The Crufts Experience

Once again, Crufts has come and gone leaving its legacy of tired dogs and humans, happy owners, disappointed owners, empty wallets, businesses desperately trying to supply all the orders and the eternal question of why do we do it?  Because we love it!

My one day visit to Crufts was a five day affair.  Leaving home on Friday afternoon to spend a night at my parents' so that I was in easy reach of the friend I was travelling down with.  Saturday was spent on the motorway, Sunday in Crufts, Monday on the motorway and back to my parents and finally Tuesday morning to get back home.

My own dogs were being looked after at home - I keep saying I am going to start showing them, but that's another tale.  The friend I travelled with was Min Inches who was the first importer of the hovawart to Britain.  She fell in love with the breed whilst living in The Netherlands in 1979 and has had them ever since.  Tussock was one of her pups and is still remembered fondly in the household!  Due to bouts of ill health, and then injury, Min is currently unable to run with her dogs, so my job was to be the legs in the show ring.  Last year we got a first with young Silkie; in fact we came home with several placings, so I was hopeful for this year!

We were meeting up with another friend, Anne Stewart, who was coming from Ireland - Anne is also Silkie's breeder.  Anne got Best of Breed at Crufts a few years ago with her home bred boy, Fasskoleys Sallins Solo, and Min has had BoB several times over the years, the last one being with Houwaerts Jiska, sadly now passed away.

That first night we slept in the vans - the good old British weather had reverted back to winter just in time for Crufts, and it was something of a cold night.  That and the bright lights around the service station car park, and the birds that sing all night because of the lights, the endless traffic on the motorway close by all contribute to a rubbish sleep, and with the inevitable early start as your body dictates it is time to get up NOW! you arrive in the NEC already tired!

On a personal level, it was a very successful trip - I wanted to meet up with some Facebook friends - in particular, the admin team from our raw feeding group on Facebook.  We have shared many words, but never met.  That was rectified by an all-too-brief meeting at the Natural Instinct stand who very kindly supplied some bubbly and nibbles for all us raw feeders.  Also at their stand were Haatchi and Owen who you may very well have seen as the winners of the Friends for Life competition.  They were also on my list of people to meet, and so thank you to Natural Instinct for their part in bringing us all together.

 

Crufts is a fantastic shopping opportunity with everything you want and need and everything you don't want or need for your dog - leads, collars, coats, books, food, treats, toys, pictures, training aids - you name it, you will get it at Crufts.  I didn't get much time to shop, but did come home with three new toys, my new Mary Ray treat bag, a couple of clickers and a book on dog anatomy.  Oh, and my usual stock of Fish4Dogs dried salmon skin treats. 

As you wander round, your eyes goggle at everything - from the colourful toys, to the diamante collars and leads and from the grooming brushes to the paw washers.  There are so many dogs wandering round with their owners, too - from large dogs that look like walking rag rugs, to the tiniest of toy breeds.  Some of the smaller ones are pushed around in pushchairs, some are held in arms, and some just walk on their own - I constantly worry that I might stand on one, such is the melee of people, dogs, electric buggies, pushchairs, children, dogs etc.

On the doggy side of things, it didn't quite go according to plan, and it was certainly a learning experience.

It is always a long walk into Crufts from the car parks, and this year we had the added complication of Min using an electric buggy to enable her to do distances.  She has been working with each of the dogs to get them to walk alongside this buggy.  I took young Silkie with me and the pull along trolley which had all the crates, food, water and other paraphernalia, and Min took the other two.  In hindsight, we wondered if I should have taken Larney instead.  Poor Silkie was so stressed by the time we got in to the benches, and got ourselves set up, that we were a little concerned about her. 

Hovawarts are very loyal to their owners, and in many cases won't work well for anyone else, and I was well aware that I wouldn't get the best out of Chief as he really is a mummy's boy, and this certainly proved to be the case.  He spent his whole time in the ring looking over to where Min was, to the extent that she moved out of sight - but he could still hear her voice. 

Compare this year with me to.......

...........last year with Min.

However, I did expect to do a better job with the two girls, Larney and Silkie.  But they were as distracted and unhappy as Chief had been.  I had to work very hard to keep their concentration, and Silkie was a shadow of the girl I had run round the ring last year!  Larney was the last one to show, and whilst she certainly gave a great run round for me, she was also looking for Min.

