chaliepud

I'm so pleased I bought Hollow Pike with my birthday money, The Pledge is certainly on my soon to be got radar too, I often like the books you recommend so I'm hoping these will be no different!

I'd like to buy from secondhand bookshops but I've not seen any in my local area... And the only bookshops we have are Waterstones and WhSmiths, no small independents that I have found. I am very guilty of buying at least 50-60% of my books from Amazon. I will make an effort to buy less from there and more from ........ somewhere else!

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, it was my first Diane Chamberlain and I was very impressed, I've just finished The Good Father and very much enjoyed that too, she's definitely on my author radar now!!

I finished it earlier this month, it was very, very good..

Me too!!

Great review BB, I have this on my wish list and now wish I'd bought it with my birthday money!!

When I read he is allowed up for a cuddle, but not when I'm on the computer or iPad, I'm sure he doesn't know the difference but he always waits for permission to get up. I probably shouldn't let him up but as it doesn't bother me or Steve... He gets down as soon as I turn the light off and sleeps next to the bed.. :)

Just about to start Delirium by Lauren Oliver..

Chelsea beating Bayern Munich in the Champions League final, wonderful game!!!

Not at all, I love dogs and I love reading so it's the perfect place, in fact Obi is lying right next to my bed as I type, waiting for me to get a book out!! :)

We would say erect ear too, I never forget when Obi was a pup, he was born with folded ears and very gradually they would unfold, a little every day, until one day, PING they were erect!

Finished The Good Father by Diane Chamberlain, a very good read that kept me interested throughout. Now, what to read next?!

Out of interest, do their names translate to anything in English? They are very rare over here! I think I may have seen one Spitz not at a show ut certainly no Lapphunds, it's a shame as they are great dogs and great workers.

I'm pleased you liked it Poppy, it was part of a series and they were all pretty good..

We Are The World - USA For Africa

I think that might be what we call the Finnish Spitz? We are also familiar with the Finnish Lapphund which is smaller and fluffier...

Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Tears For Fears

No problem, I'm slowly learning the emoticons!

The clip they show is of the main ring which is where they do the agility, obedience, and the group judging (the top dog from each breed) and of course best in show - the clip you saw. The tickets for the main ring are sold separately and in advance, I go in there if I can but not always. The rest of Crufts is MASSIVE, there are the breed rings where breeds recognised by the Kennel Club are judged, starting with the puppies (6-12 months old) and up to the open classes (the dogs that have qualified through all the classes)... They end up with top dog and top bitch, the judge then chooses one of them as the best of breed, that dog goes into the group judging (toy, utility, hound, gundog, terrier, working and pastoral) and the winner of that goes through to try and win best in show. The dogs are benched generally close to their breed rings and you can wander freely around them, although you are asked not to touch when the owners are not there to ask permission, which is obviously sensible. There is also a Discover Dogs area where EVERY breed is represented EVERY day, these areas are manned by breed enthusiasts, so you can normally meet and greet dogs of very breed there, and the dogs (and handlers ) are chosen for their people skills. They will introduce you to their dogs and give you lots of information about the breed and whether it is suitable for you. You'll see all the breeds you are familiar with and others that you may never have heard of! I took Obi to the London Discover Dogs when he was a puppy to represent the Australian Cattle Dogs, it was great fun! Strangely the Australian Shepherd Dogs are American! They're only called Australian as they used to herd Australian sheep - just a little factoid for you! :) Sorry, I've gone on a bit... Can you tell I'm on my favourite subject?

Thanks everyone, I've written a list of emoticons to learn! Chesil, which app is that? I typed ip.board and couldn't find anything?

I truly wish I could love all of Faulk's books, but so far I have only enjoyed Birdsong, Human Traces and The Girl at the Lion D'Or, I tried and tried with Charlotte Gray but could never get more than half way, the same with Engleby, I've not tried A Week in December but the reviews aren't brilliant...

Not at Crufts but as I have seen them training, it's manic, I was planning on doing it with Obi but then he needed an elbow op so it wouldn't have been advisable... They have modified the sport a lot as too many dogs were getting spinal injuries from the sport, so now it is a fun and a safe sport. I love watching the bitsa dogs participating, I know Collies are amazing at it but it's so much fun to see lots of different dogs having so much fun! Personally I love the obedience competition as that is what I used to compete in, I love the bond that is formed between dog and handler, and the level of control that is required to get the movements so precise..

Crufts - billed as the greatest dog show on Earth! It's in Birmingham though which is a 2 hour drive from me so depends where you will be staying, and it's on for 4 days with different breeds on each day so you'd have to choose what day you'd like to go.. I've been lots of times, mostly before the kids were born and it's a great day out.

Just you wait for book 4!

Yes not far from London at all, and only 20 mins from Heathrow... I shall wait and see.. :smile: If you make it March you could visit Crufts!!!