Christmas In Heaven

I see the countless Christmas trees
around the world below
with tiny lights like heaven's stars
reflecting in the snow
The sight is so spectaular
please wipe away the tear
For I am spending Christmas with
Jesus Christ this year.

I hear the many christmas songs
that people hold so dear
But the sounds of music can't compare
with the Christmas choir up hear
I have no words to tell you
the joy their voices bring
for it is beyond description
to hear the angels sing.

I know how much you miss me
I see the pain inside your heart
But I am not so far away
We really aren't apart
So be happy for me dear ones
you know I hold you dear
and be glad I'm spending Christmas
with Jesus Christ this year.

I sent you each a special gift
from my heavenly home above
I sent you each a memory
of my undying love
after all love is a gift more precious
than pure gold
it was always most important
in the stories Jesus told.

Please love and keep each other
as my father said to do
for I can't count the blessing or love
he has for each of you.

So have a Merry Christmas and
wipe away that tear
Remember I spending Christmas with
Jesus Christ this year


There are many stars in the sky that shine but some shine brighter than others.To all the family and friends that are no longer with us, we love you and miss you. xxx

Merry Xmas to All

Make a Smilebox greeting

Just Minis Christmas Show and Agility Catch Up

Hi everyone

Sorry we haven't been on the blog for a while but we have been very busy.Now here for the catch up. I have qualified all three of our dogs for crufts in different YKC competitions.
Tippex: ABC medium agility.
Ink: YKC agility dog of the year
Fizzle: YKC team agility with my friends from Pachesham, and YKC small agility.
Fizzle has had a fantastic first year, she started out a bit rocky but is now coming along much better. She has been winning quite a bit and is now in grade three. We have also qualified for the agility club starters challenge final next July.

Ink has also had a good year, however she has had lots of injuries and hasn't been able to compete for a lot of it. Ink is now in grade 6.

The plan for Tippex was to retire him next year at crufts but watching him this weekend, now I'm not so sure, he thoroughly enjoys his agility and I think it helps to keep him fit. Our vet is happy for him to continue so perhaps we'll just let him tell us when he's ready to stop. You can see for yourself on the video.

Here are a few videos from just minis last weekend.

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Cherish every day

It's been a long time again since I've posted but we've had quite a summer. Dave's younger sister Jackie was very suddenly and tragically taken from us in the beginning of the summer holidays. It's been a difficult time and it goes to show nobody knows what's in store for any of us. The lesson we've had to learn these past few months is very much live for the day and enjoy the times you have together.

Lots of Good news.....

Tippex

Can't even begin to tell you how happy and relieved we are.Tippex has got the all clear and is back to his usual happy self . There was a small piece of broken tooth in the gum which the vet believed was the cause of the infection and a course of antibiotics later all is well.What a long week that was waiting for results!

Rugby Show

I don't usually enter shows this far away as not having any camping gear it's a long way to drive in a day.But entered as Rugby has a YKC heat. Ryan had all three in this and until the last dog ran he was in 1st with Ink and 2nd with Tippex. Only the first two qualify so a very well done as Ryan and Ink are off to Crufts but I have to say I had a little tear when he ran Tip as they put in a lovely round and it meant so much to see Tip enjoying himself doing agility again.They also ran in the junior jumping and Tippex got a 5th which Ryan was rather proud of as it was all heights together with four fast collies in front of him! Fizz also did a lovely round but got spooked on the seesaw how ever she was fantastic in the jumping and won her grade 2, this was their first grade 2 show!!
Ink and I also got a 3rd in the combined 6/7 jumping so all the driving was well worth it.

Say A little Prayer.....

Haven't updated for a while again as can't seem to find the time but we have been doing well lately in agility. Ink seems to be coming back on form with our first win in grade 6 and a couple of 2nds, 3rd and 4th. Ryan and Fizzle also doing well with quite a few top 5 places in recent shows. Sadly Tippex hasn't quite been himself lately but I couldn't find anything in particular and had put it down to the extreme heat and his age, that is until last week when I found a lump in his mouth.I took him straight to the vet and he was operated on last Friday where they x-rayed then removed his upper incisors, some bone and some fluid. We are now waiting for the results...I have to say he seems so much happier in himself already , the vet has said treat him as normal until we know the results so I am trying very hard to keep positive.

