| Archive for The Brittany Forum For all friends of the versatile Brittany |
| highclare |
Well tryed you all and some of you were very close. Kathy is going to be the Snow Queen in her local village panto. She told me she loves it and also loves being on the stage, (no not sweeping it, or the stage that left 10 mins ago) she loves acting.
I think it is nice to know what people in your breed do as other hobbies and jobs that is far removed from dog. I wonder if I can DRAG your hobbies out of you lot? I myself love Antiques and go to fairs, auctions and shops and much as I can. I am also a local Councillor which takes up lots of my time during the week. My job is, I am a dog and cat groomer and I have a Hydrotherapy pool both I do from home. So come on what is your other passion in life or is it only dogs and that is why there are so many blinkers being worn!!!?????? |
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| guy |
I have taken the liberty of spitting this off the original thread - as it could prove interesting. | ||||||
| guy |
My main time consuming hobby is training my dogs - as you might have guessed. Subsidiary to that is collecting Brittany and Brittany related books and I am now getting into sculpture and metal casting - the sculpture being af a size I can do it on my lap in the evening. And from time to time I will have a little dabble in writing computer code. Then there is a house to restore - no electrics, running water, internal staircase, kitchen, heating, insulation when we bought it 8 years ago. A slow process as the work is also tied in with 'holidays'.
Work wise I now have a little company that makes heavy oak wooden structures www.egcc.biz; before that I was occupied restoring antique furniture and making new for nearly 30 years. I was involved in the Scout Association for about 15 years but this has now been superseded by having dogs - although there are a lot of similarities between 10 year old boys and Brittanys in terms of behaviour 
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| Mugi |
Well, from 1989 to 2008 my main hobby was the Territorial Army (well in fact I stopped a tad earlier actively but only officially left this Feb) where I served in a Field Hospital. During that time I got to do things I would never have dreamed of doing, pushed myself into places I wasn't comfortable in (night time assault course on the brecon beacons springs to mind) and possibly the worst - standing up in front of high ranking officers and journalists at Westminster Barracks discussing why I joined the TA for a high profile recruitement launch!
Less weird - well obviously the dogs but in a wide variety of situations. Freddy was my agility dog till his body let him down, Brice is my cuddly dog, Mugi and Piper now share my beating hobby and Chase is just great as he is teaching me loads!! They are a huge part of my life and obviously with so many and living alone they do shape how I live my life. I doubt I will ever have this many again but I could never 'get rid' of my longer residents just cos I have switched allegiance to a different breed. I also enjoy photography, travel, camping, cooking and meeting up with friends for a good chat. Work - I am an Operational Manager for a large NHS Trust. My job is flexible around shifts and hours which is fab for the guys and most work days see two coming with me for breaktime walks and mini training sessions. I have a good friend who will check on the at home dogs although they are not taken on walks while I am not there but get play and cuddles. As I don't work consecutive days they all accept that some days are mad play sessions and the days I am home are long walks and more 'intense' training. Sadly I am also carer for my elderley parents and at the moment that is taking up a lot of my time so some of the hobbies I used to do, gardening, decorating etc are being pushed aside. They only need minimal supervision on a day to day basis as both are frail and they manage together but if one is poorly the routine breaks down very quickly. Hospital visits and the weekly shopping trip seems to be getting longer and longer. Actually having the dogs is a great couterpoint to that role as I can only commit so long as my parents also know the dogs need me too. So that is me in brief
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| Patricia |
This is what I love about the Brittany Club. The many friends you made from all sorts of walks of life. The various personalities, and once you passed the common ground of our breed, you find all sorts of other interesting subjects to talk about. 