So what had changed?  We talked at length about this on the way home, and concluded that there was no one answer, but more a collection of them.  Dog shows are no longer an opportunity for them to work with Min, getting one to one time with her - they have been handed over to whoever has been available and willing to handle them in the ring, and so some of the fun has gone for them.  Add to that the fact they have seen their mum go from walking to hobbling somewhat, and then resorting to the buggy - we wondered if Silkie was stressed because she had been taught to walk beside the buggy, and I was not allowing her to do so on the way into the NEC.  And we missed a very important clue first thing in the morning - Silkie didn't clean up her food as she normally does - indicating stress before we even set off on the walk in.

I felt very disappointed not to bring any ribbons home, but Min had not expected any, and besides, the competition was tough!  Some beautiful dogs, and a very worthy winner of Best of Breed.  This handsome dog spent as much time on his back getting tummy rubs as he did standing!

Darcius - known as Darcy.

It has made me think about the whole concept of showing dogs.  Min's dogs are all old hands at it - they know more of what they are doing than I do!  But I wonder how many of the dogs in the show were genuinely happy?  Some dogs certainly seem to enjoy the attention and the occasion, but I do wonder if my own dogs will be suited to such an occasion.  I think perhaps it might be unfair to ask Tussock to do it now, but, like Chief, she would probably be fine providing she was with me. 

We finally left the NEC at about 6.15 and made our weary way back to the vans - we only travelled for an hour or so before stopping and taking a motel room for the night for the three of us, and resumed our journey on Monday.  The journey home seemed to take forever - and we went from blue skies to snow several times over.

When we finally got home, Chief, Larney and Silkie were so pleased to be back!  And even better was the greeting I got from my own girls when I eventually got home.

 

So, that's it until next year.  And we will do it all again.

The Difference a Sausage Makes.

Today was a major breakthrough - and all because of a sausage......

After my recent wake up call and my decision to climb out of my ditch of complacency, I have been doing a bit more walking with my dogs as opposed to just walking the dogs.  For too long I have disappeared into my own little world on walks - a bad habit started in childhood.

One of the "issues" that I have had with Talulah is her reluctance to give anything up - be it a ball, a bone, a toy.  The one thing that is virtually impossible to get her to release is a tennis ball - she gets it so far down her long mouth, you can't even get a hold of it.

Playing fetch is a game between three of us.  I throw, Tussock gets it and then gives it to Talulah - then it is a battle to get the ball back for the next throw.  I have tried forcefully taking it off her, shouting at her, bribing her with another ball or toy, bribing with treats, but to no avail - she does not want to give up the ball.  As a result, games of fetch become pretty tiresome and the ball goes back in my pocket.



Tussock goes to get the ball........

 

.......Talulah runs to meet her......

 

......and takes the ball from Tussock.

 

Until today.

I was given some out of date sausages made by my local butcher and I decide to dry them in the dehydrator which up until now has only been used for drying herbs for the horses.  On our walk today, I took a pocketful of the usual treats, and a little bag of dried sausage pieces.

When offered the piece of sausage in return for the ball, I could feel the dilemma going on in Talulah's brain.  What to do, what to do.  At first she was trying to take the treat whilst retaining the ball but she couldn't do that, so then she put the ball down, but tucked it down to her chest before taking the treat.  I gently took the ball whilst she ate and then threw the ball again so that she recognised that she got more game if she cooperated this way.  By the end of the walk, she was much quicker to release the ball and not tucking it away as before.  Result!!!

The ball is given up without force!

But, a result in more ways than one - Tussock was happier as there was more play.  Talulah was happier as there was more play, and, because Talulah was hanging about with me, River didn't get the usual opportunities to beat up Talulah.  The additional bonus was that whilst the two were chasing the ball, I was doing little bits with River - and rewarding her with dried sausage.  And suddenly I had more of her attention, too.

All for a bit of dried sausage.

I guess it was just a case of finding the right treat for the job!

Social Expectations

There has been a lot of discussion recently on social media regarding the Yellow Ribbon campaign for DINOS.  This stands for Dogs In Need Of Space.  If you hadn't heard of this, then you have now.  Basically, if you see a dog with a yellow ribbon on its lead, collar, coat, etc, then the request is please to give that dog a bit more space than you might normally do.  They may be fearful of other dogs, elderly, ill, fear aggressive, over protective - any number of things.  But the ribbon asks you to get your own dogs under control and not allow them to harass the oncoming dog. 