Fizzle's in Grade 2!!

Thames was a great weekend for Fizzle and I. It started off with an Agility win which put me into grade 2. I then got a 3rd in the jumping to top off the day. The next day I was really optimistic and wanted to do well again. It started off well with a 2nd in the agility. My next run was jumping in which when I walked the course I thought to myself 'I can win this'. So when I went to run and knocked the first pole down I got really disheartened and we ended up getting eliminated (very naughty handler). Our next run was the 1-7 Olympia qualifier in which we got a 5 on the weave but nonetheless it was a good run. The next few shows should be exiting as fizz and I are begining to get it together.

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The first place trophy is nearly as big as Fizz!











Happily Mum and Ink are back competing and Ink is sound. However luck wasn't in their direction and they didn't get a clear round this weekend, hopefully it won't be long.

Half Term Fun

Running behind as usual but this post is particularly for my cousin Eileen who wanted to see and hear more about the Hennessy children than the Hennessy dogs :0) !!
We did lots of days out and one of them was to a country fair which included almost everything from funfair rides , heavy horse displays , sheep shearing to falconry but the main attraction was a Napoleonic Reenactment.This was amazing and the photos really don't do it justice.The best ride the children enjoyed was the Hydrosphere where the children climbed into a bubble which was then filled with air and put in a very big paddling pool and they had to try and walk to move the ball around - very amusing for spectators.

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We also did a day out to see HMS Belfast as it is the 60th Anniversary of D Day this year there was a special expedition with lots of characters dressed up explaining their role during the war which made it very interesting. While we were there we were lucky to see the tower bridge open up to let a boat pass through.











Can you guess the name of this Captain?

Update and Bats Show

First of all the not so good news, Ink is temporarily I hope, out of action again.I noticed at training a few weeks ago that she was measuring her jumps so off we went to our physio and sure enough Ink was a bit tender in the same spot as before. So she's back in treatment again and only allowed to exercise on a flexi.She is responding well to treatment and I'm hoping we will be back in agility soon.... I'm going stir crazy without a dog to run and she not too impressed with the flexi lead rule either but I have to do what's best for her in the long run.

Today at bats Fizzle put in some very good runs especially the 1-2 jumping,this was almost up to her speed that she does at home which is great as she's getting more confident at shows, sadly she lost concentration momentarily and missed the tunnel entrance but otherwise a very good run.

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Tippex enjoyed himself today he loves the weather when it's a bit breezy, sadly no clears but he was happy with himself.

You will get that contact !

Ink's done it again !!

I can't believe it my little super star went and won another jumping and agility again this weekend at WBSDS show.I think I've got one more show in grade five and then we'll really have our work cut out against all those super fast collies in 6 and 7.
Here she is waiting patiently ( almost unheard of for her ! ) in the queue for her run.




Fizzle and Ryan again were on form coming 3rd in the combined 1-3 jumping.This was a step up for them as not only was it against grade 3 's but also the ring was in the main part of the show ground with more distractions.Well done Ryan ,Fizzle's improving with each show she goes to.

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Trophys at Wallingford

What a weekend.First up was Fizzle in the grade 1-2 jumping which was in ring six nicely tucked away on it's own at the end of the showground.Fizzle was amazing for the very first time at a show she put in a great round really focused on Ryan with no distractions and came in 2nd.Fabulous Ryan all your hard work has been worth it. Sadly the rest of her runs that weekend were all up in the main part of the show with lots of distractions on all sides. This is something she has to get used to and I'm sure will come with time.

Saturday with Ink was not worth talking about we weren't together and got eliminated in both rounds !! Sunday however was very different what can I say Ink was a star, two fantastic runs winning both the grade 4/5 agility and jumping, putting us into grade 6 !!! I just love working this little dog she always gives it her all and absolutely loves working. It's my handling that lets her down but when we get it right it's a wonderful feeling...I don't think I'm quite back down to earth yet! To think this time last year was looking very bleak and I truly thought she would never work again.