My ONLY reason to come to the UK was not to learn English, but to work with horses without needing a Maths degree! So my passion are horses and I worked and owned them for 28 odd years. I never went into teaching riding as people who know me will know patience is not my forte 
Western riding is something I went into until put off by a mental and lunatic Appaloosa... I also have a passion for line dancing and would go for 2 solid hours weekly, sometimes more. Never laughed so much 
Like Gill, I also love antique auctions, but the buyer's premium put a stop to that...My house is mainly furnished with auction stuff! Then, the Brittanys...They have been a fantastic interest from all aspects. And they are cheaper than horses! My job is also dog groomer, which I only do part time as to exercise my own dogs! |
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| eddieh |
Before getting Tegen I had started to develop an interest in birding and bird photography but don’t get as much opportunity for the moment as the dogs demand too much of my attention when we’re out. Tegen did point a green woodpecker once though, which would have given me the best opportunity for a photo of one had I had my camera with me and been quick enough to find what she had found One of the bird club members gave details of a jack snipe on some local pits adding that it was hard to find and that his yellow lab was available for hire Maybe Tegen or Remi could do a better job
I’m not very good at either though, and am sure that there are many people in the club or on the forum who are more able to ID birds than me. Who cares? When I do go out on a club field trip, what is mundane and run of the mill to more experienced members is often new and exciting to me and, if on my own, finding and identifying something I’ve not seen before makes me feel like a little kid with a new toy 
Caravanning. We got our first ’van in 1999 and with the original intention of touring areas of the UK we would otherwise not visit but found ourselves being introduce to Rallying. Spending a weekend in a field might sound sad but you are forced to relax and forget about many of the routine things which bother you throughout the week. Added bonus. You get to take your own holiday home to France or where ever. Might even convince Lynda we should go to Ireland one year. Jobwise. PBX engineer. Installing and maintaining telephone systems. In reality, most of my time is spent providing site cover for a large electrical retailer in one of their buildings overlooking the showground at Newark. |
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| highclare |
Whooo what great replys and so interesting what people get up to out of the world of competing with dogs. I like to look at a person and think behind the dog fasard and that people have interesting hobbies and work.
With the differing ages that are in the world of dogs people have had great lives and I think if we come out with that it makes people really human. What upsets me with the dog world is that when people compete it becomes life and death and yes if you are going to do something then do it to the best of your ability. I hope we hear more of your interesting lives in your hobbies and work I am sure it helps us all to get along a little better. You are all great people in your own ways and I am just a noisy B------ Ha Ha? Gill and the Mabeleen. |
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| johnhod |
I remember when I was training my springers, I had time for other hobbies as well. Then along came Moss, I just got to the point where I was thinking we were getting there and I'd have time to have a life again. A phone call from Margaret put an end to that, with the arrival of Ben and having to start all over again. Trying to fit in training and work (can't take the dogs in with me unfortunately) into the short winter days seems near impossible. Just looking forward to spring and lengthening days so we can get out more often.
So while the days are short it's reading, messing about with the computer and vegging out in front of the telly. Work? I work for a local authority (Sefton) in emergency planning and business continuity. I seem to spend most of my time sitting in meetings trying to make sense of an increasing number of acronyms (I have to own up to making some up at times just to see if anyone will ask what they mean). Not the most exciting of existences but it pays the bills. |
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| doganjo |
Well as most of you know by now, my job was as an Accountant in Internal Control(Audit) with the NHS till I retired at the end of 2003 (Best thing I ever did - I can recommend it!) When I retired I said I would refuse to ever do another set of accounts, but it just happens - I still prepare a few friends accounts for Self Assessment, I'm your Treasurer, also recently became Assistant Treasurer of Stlrling City Choir and Treasurer elect from next July. I've joined our local Smallholder's association as I have a large garden with fruit and veg, and ducks and chickens - only for eggs - I have been known to say I'll eat anything except my own animals although who knows what being alone on an island might do I also make greetings cards(not very well as yet but improving)  , and have recently acquired a knitting machine and joined the Scottish Machine Knitting Association. I also do a little tapestry, crochet and hand knitting. When I have time I take my four dogs out - one does agility, one is being trained to the gun, one is a guard dog, and the fourth is the sweetest, kindest natured Brittany you ever met. I used to climb mountains and ride horses but with osteoporosis I have been threatened by my doctors not to even think about doing that any more.
As you will also all know I LOVE computers and the Internet. In addition, since my move to the Central Belt I now spend lots more time with my children and grandchildren, going to their school events etc. I have made a number of freinds locally and love nothing more than a good old natter and long walks with them and our dogs. That's Annie
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| highclare |
Anne what a busy life you lead I was warn out just reading it. Can I say a very welldone on your treasury skills it has to be the hardest jobs on any committee!
Come on people there are a few lurkers out there we would love to know what makes your life tick or is it dogs, dogs, dogs? Gill and the Mabeleen |
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| Liz |
Family and dogs mainly. A lot of time is taken up with Bill’s arts/music charity work. When he got redundancy/early retirement he started doing junk percussion workshops with schools/youth groups, etc, and this has grown enormously since. I get landed with minuting meetings, bookkeeping, etc, but mainly as a sounding board for his ideas!