I really don't have a problem with that - at all!  There is the small problem that you might not see the yellow ribbon until you are very close.  But what is really bothering me is a nagging concern as to how my dogs behave and how they (and me) are perceived by other owners!  Having read and listened to various people who have fearful or nervous dogs I have questioned my own attitudes and responsibilities as well as the behaviour of my dogs. 

I have nearly always been lucky enough to live in places that have given me space and freedom to allow me and my dogs to run free.  None of the dogs I have had have been urban in any way whatsoever.  Now, very rural people need a few different life skills to people who live in the city and vice versa.  Also some behaviours are acceptable in one environment but not the other - for instance, you don't duck behind a bush in the middle of town to have a wee!

Manners, however, should be universal - as people, we should all be able to say hello politely, and to behave in a manner that is not offensive to others.  Once we know another person, then we may be able to change our behaviour in a way that is acceptable to both parties.  So what about dogs?  Yes, I think their manners should be universal too - though obviously canine manners are a bit different to human ones and it is up to us as owners to enable our dogs to learn these manners through socialisation and training.  But everybody's idea of what constitutes good manners is different.  Things that I wouldn't dream of doing or saying to somebody (not intentionally anyway) seem to be completely acceptable to others.  And things that I might be sensitive to in other people's words and actions slide like water off a duck's back on other people.  Those differences can and do spill over into the the manners and behaviour of our dogs.

And then there is the ability to communicate with others - some folks find it hard enough to communicate with others of their own species, let alone another!  And as dog owners, we really do need to be able to understand the canine language sufficiently to enable beneficial socialising and training as well as interpret what is going on.  We don't need to be able to sit down and have a detailed conversation with a dog or understand their every "word" but I guess we need to understand the basics to enable us to get by.

So, having given this some thought, what are my conclusions about my dogs?  Well, I think they are doing mostly okay, but I do need to up my game a bit. 

River is still very much a puppy - she sees all other dogs as playmates, other than Talulah who is there for her to beat up.....  However, she does approach other dogs more quickly than I would like, although she doesn't go right up to them and shove her nose up their butt.  She goes within a few metres, wagging her tail, ears up and alert, and a smile on her face.  Any sign of invitation and she is in play bow mode and then they can have fun fun fun.  She hasn't yet met a dog that has been nasty - very fortunate for me and her, and so I hope she takes this wonderful playfulness into adulthood.



This 5 month collie had a nasty experience the day before this photo when  black lab was rather "un-nice" to him.  When he saw my three big black dogs, he was very unsure.  I put two back in the car, but kept River out as I knew she would play!

And off we go!

Hopefully leaving with a better memory.

Tussock was extremely well socialised as a pup - living in a hotel, it was essential.  I love to watch her body language.  She will go down to the ground for a few moments whilst she watches another dog from a distance before moving slowly towards them.  She doesn't often play with another dog, but does like to say hello.  She does not, however, tolerate bad manners in another dog, and these bad manners are not always apparent to the owners.  She doesn't appreciate noses up her bum, or too close a contact with too forward a stance - she will politely tell them to back off.  If they persist, then the politeness gradually gives way to a firmer voice and more defensive behaviour without making contact - she can and does make lots of noise!  If another dog appears nervous she will look away and move away - she doesn't push the issue.  One behaviour that does puzzle me, however, is that she doesn't like it when other dogs insist on running around especially before meet and greet has been concluded - she will try to rein them in, and if they don't comply, then she will roll them, flatten them, and give them a shouting - lots of noise, lots of teeth showing, but never, ever, any harm done.  Now, I know she is not hurting them - but other owners see big black dog on top of their dog and think that my dog is the aggressive one.  She isn't aggressive - but I do need to learn more of what is going on here.



Meeting dogs they know, but still Tussock is still slow to approach.

Now, Talulah is my "problem" dog.  Somehow she has fallen through my net.  Perhaps because she was not bought as "my" dog, perhaps because I didn't want to interfere with her early training as she was not "my" dog, perhaps an element of "oh she is a flat coated retriever - they are always friendly" - I don't know.  I do feel as though I have failed her somewhat though. 

