells (if anything!) and if all goes well, I'd like to have a stall at a few more events in the run up to Christmas. So, I've been pretty busy over the past few days, stitching up a storm, with lots of cutting, pressing, trimming and measuring. My job tomorrow is to order some tissue paper and paper bags via Ebay. When I'm ready for packing up the goods, I'll post some pics on the blog. The drawstring bags will, I think, be handy for things like laundry, lingerie when packing, nightwear and so on. I could also see them being handy for children, or even for popping into a gym bag. I'm particularly pleased with the cleansing wipe holder - though I don't use them myself, these have become very popular recently with lots of the big cosmetic companies like Nivea doing them as well as the supermarket own brands. They are generally a standard size, so I worked out (with much swearing and cursing at my appalling maths) the measurements needed and made a prototype which went to Leila for approval (she's someone I know who uses the wipes, and I can trust her to give me straight answer). She gave them the thumbs up and production is now rolling. If successful, I think the idea could also be extended for baby wipe holders - I will keep thinking about this.

Last Thursday, Boola was booked in for a GA at the vets - this was for a dental and for a hip X ray. We've noticed that his back leg "wobble" has got more noticeable recently and we wanted, if possible, to get to the bottom of it. The hip X ray confirmed there is no cancer or arthritis and it is what the vet suspected, a neurological problem. As such, we won't make any further attempts to investigate or treat, since he's far too old for any invasive surgery and isn't in any pain. Sometimes, just the reassurance of knowing what something isn't can be very helpful. While he was having the dental, the vet phoned to confirm taking out a tooth that was cracked - we knew he was having problems on that side of his mouth, so were happy to give the go ahead. As usual, he came home and was quite distressed on Thursday evening, as he doesn't react at all well to the anaesthetic. I stayed up with him till about 2.30 and he did eventually settle. He managed a short walk on Friday and by Friday night was a lot happier. On Sunday morning, we were preparing to go out for our walk, and he was so much brighter that he decided to do a leap of excitement just as I was bending down to put on his lead. There was a cartoon style "Clonk" and I spent the next few moments reeling around the hall, swearing. By the time we got back from our walk, Andrew informed me that my eye socket was swelling and changing colour, and sure enough, I've now got a magnificent black eye. On Sunday afternoon, we went with a friend and Boola to the Greyhound Rescue Wales annual show at Pembrey Country Park. Fortunately the weather was dry, and it was wonderful to see lots of greys and lurchers together. Boola had a wonderful time sniffing lots of bottoms, and came 8th in the Best Male Greyhound class, and 4th in the Best Veteran, so came home with two more very smart rosettes. We saw Penny and also Margaret, who was absolutely delighted to see Boola. She has a very special soft spot for him, as she was the person who picked him up from his surrendering owners and immediately fell in love with him. She was telling us about her new foster lurcher puppy and about the progress of the GRW charity shop, so it was great to catch up with the news.

We took Boola back to the vet on Wednesday for his post operative check up and the vet said he was fine, and looking very healthy and happy.

I've been slowly trying to do more work on my stray dog stats but am still waiting for Newport to come through, then I'll have the complete figures for the past four years so should be able to do some more detailed trend analysis.

Booty went for her hydrotherapy session on Thursday afternoon, and her therapist measured her limbs to assess progress - she has put on a cm on two of her legs. It's so lovely to see her going there as she gets really excited. In the car, she knows when we are nearly there, and gets up and starts wagging her tail. When we get inside, her tail is going like mad, and she trots round to say hello to everyone, has a good sniff and then waits very happily for her harness to be attached, before heading off to the treadmill. After her session, she loves her treats and seems to really enjoy the rub down with the towel. We usually find that once she's home and had her tea, she then spends most of the evening fast asleep, and is pretty perky the next day. She has her picture on the wall of the outer office, along with many of the other clients.