Used to work for the Regional Council as Secretary/PA to the Director of Education but gave that up a few years ago as I was very jealous of the fact that Bill was at home and his own boss but I was tied to office hours and routines. Not the most exciting job in the world, but it does mean I’ve earned myself a bit of a pension to help with the dog expenses. Home and family – most important. One son in Lancashire with his partner and her little girl, and other son near Edinburgh with my lovely daughter in law and their 2 children, Tom 6 and Kate 2. Should do more with decorating and the garden, but am bone-idle! Love cooking though. Dogs take up most of my time. 3 lots of training classes a week. Monday – obedience, doing KCGC Silver with Ozzy. Wednesday – ringcraft, where I’m also one of the trainers on the rota. Thursday – Agility, been doing it with Sherry for about 3 years and just started with Oz. We’ll never get very far, but it’s great fun and a good way of bonding with the dogs. Not forgetting they all need walked a couple of times a day. Don’t seem to get much spare time to do anything else, though!!! |
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| Pippa's Pack |
I worked in the NHS for 36 years. For 29 of those years I was the manager of our local health centre and GP practice. When I started there were just 3 doctors in the partnership which had grown to 8 by the time I retired in 2004. I have to admit that work was a consuming passion for me - it was so interesting and varied. Out of work our hobbies were our family, our dogs and caravanning. Our first grandchild was a complete joy and accompanied us on many caravan holidays. I really cannot believe he is now 28 years old!
We made some great friends on our caravan trips and many of those were also 'doggy' people. We also like to do a spot of birdwatching although nothing too serious but we have been to some super places. The best was a boat trip to Fingalls Cave and then on to the Isle of Lunga to see the puffins and other seabirds. I am also keen on computers although it was not always so. When we first got one at the health centre I told one of the doctors not to expect me to use it. Some timer later when I arrived one morning the first thing I did was switch on 5 computers - somehow without me realising it they had taken over!
I thought I would really miss work when I retired but it is amazing how quickly you adjust.. We go off for longer trips in the caravan (plus dogs of course), I am treasurer of our village Archive Group, I do voluntary computer training at our local community centre, mostly teaching people the basics, and belong to the local retired GP mangers group. The most important thing to us is our dogs - our lives do revolve them to a great extent. We have met some great people since becoming interested in showing and that is the bit we enjoy. Of course it is good to win sometimes but what the heck. Win or lose we love them all anyway .
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| kandjt |
I enjoy participating in all kinds of game shooting, but by far my favourite pastime is rough shooting over my Brittany. I am a member of a rifle club and shoot competitions using vintage rifles. Recently I have taken up deer stalking and am presently studying hard and hope to take my Deer Stalking Certificate next spring. I fish, but a lot less often than I used too, but still manage a trip now and then to catch a few trout.
Exercising and training the dogs takes up a fair portion of the day, my young lab is showing a lot of promise and is being trained with field trials in mind. After Christmas I will start training all my dogs blood tracking to help my deer stalking. I have an allotment and we are vitually self sufficient with vegetables, luckily it not so labour intensive during the game shooting season. For over 30 years I've been tracing our family trees, but living so far away from our respective homes, most is now done via the net, with occasional visits to check on the findings. Thanks to Patricia I have discovered the Breed Book on the CEB site and enjoy tracing the pedigrees of my dogs, past and present. I also follow the breeding of winners in France, it's on my wish list to improve my school boy French to get the best from their site. After a long and varied career working in schools and for various church organisations I was able to take early retirement. Keith |
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| Ghilliegumdrop |
Elephants
Crocheting Reading Music.....playing and listening Walking Dogs Showing Pastel Painting Quizzes Travelling Driving Etc etc etc Not in any particular order |
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| highclare |
More great replays from you all out there and you all really love your Brits. The same thing was started on the Welsh Springer chat line and hardly anyone mentioned working there dogs at all, you all seem to say something about working, training, beating, shooting or exercising your dogs, as well as your lives in work and past time.
Please continue sending in a little about your selves as it gives a lovely insite to the person behind the lead? I dare you to tell us about yourselfs or have you something to hide!!!!! Gill and the Mabeleen. |
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| johnhod |
Yes I forgot to mention beating my dog as a hobby |
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| Ghilliegumdrop |
I thought it was beating the husband she was on about
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| Patricia |
Bit more...Being French I love food, and Thank Goodness the English have improved their skills on their cooking since my arrival in 1976. A" L'Anglaise" meant everything was boiled and that was the impression the French had of the British cuisine 
Eating is a past time ( or should I say drinking by the sheer amount of British descending in Calais ) many of us share? I would love to go round retaurants on a tasting spree and mark them on their performance!!
Shame they don't serve snails often. Gill will be invited for some when she next comes to " Darkest Suffolk"
One of my new past times also involves food as I breed Wiltshire Horn pedigree sheep and take advantage of my trip to Windsor dog show to purchase new rams- from a lady who breeds Goldies too!- I am getting a lesson on good conformation of a ewe next. Well, I know they need long backs and deep chest- all the better for eating!- A new hobby...I can eat without bland and boring tasting meat from boring breeds!
