Thank you!

Adoring fans, I thought I would drop a line as so many have been asking how I have been getting on.... well as you can see, I have been out choosing my spring wardrobe... no need for coats at this time of year, but a girl still does need to look her best... 

For those of you that aren't a dog, ears are an issue in the millinery department... and if you are a dachshund then they are a particular challenge... I have to say that when I looked at that clip of me running along the beach on my blog, I thought I really did need the ear equivalent of sports corsetry.

So once again I wanted to say a big thank you for the sponsorship: all the money is finally in.... Team April (in case any of you were wondering that is the whole group of Regent's Park athletes (a loose term) raised  £2,275. The element that Miss Pamela, Jen and I were responsible for, was £940, of which half went to fAABI and half went to Amarna House.

For those of you who are looking for updates on my partners in crime: Jen was in at fAABI on Tuesday for the film night, and should be at ARNI tonight. I also hope that she will be able to replicate her previous success in the Subbuteo World Cup that will be starting here (who needs Brazil) in Cavendish Square next week. As for Miss Pamela, the sun has come out and she is looking positively youthful... and thoroughly enjoying a couple of days a week at Amarna House doing volunteer befriending.

So just to say thank you once again....(and in case any of you were wondering I wont be doing the sponsored swim in the autumn...however from the photo, you will see Pam is in training....).

Final Post

Well faithful readers… it's time for my last post on the blog….

I didn’t write anything yesterday, my paws were too sore  and after the travelling too and from London as well,  all I wanted to do was sleep.

Unlike the race at Sheffield we did at least manage to run. Like the boat race, it was ….wet….but unlike it, the lighter smaller entrant did not win…and I wasn’t ungracious and made an appeal…and argued with the judges…those young men…

I however changed my game plan considerably….

I did pose for a shot in the basket with Jen before the race as you can see.

However I decided to walk the whole way, except for a couple of times when I wanted to be carried… We let everyone go off first so we wouldn’t get in their way. Some of them were taking it all very seriously….and some of them looked very unattractive by the end…. As you can see David was not a vision in lycra… (much to everyone’s relief), and we set off at a steady pace…

I did the whole of the first lap properly (there were three to do).  As you can see by the clip at the end of lap one, I still had plenty of energy…

Lap two and three, I followed more of my doggie instincts…. I had some good conversations with fellow dogs who were out in Regents Park…. we also had a good look at the camels in London Zoo… I have never seen one before… and I didn’t bark at them as much as I do at horses… the monkeys were making strange noises… it was all very interesting and diverting…  so David and I didn’t stick quite to the track. Jen and Steve were real sticklers… and did the whole route….I heard Jen say “cheater”….perhaps it was something she saw in the zoo….at my age, you learn how to ignore comments you don’t want to hear…

But we did make it to the end of three laps…

I was sorry not to have done the race with Pam, but it was exactly the right decision. It was raining, and windy and cold…. If it was the day before it would have been so different. The real hero of the day was Jen…. can you imagine what it is like sitting in the cold on a scooter for two hours….her muscles seized up… literally… but she was  absolutely determined. If there is a hero of the day, it is her….

So this is my final plea… many people have told me they would sponsor me, and I haven’t seen the colour of their cash yet… you have a few weeks yet… you can send a cheque to Attend, or sign up on line…..for clients like Jen, Ann, Tony and Jamie who took part in the run, and for the residents of Amarna House, please spare a little…. I have no agents fees (although I could do with one) and no costs are being deducted…

… so lovely friends, it’s a good night from me…. until my next exploits…

Final preparations

The sun is out, and its the perfect day just to bask in the sun...... but actually I don't have the luxury of lying about.

The basket arrived for scooter arrived today... it would probably fit a small labrador in.... I have given it a trial, but I may persuade Catherine to buy me a new blanket this afternoon: a girl has to look her best when she meets her public.

And my knitted racing colours have arrived... and Pam has put some bling on it. David was very naughty, and suggested that knitted basques could by the answer for those of us where comfort is a prime considertion.

 And of course I needed to make sure I am keeping my strength up. This morning I felt it was flagging so I asked for a nibble of marmite on granary toast... it has a great crunch...

An anthem

All good teams have an anthem… at Football matches they sing the National Anthem….I enjoy picking out the ones who cant sing (Rugby players tend to be better)…and the ones who don’t know the words (lets face it, being Einstein isn’t a qualification to kick a ball…I wont mention any names, I don’t want to put potential sponsors off…)

So I was thinking about potential anthems… songs that would stir the hearts of the masses… all very “Battle Song of the Republic”…then I moved on to songs which might give a sense of optimism… “Always look on the bright side of life” came to mind….I also thought about something to tug at the heart strings like “you got a friend in me”…I could have put in a clip up from Toy Story but decided not to because the slinky sausage dog wasn’t in it…

Anyway, I decided that I wanted to attract a bit more of the pink pound….its supposed to be worth a lot you know…so I went for something from Sound of Music….and I gather Dachshunds are very popular in Old Compton Street….

So hey, I am not a great singer, but at least I tried… The words that really touch me are:

“Climb every mountain

Ford every stream

Follow every rainbow

Until you find your dream

A dream that will need

All the love you can give

Every day of your life

As long as you live”

It actually makes me feel quite emotional… follow the link to Jen, my co-riders story… read those words through that lens….

And then think of Pam, at home, frustrated by the infirmities of old age (sorry Pam, we have to admit you aren’t in the first bloom of youth). and read some of her story here

The dreams for Pam, Jen, the ABI clients, and the residents of Amarna House are for “as long as they live”. We have a lot to be grateful for. Help me, help them realise just some of them.

Girl Power

Well, the first bit of girl power I want to highlight is…. What is a girl to do when she is being starved and peckish?... I think it is perfectly reasonable to put your nose into Shula’s bag, and snack on a sausage roll…. I mean, wasn’t it there for me?….it must have been….I am a sausage dog…the name’s a clue….

Then, the next bit of girl power…. Its one of the characteristics of a great team…is “maintaining communication while apart”…I love these theorists…. Why don’t they say “use the telephone”… for the baby boomers and x generation, at least…. that’s how we keep in touch with Pam…

So we rang her… and she was all breathless… for those of you who don’t know her, that’s not unusual, and its not because she has just finished her latest Zumba workout… and the question was… are you Ok, where were you?… which she came out with the immortal line… “I have just carried out that herculean task of rolling from one side of my bed to the other”…. She had TB when she was young, and is even shorter in the lung department than I am in the leg department… So girls, we have to look after each other don’t we.. No one would suggest with the Saharan dust, and 1950s smog, a chest infection and no lungs, she should leap, mountain goat like, on to a train and come to London….and I have to say she is not a woman to be trifled with… but sometimes us girls know when to lay down our swords and live to fight another day (unlike some men!)….

…. And that’s where girl power comes in again….

Jen Chandler has stepped up to the plate. Jen is a young woman… in the prime of her life, she was about to launch into a career as a riding instructor….she had finished her training… and then at 18 she was in a car crash and her life changed….

 

As you can see she is really competitive….she won the ABI Subbuteo competition…and now she is stepping in to Pam’s comfy seat on scooter….a trained riding instructor…. Will scooter know what has hit her….and what about me… I was expecting a demure Sunday morning stroll through the park (even that will be a challenge for David)… now, Jen may want to win…..I will need to think about some ear clips to stop them flapping….more knitting for Pam perhaps….