I have been so busy watching Tussock's behaviour, that I haven't really noticed Talulah's development - especially since River arrived on the scene.  This is the key part of this.  Prior to River, Talulah was indeed friendly and playful, but, this has gradually and subtly changed.  She is the one I need to watch as she is very protective of River and is likely to rush up to another dog and say "Just watch it you, don't hurt my baby, or I will have you"  then runs away again.  And because Tussock hears this tone of voice, she then goes on alert which is why I watch her.  But the "trouble maker" is Talulah, and, coupled with an alarmingly rubbish recall, she is something of a time bomb.

 

So, now it's a case of leaving complacency at home and taking lots of treats with me and doing some on the hoof revision! 

Like I said to begin with, there has been lots of discussion about this, many trainers are talking about it.  I have read lots of stuff but not "read" it.  Finally one article really made me sit up and think.  Having read so much about this dog, I rather feel I have got to know her a bit.  I have never met her and probably never will, but all the stuff I have previously read suddenly meant a bit more and I suddenly questioned which category of owner I fitted into.

Self examination like this is always a good thing - providing we act on what we find......

A Hairy Situation

Dog hair.....
Gets everywhere
Down the hall
And up the Stair

In your socks
And round your toes
In your mouth
And up your nose

It covers the furniture
And carpets the floor
You vacuum it up
But there's always some more

It gets in the saucepans
And ends up being stewed
Then flosses your teeth
As you're eating your food

It lurks in your undies
Making you itch
Tickles your eyes
And causes a twitch

Your bed is a haven
For discarded hair
Resembling the look
Of a wolf mother's lair

It sits on your pillow
Making you sneeze
Tickling your nostrils
As it waves in the breeze

It creeps into cupboards
And under the stairs
You go in for dusters
And come out with hairs

But don't think your car
Is free of this fluff
It's gathering there
To make sure you've enough!

You open a book
And look at the words
And lurking there
Are hairs in their herds

It sneaks under couches
Like tumbling weed
If you collect it all up
You could weave your own Tweed

Yes.....

Dog hair
gets everywhere
But we love our dogs
And we just don't care

The Love for a Dog

Whilst looking up the full name of River's father last night, I came across an older entry from a friend's blog.  The final line of this page said that he was so proud of his dog that sometimes it hurts.  That got me thinking today.

I know that I love my dogs so much that it hurts at times.  A non-doggy person might think I am mad, stupid, pathetic, or even all three.  But what is wrong with loving a dog, or a cat, or a horse, that much?  I do not have children so I cannot and do not know what the love for a child is like - I can imagine it, and appreciate it.  But is the love for an animal any less?  Different, yes, and in many ways.  But like kids, dogs and other companion animals are our responsibility to raise and train in a way to make them acceptable to society.  And the love for and from children and dogs is totally unconditional.  It is heart-achingly pure.

Family life generally revolves around the needs of the children - that includes shopping, holidays, household expenses, choice of car, leisure time - the list is endless.  I hold my hands up and admit that my life revolves round my dogs!  But I don't think that is bad - it means I accept my responsibilities and all they entail.  I very rarely go out anywhere without the dogs.  This does have a downside which is that I often cannot do something or go somewhere because I am not prepared to leave the dogs for long hours.  When I was younger, I confess that I did - though circumstances were different - and I promised myself I wouldn't do that again.

For many people their animals are their sole companions and in many cases, their helpers too.  And I think a lot of people very much live for their dogs - without them, they feel they would have no purpose in life.  Living alone as I do, my dogs are a constant source of companionship, comfort, laughter, interaction, and tactile comfort.  On a cold evening, they take it in turns to be a hot water bottle beside me.  The house would be very empty without them.  My life would also be much poorer.

And in some cases, the owner of the dog is the dog's helper as in the case of Cliff - a very heart warming story about a very special dog, with special needs, and special people!



Evening relaxation

This close companionship doesn't come without its downsides, however, in case anyone is thinking I am wearing dog-shaped, rose coloured spectacles.  Whilst we don't have toddler sticky finger prints, and bits of lego, we do have mud splashes, dog hair and half chewed bits of firewood.  We don't have toddler or teenage tantrums but there are still moments when the household is not quite in harmony.  I am not woken by a baby or toddler crying, but am occasionally woken by the urgh urgh urgh urgh of a dog about to be sick!  Trying to put the light on, dash down the stairs to open the front door before the reappearance of food is quite a challenge when you are 90% asleep.  And you don't always make it in time which is when you feel cheated and wished you hadn't bothered to get up as now you are wide awake!! 