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| doganjo |
Talking of snails - Donald's latest hobby is breeding them - the water varieties - for tropical fish tanks (they clean them up, eating algae, overgrown plants etc).
He sells them on Ebay and seems to be making a good sound profit - in direct contrast to the latest British Institution that has gone 'down the tubes' - just WHAT will we all do without Woolies around - a sad, sad day!
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| Lin Dyke |
RIP Woolworth's  (I could at least stay two minutes longer in Ww's than in Asda, please don't ask about Lidl  )
I don't actually have any "hobbies" as such. I enjoy food and wine,(also spirits and beer...) crosswords, quizzes, gardening, cooking, company of friends, family, reading, music (of most genres) being owned by Brittanys. These are not listed in any particular order 
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| guy |
RIP Speedferries as well. Just a few days after I spent £250 with them for a block of tickets. Next job - see if the credit card insurance actually is worth the paper it is written on. | ||||||
| Lin Dyke |
Fingers crossed for you Guy. | ||||||
| guy |
thanks | ||||||
| doganjo |
Should do - it worked for us some years back. May need to keep pushing them though! Good luck. At least it wasn't more - this credit crunch has put an awful lot of people in the red. | ||||||
| doganjo |
I've just been in Woolies - the place is seething Everyone trying to get a bargain. The girls said they are paid two weeks behind so are currently working for their Christmas pay packets. They have been told there is a strong chance they'll get paid tomorrow - a strong chance! Huh! But nobody knows what's going to happen after that. They're trying to find a buyer. Woolies employs 30,000 don't know about the others.
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| eddieh |
I didn't think we were allowed to enjoy driving anymore. Surely overtaking is illegal and driving nose to tail at 40mph is safe and responsible (even though a friend of my son failed for driving @ 40 in a 60 limit recently) |
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| Ghilliegumdrop |
Depends who and what you are driving 
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| eddieh |
idiots and me mad | ||||||
| Lin Dyke |
[quote="eddieh
. (even though a friend of my son failed for driving @ 40 in a 60 limit recently)[/quote] I failed my first motorcycle test for speeding  Passed the second time with the same examiner..... but that's another story.....
Motorbikes are another big thing in our lives, especially Italian ones We have equal number of bikes and Brits. Just need to get a sidecar for the boys
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| doganjo |
You'd better all buy Our Dogs next week - hobbies are one of my topics. | ||||||
| Lin Dyke |
We had enough trouble getting Dog World  Most places will only stock it to order
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| eddieh |
That surprises me. It seems to be readily available in the chavdom of Peterborough.
Regarding the bikes. old or modern. Lynda keeps saying she'd like to start molly dancing, but the nearest lot practice on Monday which has, up til now, clashed with dog training. |
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| Patricia |
What on earth is " Molly dancing"?. Never heard of it...
As for motorbikes...too dangerous as are mountain bikes! My brother has more pins and screws because of those 2 that I care to remember. In this day and age of traffic, bikes aren't safe and with all those speed limits, what is the point of not having wind through your hair 
My turn to become a grumpy old woman
Regard " Dog Wolrd" I am bored with it...I am sick and tired of Jane Lilley slagging off farmers who seem to be responsible for all dog trouble and dying early
One of the other writers does not believe in cage or complete dog foods..and another is simply dull... So, I am thinking of switching to Our Dogs. Never thought I'd hear myself say that!!! |
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| eddieh |
A form of English folk dance which originated in the Cambridgeshire fens http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=DSirQF_KCKY&NR=1 Not all of the people wearing dresses are women
If I remember correctly, most of my biker mates spent a fair bit of time lying in hospital dreaming of the bigger faster bike they would buy with the insurance payout
I wish people would stop stereotyping sections of the community and realise that there are millions of idiots in the world and that their hobbies, pastimes and occupations are many and varied. Not all lorry drivers are c*^% arrogant drivers . I've even come across some telephone engineers who aren't perfect.
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| Jim |
Bikes are from about 76 next is 90 and the latest is 2000
850 950 and 1100 respectively neither are "Japanese" fast but quick enough for me. They're all moto guzzi which is my chosen mark after riding nortons for a while, needed something more reliable. Been thro' the spectrum of bikes at one time or another. Just celebrated 40 years of holding a licence. And still in one piece.... In fact have been a member of the IAM through the bikes for about 12 years now.. Not doing much with them at the moment but they do get used.. |
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| johnhod |
So it's Morris Dancing for transvestites? |
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| eddieh |
I think the dressing up tradition comes from not wanting to be recognised as you plough up somebody's garden
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| Ghilliegumdrop |
I wondered why my neighbor comes home at midnight jingling his bells I also wondered why his wife had left him.....thinking back it was around the time he started to jingle
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