Hi Sandra
Sorry it took so long to reply. I'm afraid we had to sell my lovely puppy, it broke my heart. My husband is a builder and lost his job a few months back so we are having to sell everything to pay the mortgage as he doesn't get any benefits due to being self employed. At least she went to a lovely home with two other setters and a two acre garden.
Deborah

Hi Sandra,

All is well here.We are having really warm muggy weather,which my old girl "Chay" does not cope with to well.I didn't think I would get her through last summer,so am dreading the really hot weather this year!!
She is 13years and 3 months now.Still likes her trips to our 10 acres though!!
Although the galloping around is now only a slow amble!!.
I much prefer the autumn here.Spring the weather is unpredictable,seems to be either to hot or cold and changes from one day to the next.Never know what to wear when you leave home in the mornings.Been caught many a time with freezing winds and no coat!!
Are they predicting a white Christmas for you?? My last Christmas in UK we had snow.(1970)
Will be having Christmas with my daughter son in law and Grandsons,what are you doing this year??
I have 2 weekends off no shows no work.So am looking forwrd to that.
Marie.


.

Hi Dandra,

Have the weekend off and not doing to much at all just kicking back and relaxing as much as I can.
Have 2 shows next weekend so will have to start getting the dogs ready .
They are all in need of a good groom out,shedding winter coats at the moment.
I am looking after one of my girls I bred for a month her Mum and Dad are off to UK and Europe for all of December.
I think their daughter is living over there at the moment.
Still having strange weather here.Hot and then cold,but not much rain.
How is your shoulder??
Marie

Hi Sandra,
I hope everything will go well at the hospital and that they'll be able to help you. I can imagine this is quite inconvenient if you have lots of dogs on a lead and sore arms. Are you still experiencing problems with your page? There have been general site problems recently so maybe that's just part of it. Wishing you all the best for your hospital visit and hope you'll get well soon,
Nicole

Hi Sandra,
Love the Christmas pictures :-)) Hope you are feeling better again and I wish you a very merry Christmas and all the best for a happy, healthy and successful New Year 2009!
Best regards from Edinburgh,
Nicole

Hi Sandra

Merry Christmas to you and your family including the dogs!! Thanks for your thoughts I'm sure it will be a much better year next year.

All the best,

Deborah

Hi Sandra,And a very Happy Christmas to you.Hope you have a fantastic New Year with your red Heads in the show ring.
Have been frantically busy at work and think O will spend the next couple of days asleep!!
Have 2 shows over the weekend so will be getting the kids ready.
Have a few dogs to bath at work.They are staying in the boarding kennels where I lease my grooming room.So I pick up a bit of work from there when the dogs go home,
Enjoy your day.
Marie

I’m speechless.
Congratulations for your extraordinary work with setters and for a life dedicated to a dream.
Me and James Martin’s wish all of you, a happy Christmas and a nice new year.

hi sandra,sometimes i think she does think shes a setter.she copies everything layla does,except for been vocal instead of talking she just stamps her back legs when she wants anything

Hope you have a great New Year.
Dee and the girls

Hello!
It´s usually the same here with the snow, it rained away after 2 days and we have not seen more of it since then.
Happy New Year and wishes for a healthy and succesful 2009
Annika

Hi sandra,
Hope you had a good xmas and best wishes for 2009, i have got a dog puppy back to rehome and had 1 of the girls back over xmas whilst her owners are on holiday so had a house full.
kirsty

Hello Sandra,
Thank you for your nice comment on my new photos... Yes, I quite like taking the camera out with me but I still have to practise with the sports mode...
I hope you're not too snowed in at the moment! Wishing you all the best of luck for your hospital appointment and lots of snowy greetings from Scotland,
Nicole & Busby

Hi Sandra
Things are not too bad at the moment, husband gets work now and again, just have to keep hoping that it stays that way!! It's very cold here at the moment too, in fact we've got about 8 inches of snow!! The dogs think its great!!
Hope all goes well with your tests.
Deborah

Hi Sandra,
een very very hot here 40+.
It is hard trying to keep focused on anything when the brain is being cooked!!
Have had all the dogs in the house with the airconditioner on.
Been very busy with evryone wanting their dogs clipped off to try and help them stay cool.
Really tired s the heat drains me.
Marie.