Occasional teasing and squabbles

Meal times are accompanied by pools of drool on the kitchen floor, sometimes things mysteriously disappear from the kitchen tops and you are never quite sure if it has been stolen, you already ate it, or didn't put it there in the first place.



Drooling for supper

Dog towel washing in winter is comparable to washing for a small family, whilst the time taken to clean and dry wet and muddy dogs after a walk is akin to bathing kids at the end of the day.  I don't know what my neighbours think, but my washing line is regularly full of old and fraying towels.  For every two loads of my own washing, I probably do three for the dogs.

Muddy Towel Land

Sticky fingerprints on the windows?  No, we don't have those, but we do have dog snot art on the house and car windows.  Bags of baby food and nappies in the car for every journey?  No - piles of old towels, leads and treats in my car - along with mud, wood, hay, and missing bits of car interior which have been chewed by Miss River.

And my bed is not just mine - no, all four of us sleep there.  Some may feel that is totally unacceptable or unhygienic, but I have slept with at least one dog on the bed for the last 30 years and I am disgustingly healthy!  There are the usual fights over the covers, and someone encroaching on my space, or there might be a snarl in the middle of the night when somebody stands on Tussock.  On the whole, though, we all sleep remarkably well.

Come on Tussock, let me in!

In these cold winter months, River has acted as a body length hot water bottle laying back to back with me, and I love waking up to see Tussock's head beside mine.  No, I don't get to lie in bed with a cup of tea, but then I have never liked to do that anyway!

God forbid, however, that I ever meet a man who turns my head!!!  It will take a special one to cope with my canine (and equine!) baggage, and goodness knows where he might sleep......

Spot the Horse!!

Today I took an extra dog on our walk - except she isn't a dog, she's a horse, but she goes out for walks with the dogs quite the thing.  It was a gorgeous day, sun shining, still a bit cold, but as I listened, the birds were singing the verse about spring being just round the corner - something just a bit more joyful in their voices, a bit more life, a bit more hope.  I always find this time of year quite hard - I'm fed up of feeling cold, of wading through varying degrees of mud, getting wet, having wet dogs to dry every time we go out, muddy garden - the list is endless.  But all of a sudden, just that subtle change in the bird song is enough to lift the spirits and move stagnated thoughts on to brighter days and sun induced positivity.

Sunshine!

Mooi seemed glad to go out, too - I have done precious little with her over the winter and it is time we got back to work!  I bought her when she was just a year old - after a life time of longing for a horse of my own.  Somehow the journey I had planned with her went a bit off course, and we haven't really got back on track yet nor moved forward very far!  But then, I take her out, and realise that actually, we have come a long way from those early days when neither of us knew much about the other.  Perhaps we aren't quite riding out yet, but she is maturing into a steady mare, albeit she can indeed be mareish!  She has probably taught me more than I have taught her - she has taught me to try something different if a particular method isn't working in any part of life - just a shame I don't always remember the lesson!!!  She also taught me that small steps in the right direction are still important, and that sometimes losing sight of the bigger picture is not a bad thing.

Come on Mum - let's get back on the track!

She stepped out down the road going away from the rest of the herd with only a couple of looks behind her and even when we turned off the road and onto a track she has never been on, she didn't balk.  The dogs were charging around her, jumping out of the dead bracken, chasing each other and playing - she just took it all in her stride. 

 

 

Everything around her, though, was part of the natural world - the river which we had to wade through, the sheep on the hill, trees swaying in the wind, boggy ground, a fallen tree, boulders, virtually nothing man made.  Going past people's gardens she is a little less settled - she sees zombies and spooks everywhere.  And a plastic bag fluttering?  No way! 

She has a point though - the natural world exists with balance and harmony.  The man made world is full of conflict and greed.  Perhaps I am looking too deeply at her behaviour, but as she has already taught me so much, I try to remain open to the next lesson.

My very best riding teacher, Mary, opened my eyes to the ways of the horse.  I suppose I had them in my mind as very big dogs but they are anything but.  They are prey animals and as such they live in constant awareness of their surroundings, on the lookout for anything that might want to eat them.  That she was so relaxed with me today, with the equivalent of three wolves running around her, I take that as a compliment and statement of trust.  But the deal is that when I am with her, I give her and our surroundings my attention.  If she is prepared to trust and go with me, then I have to be worthy of that trust and make sure I also keep my eyes open for tigers in the trees!

Did you see that tiger in the tree?