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Easter Celebration

This was Fizzle's first outdoor show so I wasn't quite sure how her concentration was going to last.I think about 10-15 seconds was her maximum before she stopped and had a look round but thankfully she stayed with me in the ring!! If you take her daydreaming out,the rest of each round wasn't too bad!

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Tippex was enjoying himself as usual with some lovely clear rounds sadly just out of the placings.The grade 7 jumping on Sunday was proving to be a problem with only three clears,most people were getting eliminated at the pull through between two jumps and into a tunnel,Tip did the difficult bit then ran across me nearly taking me down to do a jump rather than the tunnel straight in front!!

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Mum and Ink had a good weekend ,6th in 4-7 jump and 8th in 1-7 helter skelter.A good weekend catching up with friends and the weather wasn't too bad at all.

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Downland Show

We had a late start yesterday so Dave and the girls decided to come along as the sun was shining! This was Fizzle's 2nd show and after the disaster at Chippenham we were just hoping to try and get her more confident and happy in the ring.Amazingly she was a completely different dog in the jumping she had just a run by but was much more happy to work in the ring so Ryan was very pleased with her.The KC olympia was next again slight handler error near the beginning got them eliminated but she worked very well.Last of all was the steeplechase a clear round fantastic.This was a 1-7 combined so lots of very fast dogs put them way out of the placings but they did get the best junior so came home with a trophy - even better ! Unfortunately the memory card was full so we didn't catch the whole run aaagh !!
Ryan and Tippex were back to their usual teamwork, did three clear rounds unfortunately were the first dog out of the placings in both the jumping and agility but got 5th in the steeplechase. They did however get the best junior in all three rounds and no he wasn't the only junior at the show!!!
My first run with Ink was the agility she was great and still on form coming 2nd to a superfast little collie.However I let her down in the jumping and she missed her weave entry and we totally blew the steeplechase.But all in all a fantastic day especially to see Ryan doing so well with Fizzle.

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Port Lymph

Tuesday we went to Port Lynmph in Kent. This was for Ailish's birthday treat although a little late! Ailish has a bit of a thing for giraffes so that was our aim for the day.The park is something between a zoo and a safari part of it you walk round and part of it you go in the parks wildlife safari trucks.There were a couple of highlights to the day for Ailish it had to be the giraffes which we saw from the truck and the other we saw by chance as we just happened to be in the right place at the right time.The pole feeding of the lions is only done about once every 4-5 weeks . This helps the lions to keep in shape and it uses muscles that they obviously are not using every day.

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We spent ages watching these guys play and interact with each other.

Port Lynmph are very proud of their black Rhino breeding program. They have the largest collection of breeding Rhino outside Africa.They also have successfully released three females back into the wild that have now produced calves.



One very excited young lady on her way to see the giraffes.









We bought Ailish this special giraffe pillow and cuddly giraffe as a momento of the day.She was almost asleep before she climbed into bed !

Here it is

I couldn't do it but clever Ryan has shown me up again with his computer skills !

Ink at Crufts With The Dog Reporter

This is the link (hope it works) to Ink's encounter with the Dog Reporter at Crufts .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ9Z-zKp_Jg&feature=email

Happy St Patrick's Day

Wishing you all a very happy St Patrick's day. xx

Chippenham Video

Here is the video as promised.Ryan does a great job as a cameraman as usual but I must say that he missed the end of my agility round through no fault of his own, the memory card was full!

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Ink 's Won Into Grade 5 !!

The first show of the year has got off to a fantastic start for myself and Ink.We have had a great weekend.Mid Downs on Saturday and she won the grade 3-4 combined agility I was so pleased and then she came 7th in the 3-7 jumping which I think I'm right in saying the first six dogs were all grade 7 ,I couldn't have been happier.

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So up at the crack of dawn to Chippenham and again she ran her little socks off coming home with a 3rd in the 4-5 jumping and a 2nd in the 4-6 agility by only 0.04 of a second!!

This was also Ryan and Fizzle's first show.We weren't sure how Fizzle was going to be as she has been a very difficult dog to train with lots of hurdles to overcome(if you excuse the pun).She was completely spooked and didn't quite know how to cope with it all but Ryan was great and persevered, he managed to keep her in the ring and she had a couple of run bys and two attempts at the cloth tunnel. Not bad at all for her first show - must ask if we can get the cloth tunnel out more at club as we hardly ever use it! Lots to work on to build her confidence up in the ring but a very well done to Ryan these two have come a long way in the past year.

