2009 News

We have Snow! 18th December 2009

Top Left - Millie at 4 3/4 Months
Top Right - Harvey at 3 3/4 years
Bottom Left - Amy at 2 3/4 years

Today we woke up to loads of snow, which is very unusual for us here in Norfolk. It was the first time that Millie had experienced snow and at first she wasn't sure if she should eat it or roll in it. It wasn't long before she realised she couldn't eat it all so she decided that galloping about and rolling in it with Harvey & Amy was much more fun!

These pictures show just how funny Bernese can look when they are covered in snow, it gives them a a kind of ghostly look!

 

1st November 2009 - Amy Has A Wonderful Litter Of Eight Puppies

Today our Amy (Malynncastle Ambriel at Pasturegreen) had a wonderful litter of eight puppies; 5 girls & 3 boys, sired by Champion Jaybiem UTwo JW ShCM and all born naturally with a little help from Philippa and our fabulous vet Paul Jarman. This is our Amy's first litter and what a wonderful job she did. Considering she wasn't due until 4th November we were a little surprised when she started having contractions at 3am this morning. Eight big puppies all delivered naturally without the aid of a C Section these days is not as usual as it used to be. We will excitedly watched these lovely pups as they develop over the next eight weeks and hope that there is a super girl just right for us to keep.

 

Introducing Our New Bernese Puppy Millie

We are thrilled to introduce our new Bernese puppy Millie who has come to live with us from the Fortonpark kennels near Blackpool. Millie sired by Monalou Dutch Courage and out of Fortonpark It's A Star is a complete sweetheart and we are very grateful to her breeder Julie Baldwin for entrusting Millie to us. Millie is related to our Amy on her Mother Dolly's side as she and Amy share the same Father CH Fortonpark It's Otto JW, making Amy, Millie's half Auntie. Millie is also related to our Harvey also though her Mother's side as both her Grandmothers; CH Fortonpark Frankly My Dear & Fortonpark Frankly My Love were from the same litter as Harvey's Father CH Fortonpark Frankie Goes To Meadowpark, therefore making Harvey, Millie's great Uncle. Millie was born on Monday 20th July and is now eight weeks old, these are some of the first photos taken of Millie but better ones will be added to our site as she learns to sit still and pose for the camera.

 

Family Holiday Up On The North Yorkshire Moors

To celebrate Mervyn's Birthday we had a very enjoyable week up on the North Yorkshire Moors staying at Hill Farm Cottages in Beckhole and were lucky enough that Philippa's younger sister Ursula was able to join us for a long weekend. Chloe thought it was amazing to have her Auntie stay in her room and entertain her for three whole days and was very upset when it was time to wave her goodbye at York station. It was wonderful to have Ursula staying with us as she was keen to panda to the girls so it gave both of us a much needed rest. It was Ursula's first time to Yorkshire so we thoroughly enjoyed showing her all our favourite places and some of our walks which of course included a ride on the North Yorkshire Moors Steam Railway from Pickering to Whitby. Runswick Bay where we actually had two very enjoyable days of our holiday; one with Ursula and with the girls in the cafe serving us many rounds of delicious sandwiches and cakes we had a great time. A nice meal up at The Lion on Blakney Ridge even if one of the Restaurant staff was extremely rude, probably would have had several more meals if I hadn't been offended and a visit to The Chocolate Factory at Hutton Le Hole to stock up on their fabulous handmade chocolates. It was all too soon to say goodbye to Ursula and spend the rest of our holiday by ourselves. Whilst we were away we visited our friends the Instones from Staubach and enjoyed a nice few hours talking about Bernese. We also visited Amy's breeder Lynn Keegan from Malynncastle and got to see Amy's litter sister Daisy. The icing on the cake was the last day of our holiday when we traveled across to Blackpool to collect Millie from Julie Baldwin at Fortonpark. This was our first holiday without our Sophie and we missed her a great deal. There were many times we remembered things that Sophie loved about our holiday's in this area and things she didn't like so much. I especially missed her watchful eye over the girls and her inpatientness when boarding or getting off the steam train, her love of exploring Runswick Bay beach often finding something nasty to eat and sharing an ice cream even though Sophie had no idea about sharing ice cream just trying to achieve eating it in one whole mouthful. Lying under the table on the stone floor of the Birchwood Inn hoping for crusts of our Beckhole Butty or paddling in the river. We had always thought of scattering her ashes on our favourite walk but when the time came we felt it would be like leaving her behind, so Sophie remains on my office desk and probably will for a very long time to come.

