Shopping Challenge Number 56

I arrive into work to be met by a virus warning on my computer. Nice, and I’ve not even been downloading anything dodgy. Well, not for ages. Turns out to be not serious for once. Phew.

Shopping challenge number 56. OMG. What does a fennel look like? L says a fennel bulb is green and ugly like stumpy celery with hairy bits on the end. So that’s crystal clear then.



What a brain meltingly stupid decision by Newcastle United Football Club to sack Chris Hughton. A man who has earned the admiration of football supporters country wide by reviving Newcastle, getting them promoted and up to the dizzy height of 11th in the Premier League when everyone thought they’d be bottom six if they were lucky. The guy deserves a medal as big as a frying pan.



I’m just off down the bookies to put some money on them to go down. They’ll sink without trace now he’s gone.

Guess what... Tonight’s council run coaching course is off. Bet that shocked you. What a surprise. Two out of my three coaching nights have now been cancelled. The tutor is ill apparently. My next scheduled one isn’t until January 11th.

No dog training tonight either but that was planned. Our trainer is away and it had fitted in nicely with my coaching course. Now they'll rescheduled the course nights I’ve missed presumably when I have other things on.

Instead I spend the evening trying to construct a working computer for Daughter out of her old deceased one and a second hand one I bought on ebay. I’m thwarted by one missing cable. Typical.

So I put the Christmas tree up instead and then when I've done it, realise that it's actually a bit early for such festive gestures. I must be sickening for something.

He Who Cannot Be Rushed

I suppose it should be expected that after a 6th place last week, that this week was going to go the other way. It didn’t look like that at first, as Doggo put in a storming run on his first course but then picked up faults for dipping his head in the tunnel, then out again, just to check that’s what I really meant him to do, before dipping back into it and completing the obstacle. That’s a refusal mate. As we come off the ring, one of my trainers is waiting for me, to give me a right telling off for rushing him... rushing Doggo? He who cannot be rushed? Hmmm. Later the same trainer praises me over MD, who picks up 15... I got crucified when Doggo got a mere 5!?! But I guess expectations are lower for the little un.

Still not got a clear with MD, although again we were close. It’ll come.

Things go from bad to worse with Doggo. He’s on some far away planet for his second course, it’s certainly not planet Earth and gets himself E’d. I’m certainly not taking the blame for that performance. He’s much better on his last run, so I guess I best take the can this time, as it was me who sent him over the wrong jump and got us E'd.

I think this is what you call a bad day. No clears all day, from either dog. It's a long time since that last happened.

To make matters worse my team plans have again collapsed into rubble. Terminally this time... but being someone who doesn’t give up easily. Well actually someone who doesn’t give up at all. I start work on raising a team for the qualifier after that, and the one after that.

Then just to put the boot in on my day... the Premier League concludes and dishes up the final set of points for our Fantasy League. I had closed a considerable points gap in the last few weeks to go into this week’s final set of games, dead level at the top. The final result is a points difference between first and second place of one point. Yes, one bloody point. I’m sure you can guess who was on the wrong side of that gap.