A new blog, again Update part 1

It has been almost one year since I have written anything, so I thought I´d give it a go with a new blog. When my email was hijacked last Februari, also my old blog  the old blog KemiRhys  "died" because I couldn´t log in there with the old email address anymore.

There has been so much this year, last spring in Wales was the best time in my life and the summer was full of trials, in autumn me and Rhy represented Finland at The World Sheepdog Trial. Later on Rhys son Coel 1,5 years became Reserve Nordic Nursery Champion in Denmark, being second after Jaran Knive and Fibula. 1.12 I started my daywork again at TeliaSonera.
To make a looong story short

Penyfed Farm (c) Jessica Saukkonen

Update part 1

3 months at Penyfed Farm, Ty Nant Wales

Outside our home (c) Jessica Saukkonen

Our home <3

Last spring me and Leena Jussila got the opportunity to work over the lambing for Aled Owen, two times World Champion, three times International Supreme Champion and sheep farmer.

We lived in a static caravan nearby the farm, sometimes it was a bit cold but it was our home and we loved it.

Me pulling my first lamb in Wales

Me feeding the petlambs

Jessica visited us for a long weekend

Triples

Raincoats for the lambs (c) Jessica Saukkonen

Coel bringing ewes and lambs down to the farm

Helping out the neighbour dosing his sheep, Coel helping in the pen

 There were about 400 crosses and 200 welsh ewes who lambed from middle of March to the end of April. Aled isn´t only a brilliant sheepdog trainer, he is also a very good teacher. Didn´t matter how slow and insecure we where in the beginning , he never ever said anything negative only encourages us. When the lambing was over, there were a lot of work every day for the dogs. When we had time and weren´t too tired we also trained the youngsters, this was absolutely awesome, we could train them in all kinds of fields small big flat steep etc, on small or big flocks and with ewes with lambs. 

Coel in the yard

Me, Rhy Morri and Meg on the hill

Leena and Aleds sweet brother Efvion

Jessica at Ann and Doug Lambies farm

Leena and Rhy

Taking sheep over the river (c) Leena Jussila

A day at work (c) Jessica Saukkonen

Dosing sheep

Rhy training up there somewhere....

 We went to a few trials too, no success but more experiences for us. In May Rhy hurt himself when we where training on the rough hill, he was lame for 2-3 weeks. The good thing about that, was that I had to take Coel to do the work. This is the best way to train young dogs if you have this kind of opportunity, take it to work when the dog has got the basics.

Alastair Gilchrist 86y having a look at Rhys leg

Aled helping with Coel

Coel with ewes and lambs on the caravan field

Me and Coel feeding

Coel improved a lot in a couple of weeks, soon he could gather a hill with me on the bike, he moved big flocks, separated ewes with lambs, brought flocks to the yard, worked in pens etc.
When we arrived we thought 3 months was a long time, but very soon the best time of my life came to it´s end...and we had to go back to Finland. I´m so very grateful to Aled for all we and our dogs have learned, for the kindness and all responsibility he trusted us with. Diolch Aled!

Last evening in "our" pub. Leena, Doug, Pete and Janet

Me with my mates, Gypsy and Roy

Rhy in the pen at Lonscale farm

Before we went home, we drove to North England and picked up Anni from Dereks farm. The 3 of us then drove to Scotland, where we visited Mosse and Lotta Magnusson  and then to Bobby Dalziel. It was wonderful to see Mosse and Lottas farm, and not to forget the feeling when Coel 12 months, went up like a racket all the way up on Bobbys brae. I couldn´t train Rhy there because he was lame, that was a shame because it was there he found his pace last year with Bobbys help and I would liked to have more of that. When I´m running him, I often hear Bobby on my shoulder "check him..."

Blackface lambs

Coel and Jazz watching Morri on the brae

Coel up on the brae ( the withe spot are the sheep), Bobby giving me instructions

Training with Mosse and Lotta

Deerplay, the sheep are held in a cage on the top because it´s so steep.. When the dog is behind the cage they´ll let the sheep out.

Before we went home, we participated in a famous difficult trial Deerplay, organized by Shirley and Jim Cropper. We had read about it, but we hadn´t understood how very difficult the outrun really was, the horizontally rain and hard wind didn´t make it any easier...

Rhy found his sheep with 2 extra commands but got stuck in the swampy ground with the ewes, he didn´t want them to take the  way to the path and gripped when he tried to force them the shortest way ...so, thank you and goodby. But, I was really happy because we were the first Finns to ever take part in this trial and we did find the sheep (everybody didn´t)!
Next day we  started the long way home. Ta da

                                                          ____  To be continued  ___