Blackpool Champ show cancelled due to Summer Gales!

For the first time I can remember in nearly 30 years of showing dogs a championship show was abandoned! This was the third day at Blackpool and the reason was 'summer gales'!

No BIS, no group winners for the workings groups - amazing! I spoke to someone who was there today and she described it as almost apocalyptic in the way that they told everyone to abandon the site! Luckily no dogs or people were seriously hurt and hopefully everyone had a safe trip home!

A Quiet Belief....

The journey to New York and home again was incredibly easy compared with going all the way across to the West. On the way over we flew in an ancient Boeing 777 with crap on-board entertainment so thank God for a really good book. A Quiet Belief in Angels is a true masterpiece - and a first novel for the author.

I have to say I was slightly disappointed by the conclusion in that I didnt want it to be 'him' but thats not taking anything away from the author - it was a wonderful and encapsulating read.

Liberty Island

Today is the day we go to see one of the most iconic landmarks in New York, the Statue of Liberty or to give it's proper moniker the Liberty Enlightening the World.

We started out by having a hearty breakfast at a wonderful little, traditional diner just round the corner from our hotel, the Brooklyn Diner.

We caught the bus tour down to the ferry terminal and there the fun began.

It was a wonderful experience going over to Liberty Island and climbing up the stairs (all 156 of them!) inside the monument and looking out over the plinth and looking over at the stunning Manhattan skyline BUT I'd never do it again. It took the whole day to do this trip. The security is beyond belief, the time trying to board a ferry seems to last forever. It just seemed to be a day of standing in lines and being security checked. The strange thing is however that despite all this fuss and because the number of visitors is restricted, the island and the monument area felt pretty quiet and uncrowded - almost peaceful - apart of course from the food halls where you can alway find a hoard of Americans!

Now the history bit. Dedicated in 1886, designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi with the help of Alexandre Eiffel. Paid for by the people of Manhattan. Made of copper hence the verdigris colour, 111 feet high and can sway to 5 inches to withstand the high winds exprienced in the harbour.

We were so impressed with the Brooklyn Diner that went back there for dinner. I had mahi mahi which is a fish I've never had before and it was lovely - almost french in it's tastes and presentation. It as superb. Alan had the most amazing pizza. Not your gloopy american pizza that's all dough but a wafer thin base with delicious toppings.