Monday 14 March 2011

News From Frankie


Hi everyone, here is some recent South East Branch news,

AGM The Branch held a very successful and enjoyable Annual General Meeting on Sunday, 6th March at Cuckfield, West Sussex.

Reports from the Chairman, the officers, and members of the committee highlighted the many successes of the previous twelve months.

Jean, our Walks organiser, reported on the high numbers now regularly attending our monthly ‘meets’. Derek, our esteemed webmaster, announced some changes that had been made to the website: www.southeastbasset.org.uk - so, if you haven’t visited the site for a while, please check these out. Our newsletter editor thanked the many excellent contributors to Lowdown including Sheila Williams, the winner of the 2010 Winnie’s Wheelbarrow Trophy. Sue, our Basset Hound Welfare representative delivered an impressive report on the many successful re-homings that she had arranged.

All this was followed by some delicious refreshments. Many thanks go to all those who attended.

DFS CRUFTS 2011 Last Saturday, several Branch members travelled to DFS Crufts at the NEC Birmingham for Hounds Day.

Congratulations to those hounds that achieved some very impressive results at this most prestigious event: Marcus Storton = 1st Veteran Dog; Barnaby Malin = 2nd Veteran Dog; Maximus Storton = 1st Yearling Dog; Leo Culyer-Dawson = 1st Postgraduate Dog; Dutch Storton = 3rd Post Graduate Dog; Nico Roberts = 1st Limit Dog; Chevy Malin = Reserve Limit Dog; Minty Storton = 2nd Open Dog. & Reserve Dog CC; and Pandemonium Storton = Reserve Yearling Bitch.
Well done, everyone!

A DATE FOR YOUR DIARY This coming Sunday, 20th March, is a Branch walk at Long Car Park, Ashdown Forest (see website for all details, maps and TomTom links). There will be a special guest appearance of Bronwyn Edwards Cryer. Bron is the Australian/Seattle-based singer/songwriter famous for ‘A Basset is an Asset’ – so, why not come along and say ‘Hello’?

That’s all for now! Love to you and your hounds,
Frankie x.

Sunday 13 March 2011

Crufts

Back home from what is developing into our annual visit to Crufts staying two nights in our Eriba at the Horse and Jockey, Bentley. About to change hands so hoping the good beer and great atmosphere remain the same. Planned to change are the primitive facilities for campers. That will certainly be very welcome.


Culdaws Dirty Dancing
Despite our caravan being only a short drive from the NEC as ever we missed the first Basset Hound class, Veteran Dog. This featured our Chairman, Brian showing Barnaby, Malrich Voodoo to the show world. Barnaby came second, just pipped to the post I am sure, by Champion Dereheath Marcus Aurelius owned by Derek and Heather Storton, South East members from Nottinghamshire, who came first.

Unfortunately I was only just getting myself together when I noticed that Rosemary, our former Secretary came third with her Moonsmead Double Expresso in the Special Junior Dog class. Having just arrived my cameras were still firmly in their bag so missed a photo there too.

Then Derek and Heather repeated their success with first in Yearling Dog with their Diheath Maximus, jointly owned with Di Melbourne.

By the time the next class with a South East interest, Post Graduate Dog, came I had fortunately woken up, managing to get a photo of the winner, another South East Branch member, Kim Culyer-Dawson, showing her Culdaws Dirty Dancing. Derek and Heather coming third with their Dereheath Going Dutch at Dearduenna, another hound jointly owned with Di Melbourne together with Paul Isted.

Ledline Chevrolet
In the next class, Limit Dog, our Chairman, was head to head with our Secretary, Chevrolet against Nico. Nico, Culdaws Bayleaf shown by Frankie was triumphant taking first place with Chevrolet, Ledline Chevrolet coming in fourth in field of eleven. A great result for both.

After Limit comes Open and it is from this class that it is generally expected that the best dog will emerge and so it was with the winner of the class taking the Dog Challenge Certificate and the second, Derek and Heather's Champion Bromwylva Imperial Mint of Dereheath, taking the Reserve Dog Challenge Certificate.

Heather continued her success with Reserve Yearling Bitch for her Diheath Pandemonium (jointly owned by "MRS H , MISS D & MISS J STORTON, MELBOURNE & MURRAY")

Just time for a quick shop to buy Cocoa new bedding and back to the pub for fish cakes and ale. A leisurely night in the caravan before the drive home in the morning. I don't know how Frankie and Tony manage their one day there and back trips. 


Culdaws Bayleaf



Nico, Barnaby and Chevrolet will be back down to earth next Sunday, 20th March, on our walk from Long Car Park on Ashdown Forest. 

Tuesday 1 March 2011

LOWDOWN in colour

Readers of LOWDOWN will know that although it has colour on the outside, inside it is black and white. This as you may guess because it is simply too expensive to produce it in any other way.

However I am in the lucky position of having copies of our editor's original files and many of these contain the original photo images in colour. So with a little bit of effort, actually quite a lot of time, most pages can be reconstructed in colour.

Black and white or colour, makes no difference on the internet from a cost point of view.

Over time you will see the LOWDOWN pages emerge in their full colour glory.


However they will always be at least six months behind their hard copy originals.
Watch this space www.bassethoundowners.org.uk