Video to follow hopefully tomorrow.

All I Want For My Birthday Is My Two Front Teeth

My little girl is not so little any more,yesterday she was six but as we were ALL recovering from this nasty tummy bug(we were doing relay trips to the bathroom all through Sunday night)we had to postpone it.Wishing you a very happy birthday Ailish hope your feeling better soon.
Your new teeth won't be long coming now I'm sure!!

Tippex at Crufts

I was really looking forward to being back at crufts again this time with Tippex.Unfortunately Ailish was very ill through Friday night so Dad stayed at home with the girls and Mum and I went on our own as we stayed in a travelodge near Birmingham Saturday night to make the very early start on Sunday less stressful. We had to be at the ring side at 8.30 to book in for a 9am start.As I walked the course I have to say I was disappointed because it was very flowing and fast.With Tippex being twelve in two weeks he's not as quick as he used to be and we tend to do better with the more complicated courses.We were last to run out of seventeen and my heart sank a little as I watched lots of the younger very fast dogs do some cracking clear rounds.However Tippex was fantastic and we came 5TH I was really pleased with him and I'm sure he enjoyed his day too.

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Ink and Ryan at Crufts

What a day what a star!There was me worried that Ink might not cope with all the noise and crowds as she can be a bit of a wimp sometimes( sorry Ink) but she took it all in her stride. In fact she was enjoying meeting everyone that she caught the eye of the dog reporter and was 'borrowed' to do an interview. I have been told she will be on the kennel club youtube site so watch this space for the link!!

Now down to the serious stuff.The semi-final in the morning they ran a superb round, clear and finished 3rd, with less than a second between the top three it was very exciting and off to the final in the evening. Sadly Ink got a bit too far in front of Ryan and did a twizzle in front of the long jump picking up five faults. Ryan was amazing and we are so proud of him, I'm sure this pair will be back again. Well done Ryan.

We're back up again on Sunday with Tippex for the ABC final so watch this space....

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Good Luck for Crufts

Just wanted to wish all our friends that are going to be at Crufts the very best.I daren't try to name them personally as I'm bound to forget someone!

A very special good luck to Ryan,third year running for Tippex, well done boys! and Ink's debut.Lots of fun and excitement.Ryan just enjoy it all and remember the achievement you've already made in getting there.

A very sad day

The last few months have been difficult with Dave's Dad being very ill, sadly last week he passed away after a long and brave battle with cancer.Yesterday was his funeral.He is now at peace and reunited with his lovely wife Shirley but for those of us left behind a huge void in our lives.Ryan was fantastic and read this poem beautifully at the service yesterday.


Miss Me But Let Me Go

When I come to the end of the road,
And the sun has set for me
I want no rites in a gloom filled room
Why cry for a soul set free?

Miss me a little but not too long
And not with your head bowed low
Remember the love that we once shared
Miss me but let me go.

For this is a journey we all must take
And each must go alone
It's all part of the masters plan
A step on the road to home.

When you are lonely and sick of heart
Go to the friends we know
And bury your sorrows in doing good deeds
Miss me but let me go.




Rest in peace Derek, you are very much loved and will be greatly missed.

A few days escape

We were very lucky to get the chance to have a few days away just the two of us on the glorious virgin isle of St Thomas last week,all to the thanks of Dave's work.Its an American company and because Dave made his sales target for the year last year this was our reward.My cousin Ann came over from Ireland to look after the children and we are extremely grateful to her,the kids had a ball!

These were some of the views from our balcony.





These were some of the guys we found on our beach, fortunately we didn't have to fight them for the sun beds!!








The beach and the sea were amazing and we loved walking along the waters edge every day although I did feel strange without any children or dogs, it was very peaceful!!





Some beautiful flowers.







And the rather unusual sausage tree named after the woody sausage like fruit.







A long way to go for four days, it has taken me a week to get over the jet lag but I'm not really complaning.:0)