A Buzzing time was had at Kelso, Bernese Mountain Dog Club of Scotland
Working Weekend 1st & 2nd August 2009

So for the third weekend in a row we packed up the van and headed off for another long weekend away working the dogs, this time it was up to Kelso for the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of Scotland working weekend, considered by many the best working weekend of them all. We left early on Thursday morning and arrived at the Border Union Showground in Kelso around lunch time. The afternoon was spent setting up camp and having a natter with lots of our carting and show friends. Friday was soon upon us and we spent most of the day with Abbie's Godparents Linda & David Biggins from Greybern in Harlow, who were staying near Kelso in a holiday cottage so that they to could enjoy the weekend as part of their annual two week holiday. After a lovely walk with them it was action stations go as we helped each other wash all the dogs, five in total, in readiness for the Championship show the following day. When all the work was done and the dogs were clean and dried we said our goodbyes and traveled up to Berwick Upon Tweed to visit our Meg who was out of our Sophie's second litter. It was lovely to see her again, especially as we believe she's in whelp and to meet her family again. She is so quiet and calm even with the four children and our Chloe running about, a situation that a lot of dogs would have been stressed in. Saturday we were welcomed by rain but Agnes Wilson was full of hope that the sun would soon come out. Amy got a 2nd in Graduate Bitch and in the evening it was the yearly Bernie Bash. A great evening of food, fun, fancy dress and entertainment in a true Scottish way. Us girls donned our fancy dress costumes, Abbie went as a black cat, Chloe as a plum princess fairy and Philippa went as a bumble bee, perhaps it'll be the last time I do fancy dress as I had thought that there would have been a few more? On the Sunday we were part of the opening parade in our traditional Swiss costumes with Harvey & Amy pulling their carts. Later on Mervyn & Amy got a 3rd in the Best Carting Turnout with Harvey and Philippa getting a 4th in the same class. Harvey then went on to get a 3rd in the Waggiest Tail, something he's very good at and our young handler David who lives with Meg, took our Amy in for a few fun classes and got 3rd in the Junior Handling and 4th in Bitch the Judge would most like to take home. Mervyn worked Amy on the Carting Course and got a 2nd passing the Beginners course for the third time, so he now moves up to the Intermediate level and Harvey after a mad round on the course still managed to get a 5th on the Advanced level. It wasn't long before it was all over and time to pack up our tent and head off home back to Norfolk.

Amy Achieves her Gold Kennel Club Good Citizen Award at
Southern BMDC Working Weekend 25th/26th July 2009

On Friday we traveled down to Billingshurst, West Sussex for the Southern BMDC Working Weekend, held on the fields behind The Blue Ship pub, it was a long journey with hold ups on the M25 and shortly after we arrived we had to take shelter and wait for a thunder storm to pass by before we could set up camp. On the Saturday the weather was dry and warm and we worked the dogs in the carting and obedience competitions. Amy achieved her Gold Kennel Club Good Citizen Award, which we're very proud about and both dogs enjoyed a few fun classes in the afternoon. On the Sunday it was our Chloe's 3rd birthday, which she spent most of her time playing with her new presents rather than wanting to be part of the dog activities with us. Mervyn & Amy won the Best Decorated Swiss Carting Class, with Philippa and Harvey getting second place and later on Amy won Best Condition Bitch and Chloe & Amy got 4th in Best Six Legs. It wasn't long before it was time to pack up camp and head off home in the rain, another weekend our tent got packed up wet as until then the weather had been dry so just typical the heavens should open as we were loading the van.

Our successes over the weekend were as follows:

Amy: Kennel Club Gold Good Citizen Award
1st Best Condition Bitch
1st Decorated Cart Swiss Theme class (Sunday)
2nd Laddettes for Bitches 2-5 years
3rd Beginners Carting Course
3rd Have a Go Obedience
3rd Decorated Swiss Carting Class (Saturday)
3rd Best Carting Turnout
4th Best Six Legs with Chloe

3rd Best Family Group (Harvey & Amy (Bern's) + Mervyn,
Philippa, Chloe & Abbie (Humans))

Harvey:
1st Lads for Dogs 2-5 years
2nd Decorated Cart Swiss Theme class (Sunday)
4th Advanced Carting Course
4th Handsomest Dog (Saturday)
4th Best Condition Dog
5th Best Carting Turnout
5th Triers Obedience
5th Handsomest Dog (Sunday)