Hi Sandra.
Been to drained emotionally to contact anyone.The devastation here resulting from the fires is heartbreaking.I can't watch the news or look at a newspaper because all I do is cry.
So this si to let you know we are OK in our part of Victoria at this stage!!.
We are going into more hot weather for the weekend,so everyone is on tenterhooks here.The fires are still causing problems and we are all praying for cooler weather giving our fire fighters a chance to at least try and contain the fires that are still burning.We have been lucky in our district but still have at least 6 weeks of summer weather to cope with.
All praying that we do not get fires in this district and that is about all we can do.!!!
It is so dry here it is frightening.
On a lighter note if you feel like doing a rain dance for Victoria Australia we would all appreciate it. Marie

Hi Sandra
I'm so sorry to hear that you have been so poorly, I hope you are better soon. The snow has nearly gone up here now but its still cold. For some reason my Irish setter's hair has started falling out this week, really bad, she has real bald patches!! My husband has no work on this week so I'm trying to talk him into taking the dogs to the seaside but he says its too cold. The dogs don't care about the cold!
All the best, Deborah

Hello Sandra,
I am very sorry to hear about your problems. Hope you will recover early:O)))

We haven´t almost got any snow in the town, there is just a little snow on the near fields around Bratislava. Ont he other side, the weather is very cold and the wind is strong and unpleasant.
I am a babysiter for a while, I am looking after 7 month ES puppy Cairo. Only for one week. Cairo is lovely and sweet big baby.
Sandra, thank you for your message, I wish you and your irish group better weather and lot of happiness!
Reni

Hi Sandra, thankyou for the welcome! I am very late to this 'computer-thing' as I had to wait for technology to catch up (I am allergic to the CRT screens, fluro lights, etc - instant migraines). Now, I am finding out about how much I have missed in the last 20 years.
Where is your son located in Sydney, what sort of work does he do? Even if they are well grown-up, you seem to miss them more when they are out of the country. I am about 4-5 hours drive north of Sydney, but lived there for my first 21 years.
Last week, I was lamenting that I had only had 16mm of rain over the last 2 months (not enough to keep a grass cover on my 2 acres), but in the last 4 days, I've had over 375mm (15+ inches) of rain, with still more to come (usually 40"annually). The dogs are growing webbed feet!! I did, however, manage to get 1/2hr between rain yesterday, to give Kizzi a run on the beach (the paddocks are now MUD). It was blowing a gale and the surf was pounding, but she had a ball - her first time off-lead away from home.
She has her 2nd show in 2 weeks time, and the information available on this site will has helped tremendously, especially on the grooming decisions, as her breeder is in another state. This site is now one of my favourites, and I am using 'rainy-time' (I don't usually have much indoor-time available during the day) to go back through past discussions.
I have an 'open door' policy here, so if you decide to visit your son, here in Australia, you will be welcome to stay!!!

Well, he certainly seems to have enjoyed his time in Australia. Do you think he will be settling down when he gets home, or just a stop-over for another adventure.
My son spent a year full-time in the army, travelling all over Australia and New Guinea, before going on to Uni. He stayed with the army for another 8 years part-time. After a couple of years teaching, he has found a job he loves as an Industrial Chemist. My daughter keeps moving back home on me. She's 29 now and I'm wondering if she'll ever "get her act together" LOL
I'm at the selfish stage of my life - when it's all about me.... my dogs, my horses, my home..... my life!!!

Glad to hear everything is now OK...hope that you are ready for Crufts???
All the best Dee and the girls

Hi Sandra!
Hope everything will be OK with your results.
March is coming, the weather will be better and our souls and minds, as well.
I am looking forward to longer and sunnier days.
I wish you a lot of sunny days with your irish group :O)
Reni

Hi Sandra,
Sorry to hear they have lost your test results.
Fires are still a problem here.Have a huge one in our district at present.
Tomorrow is the day to worry about as it's supposed to be very hot with north winds.
We all have our fire plans in order.Hoping we don't have to use them of course.
Hope you hear about the tests soon.
Mariet

I will probably see you there then
Dee and the girls

Hi Sandra,
Yes, I'll be there at Crufts but only as a spectator, not showing this year :-) I don't have a bench number but I'll probably be around Dee's bench a lot so I'm sure we'll see each other there at some point... Hope your visit to the hospital went well. Have a very safe journey and see you soon in that case!
Nicole

Hi Sandra

What place and time ? I shall be there sans chiens for once.
Charles

Thanks for that, I didn't expect to get anything for Saffy, definitely not her type. Just came along for the ride. Dee and the girls

Hi Sandra,
Yes it was nice meeting you too. I hope you got home alright... I was quite busy running between the Irish and the Gordon ring and so couldn't talk to everyone in the end which is a shame but it's such a big event after all.... I'm sure we'll meet again at some other show. You were right, Busby was in a bit of a huff when I got home but he's now quite happy with me again, ha ha :-)

Hi Sandra
Re your comment about Beau, despite all the time and money I have spent (all the money I have borrowed) and all the media attention, I have not received any information about Beau, nor has there been a sighting of Beau. This is because he was deliberately stolen. I was advised by the Police at the outset that I would never see Beau again but I could not accept this. It breaks my heart that I have been unable to find Beau and humans who a dog or any animal are not going to care for them and neither are the humans they associate with. I will never stop searching for Beau. Thank you very much for caring. Susan

