Saturday 24th October 2009.

Beechfield.
Blowing a gale and persistent drizzle so the first day at the pheasants has been postponed till Thursday.
I’m threatening to go to Belfast for a gallop with Jalad but it is very difficult to be enthusiastic. I might just re-line the inside of the mews and relocate Bitch from the garage to the mews.
Black Mountain.
17c (joke) 16.4 mph S. Threatening rain.
Tam and Jalad.
Tam just hunted about, stayed well within gunshot and was compliant when required.
Jalad gave it a good go. Not having been out much recently he was a bit manic to start off but he was beautifully flat, once I had explained things fully and he covered a lot of ground at pace. We cut through the back of the quarry and then veered right to come along the shoulder, through the middle bog, over the top and down into the Big Valley. Just at the end of this run he had an impressive find on a running snipe. I actually saw it run left veering back down wind, not the first time I have seen a running snipe but this was the first for some years. Jalad’s work on the snipe was impressive, especially since I know for certain what he was up against. He pointed, relocated to the left when the bird went that direction, and when asked to produce he went straight down the line of the bird and dropped of his own accord notwithstanding that I blew the whistle anyway.
On my way down wind to the car I met Joe Dobbin with his ten month old Danish/Norwegian English Setter dog Jack. Joe let me see him run on his own and we then walked back to take the wind and gave the dogs a run as a brace. Jack is shaping nicely and only needs a bit more width to be ready to compete. Joe is keeping him tight so that he doesn’t take too big a bite as this leads to a tendency to turn back to look for the handler.
I turned back and Joe went on up the hill. I don’t ever remember running Jalad purposely down wind but he handled it well today even though there was no bird to prove it.
Back at Beechfield I did a bit more work on the mews at it is about three quarters done so what looked like a lost day turned out quite well.
#1 son Ryan is off to Australia for a year on Monday so there’s a “Meet the Fokkers” evening to offically meet Jenny’s parents and I suppose a few coldies may just be sunk. Then tomorrow Jalad may well be off to another home!