 

Harvey wins Intermediate Carting at Central BMDC Open Show 19th July 2009

We have just returned from a most enjoyable weekend. On Saturday we showed at Working & Pastoral Championship Show at The Three Countries Showground at Malvern where Harvey got a 5th in Limit Dog. We then traveled up the country to Overseal near Burton Upon Trent to camp overnight for the Central Bernese Mountain Dog Club Open Show/Carting Day on the Sunday. The weather was kind to us when we set up camp on the Saturday and the rain stayed away until the night. On the Sunday we experienced a few nasty showers but all in all it was great weather for the dogs as not too hot. Harvey got a 2nd in Post Graduate Dog and Amy got a 2nd in Post Graduate Bitch in the open show and then later on Harvey won the Intermediate Carting with his third pass and Amy got a 2nd in the Beginners carting missing out on 1st place by ½ a point with her second pass. Sophie would have been very proud as she won the Beginners Carting at the same event last year. The weather wasn't so kind to us when we packed up to go home and loading the van became a bit of a headache as we were having to battle with the rain. The pictures show Mervyn working Amy in the carting competition but as is so often the case there are no photos of me working Harvey.

A tribute to Sophie - Click here to see her page.

SBMDC Championship Show 14th June 2009

Despite having just lost our Sophie a little over a week ago, we had an enjoyable day out at the SBMDC Championship Show held at Leatherhead Leisure Centre, Surrey. I felt a tinge of sadness when I saw Sophie's name in the catalogue but being surrounded by friends and remembering all Sophie's funny ways was a real tonic, as were all the kind words people had to say and showing off our lovely new sign written van with a huge photo of Sophie pulling her cart. It was also lovely to see a whole group of our carting friends too who'd come down to watch the proceedings for a short while. It was a busy day, what with setting up our little camp and showing Harvey & Amy and then packing everything up again. Harvey got a 3rd in Breeders Dog and Amy got a 3rd in Graduate Bitch and 4th in Post Graduate Bitch. Despite the weather being rather warm the dogs kept nice and cool in the van and didn't seem to suffer from the heat. I was proud of them as they too have been suffering from the lost of Sophie and I'm sure that the outing had as good effect on them as it did on us.

Sophie - Lintock Opium at Pasturegreen 27th August 2003 - 6th June 2009

Our Beloved Sophie, Lintock Opium at Pasturegreen died suddenly on Saturday 6th June at 11pm from Lymphoma, cancer of the Nymph Glands. We had been totally unaware that she was ill and she had enjoyed carting the previous weekend at Wellington and showing at Bath Championship show the weekend before. She showed no outward signs that anything was amiss having eaten her tea only hours before a major tumor burst on a vital blood vessel. It was only then that she began to pant heavily and her gums went white. It happened all so suddenly.

As I type this I can barely see the screen for the flood of tears. I don't know how we're going to manage without her. Everywhere I look I can see things of hers or things that remind me of her. She lives on in our Harvey, and pups Meg, Arran and Hector. She had such a promising future ahead of her in the carting and really loved life.

Our only consolation is that she didn't suffer even at the end and died peacefully. We will never forget her as she was our 1st Bernese and our introduction into everything Bernese from carting to puppies and much much more.

Please enjoy your dogs, hug yours dogs and love them everyday as if it might be the last as one just never knows when suddenly it might be.

 

Wellington Carting Weekend 30th & 31st May 2009

Cor what a great weekend we've just had at Wellington Country Park. We arrived late Friday afternoon after having a hell of a journey down having got held up by various accidents and of course on the dreaded M25 on a Friday afternoon. Our new tent, dog tent and toilet tent all took a fair while to set up as they were all new and we're weren't 100% sure how everything fitted together. At 2pm on Saturday and Sunday we were part of a parade with the other carters in the main area with our decorated carts and had a sizable crowd of at least a couple of hundred. The sun was hot but all the dogs managed without any problems. Amy & Sophie were hitched up to try working as a brace which I was surprised was a lot harder to do than it looked and Sophie also got a chance to work the Advanced Carting Course, which she did really well. Now all we need do is pass the Intermediate level one more time before we can actually compete on the Advanced course with Sophie and Harvey. Harvey tried his hand at reversing with his cart but more training is required in this area, even though Sophie managed to reverse brilliantly having never done it before. Saturday night we all enjoyed a BBQ professionally cooked by Dave and Wendy and then Lee did a funny and entertaining job of playing quiz master. It wasn't long before it was time to pack up camp and head off home, all of which took much longer than anticipated much to the amusement of the other carters!