There are two major benefits of staying in the moment with her - one is that I notice more around me.  The other is that it gives my brain a rest.  I am constantly guilty of mulling over past events, dreaming up future plans, conjuring up all sorts of problems that only exist in my mind, and then worrying over them. 

I think perhaps I should spend more time with Mooi......

The Raw Side of Life

Not all of you reading this will be aware that I feed my dogs a raw diet.  For more information about this, you might like to read Hovawarts on a Raw Diet and whilst you are over there, you may well find yourself reading a lot more!  Kenzo has been writing much longer than me and about more stuff than I ever will.  Well worth a visit or two - or three.

Anyway, most of the time raw feeding is pretty simple, especially when you get into a routine of keeping the freezer stocked and remembering to take stuff out in time to defrost.  Feeding raw is very rewarding in that the dogs are full of vitality, have super coats, clean teeth, sweet breath, they don't smell (unless they have rolled in their chosen perfume) and they really, really enjoy their food.

Tussock showing newcomer River how to eat her chicken

Tussock as a puppy herself, in blissful enjoyment of her food

Sometimes, however, things go a little wrong, and before you read any further I have to give you a WARNING – This may make you feel queasy if you have just eaten, or may put you off your food. 

This story begins on a later summer’s afternoon last year.  I was planning a short break to join my brother and his family on the Isle of Eigg in October and needed to take several days’s food for the dogs.  I would not have fridge or freezer space on getting there, and everything I took had to be carried on my person or on my bicycle.  The cottage we were staying in was several miles up the island - I would cycle and the dogs would run.  

I found a chiller rucksack on the internet and thought that would do the job – easy to carry on the bike, and it could live in the cold room at the cottage where we were staying.  It worked just fine - we had a great holiday, and the food stayed cool enough not to go off.

A week or so after coming home I ordered more food via the butcher and as usual had too much to fit into the freezer.  I had a lightbulb moment and thought of the rucksack – if I changed the chiller block every day, it would keep in there for up to a week.  Great idea!

However, a week or few later, I detected an odour in the shed – of the wrinkly nose variety.  I had a quick look around for the cause but found nothing, so assumed I had dropped a bit of chicken carcass behind the freezer.  Me being a lazy sod elected to let the mice eat it as it would make a change to their usual raids on the horse feed bins and bird food.  But it seemed as though it was in a place that even the mice couldn’t get at as the smell wasn’t going away and, in fact, it was causing pre-emptive nose wrinkling before entering the shed.  I kept thinking I should have a clear out, but …………… it never got done, and quite frankly I lived with it in the knowledge it would go away - one day.

At Christmas I visited my family and on returning home I had two turkeys that needed to go in the freezer - I had done the last minute turkey run to Tesco and these enormous birds cost me just £7 each.  I donned my head torch to go out in the dark, and after depositing the birds in the freezer I swung round to exit the shed.  The light of the torch caught on something – ah, my little green chiller sack that I had been looking for to take with me over Christmas.  Silly me leaving it out there.  No wonder I couldn't find it.  I will take it inside and put it away properly.

It was heavy.  Oh shit.  The smell.  Oh god. 

Most folks would have just chucked the sack and its contents in the bin.  But having bought it and only used it once, that seemed such a waste.  And so, with a virtual clothes peg on my nose, I tried to open the zip.  No chance.  Got the pliers – success.  From within the bag, this green brown aroma arose and hit me full force as I tipped the liquefied contents in the bin and covered them with ash from the fire.  Now what?  At arms length I took the sack to one of the water butts and filled it with water to tip down the drain and get rid of the worst of the gunk and slime.  Then I slung it in the washing machine to give it a wash.

When the wash had finished, I opened the door of the machine only to be accosted by this familiar smell once again.  I promptly threw it back in and washed it again.  Then a third wash along with some muddy dog towels.  The washing machine stopped smelling at this point, but the rucksack still was a bit odorous.  I hung it up in the conservatory convinced that time would deal with the smell through the colder months.

I am haunted by this smell.  I know its every contour, every mood, and every colour. 

I had intended going back out to the shed to clean up the area ……………………………. But I forgot.  Until today and that is when I found the maggots.  I made a rapid exit from the shed to regain my composure.  I have always thought I had no phobias, but now I realise that, due to a incident about 30 years ago, maggots en masse are my phobia.

I learnt a lesson from this - and now have a second freezer to take the overflow!