Hi Sandra,
So pleased to hear Ashley is home safe and well.You hadn't been expecting him obviously??
All Ok here now.We have had a couple of good downpours of rain,so have been declared "bushfire safe".Had a scarey few days here with a firw burning only 20 minutes away.A friend of mine managed to save his dogs and his home but all his fencing and dog yards are gone.
We are heading into Autumn now so hopefully no more stinking hot days.
Enjoy your son being home.
Marie

Hi Sandra
Great to hear about your son Ashley, my eldest son is also called Ashley!! Things are a bit slow here but not too bad at the moment, just have to keep praying! My English Setter Daisy has been really poorly this week, she was drinking the water out of the ditches on the moor and out of the reservoir and has obviously picked up a bug of some sort. She's on antibiotics so hoping she going to get better soon.

All the best, Deborah

Hi Sandra,
I'm sorry to hear about Shadow. Is he OK again? Do you know where it came from? I hope everything is fine again now...
All the best,
Nicole

You must be pleased to see him.I went to visit my family in Wales for a weeks and had a lovrely rest (no dogs) See you Thursday

It is extremely kind of you to email your friends in Aussieland about Beau. This will help a great deal. I just need to find ONE decent person who knows something about Beau. Thanks again for being so kind. Beau will be so grateful to you too.

Hi Sandra,
All well here.Lovely autumn weather we are having at the moment.
Days when you can get outside and do something (not to hot) Not much rain yet though.
Happy birthday for yesterday.
I don't have any shows till Good Friday which is not far off now,how fast the year is flying??
How is Ash coping being back home??
Marie

Hi Sandra
I was looking through some old dog stuff of mine last night including the names of people I sold a puppy to in 1997 and was surprised to see your name!!! Did you buy a male puppy from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire in November 1997? It says in my diary that you were moving up from London and gave your mum's address, the puppy was called Oscar. Is this you?
Regards Deborah

That's a shame, I was hoping to see if his lines were still going. Deborah

Hi Sandra,
I was away on holiday so many apologies for the late reply :-)
It's great to hear that your son is back and I hope you're all having a great time together! It's quite a difference in temperature, though!
Hope your reds are all fine again too!
Nicole

Yes thank you, the holidays were good. We just went to see my family but that always takes quite some time because they don't all live in the same place and it involves driving around a lot to see everyone...
I hadn't realised it was your birthday so many belated congratulations!! Hope you're enjoying your family time all together and I'm glad to hear that Shadow is better again.

happy birthday old warrior,hope you have a few more

Hi Sandra,
All is well here.Having wonderful Autumn weather.But NO rain to talk of.
How is Ash coping with everything??Any jobs on the horizon??
We are starting to feel the effects of thngs here now,lots of people losing their jobs.
I suppose we all just have to be positive and keep on smiling.

Hello Sandra. Good for Shadow a real credit to you. Keep well all of you.

Hi Sandra,
How is Cory now? Feeling better? I hope that the medicine works.
The weather up here has been fantastic recently and no muddy paws in the house at all - which is great!
Have a nice weekend,
Nicole

Hi Sandra,
Hope your feeling better.
It is freezing here now....one extreme to the other!!!!!!!!!
Had 3 shows over the weekend taking BOB + Int in group with Reyne on the Saturday. Link picked up 20 points towards his Ch. title.and took Junior in Group on the Monday..
So not a to bad an effort for us.
Hope Ash has some luck with work.
It is getting serious here now,Well you at least do have good weather to look forward too.We have winter on it's way.Lets hope it's lots of rain for us this year.
Take care
Marie

Hi Sandra,

What a story with that guy. That is truly awful; sometimes people can get very aggressive and this guy has obviously taken it one step too far. I'm glad that you reportem him. Has anything else happened since? There was someone similar in the village I used to live but he had several Rottweilers which he had trained to go for other dogs simply because he enjoyed it. Some people are so sad and it's a shame what they do to their dogs. I hope you are feeling better and hopefully he will stay away from you now.

yes, best to be careful just in case you meet him again somewhere in that area. Hope your cold will get better soon...

Hi Sandra,
Sounds like you are having a few problems!!! Hope all sorted out now.
Raining and cold here today.
Good to hear you are feeling better.
Marie

Hi Sandra,
I'm glad that man has not come round on your walk again. These sorts of things can be very distressing. Fingers crossed he won't be turning up again.
Will you be going to Border Union? Maybe see you then?
Hope you're enjoying the nice and sunny weather.....

Thank you for the congrats....Glad all is well with you and yours...
Dee and the girls