 

Carting Success at BMDC of GB Garden Party

On Sunday 10th May the BMDC of GB held their Garden Party at Roade Village near Northampton. The weather was lovely, not too warm, with a nice breeze at times to keep the dogs cool and the rain thankfully stayed away. It was Amy's first carting competition and we were thrilled she passed her first carting course with a 3rd especially as she'd only seen the course for the first time a fortnight earlier. Sophie and Harvey both passed the intermediate level on the carting course for the second time with Sophie's 2nd place being only one point less than the 1st place and Harvey achieved a respectable 4th. It was baby Abbie's first Garden Party and seemed to take it all in her stride. Chloe was wearing her new Swiss Costume which Granny Georgina had kindly made for her. The day went so very quickly no sooner had we arrived and unloaded the van then it seemed that it was time to pack up and leave. The committee did a sterling job ensuring that the day was perfect and it really was. Mervyn enjoyed working Amy for the first time in the carting, obedience and agility and did a great job which I was very proud of, it just goes to show he must have been listening to all the advice I'd given him? Amy just missed out getting placed in the obedience but got a 3rd in Agility and Harvey won the waggiest tail class without much effort as he's never happier than when he's out and about, so his tail is continually wagging and he also got a 5th in the Obedience. Our results for the day were as follows:

Amy: 3rd Beginner Carting, 3rd Beginner Agility & 4th Prettiest Bitch

Sophie: 2nd Intermediate Carting, 5th Best Carting Turnout & 5th Biscuit Catching

Harvey: 1st Waggiest Tail, 4th Intermediate Carting & 5th Have a Go Obedience

 

Family Holiday up on the North Yorkshire Moors

During the first week of May we all enjoyed a lovely family holiday up on the North Yorkshire Moors staying at Hill Farm Holiday Cottages, in Beckhole, where we've stayed for a number of years and who always give our Bernese a warm welcome. Our holiday coincided with the North Yorkshire Moors Railway Steam Gala where the brand new A1 Steam Train, Tornado was making an appearance, also visiting was the streamliner Sir Nigel Gresley. After taking two trips on Tornado with the dogs during the week, Mervyn surprised me with a footplate ride on the Tornado which was an amazing experience.

During the week we enjoyed many walks across the North Yorkshire Moors with the dogs having great fun running about, paddling in rivers and enjoying Runswick Bay beach which is a popular place for the dogs and us humans too. The dogs enjoyed getting really muddy, wet and sandy during the week knowing that it wouldn't be long before they would be washed once again in readiness for another working event.

 

Pasturegreen Bernese Start Hydrotherapy

Amy, Sophie & Harvey have in recent weeks started hydrotherapy to improve fitness and muscle tone. We are most fortunate that we have a new hydrotherapy pool nearby at Lime Liegh Kennels, Hingham, Norfolk, owned and run by Eileen Barrett. Eileen is fully qualified in hydrotherapy and our dogs have taken to their swimming without any problems. I think this is ultimately down to the repore that Eileen builds up with each of her swimming dogs. Here is Amy enjoying a swimming session with Eileen.

 

Amy gets 3rd at Crufts 2009

What a great start to our 2009 show season with Amy getting a 3rd in Good Citizen Bitch at Crufts 2009 under Andrew Brace. It was a long day but well worth the effort. We were up at 3am, leaving the house in 50 minutes (Not bad when you have a 2½ year old and a 10 week old to get ready, not to mention toileting all the dogs and getting showered and dressed one's self). We arrived at the NEC at 6am which is such a nice time to be at Crufts as it's so quiet. It was lovely to catch up with all our Bernese friends and we thoroughly enjoyed watching all the action from the ringside before it was our Amy's turn. Now that Crufts is all over for another year it's back to trying to qualifying the dogs for next year's Crufts.

 

Baby Abbie's Early Arrival!

Well what is it that they say about best made plans? Our Sophie was due to give birth on Boxing Day/27th December & our baby was due on 9th January but instead baby Abbie decided to put in an early arrival and was born on 27th December instead, much to her parents surprise! Abbie was born at 7.55am after a 6 hour labour at home weighing in at 7.5lb. Chloe is delighted to have a new baby sister and our three Bernese; Sophie, Harvey & Amy have taken Abbie's arrival in their stride.

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