Laura_E

Thank you all for your kind messages.

It was my dad's birthday last weekend so we took him to the pub for a meal and to surprise him with a special guest...... They allowed her out for a few hours, and I think it's safe to say that it was the best present he could have asked for.

Just got back from the show with a very, very tired dog. Amy deserves a medal (and a holiday) for all her hard work. She done a fantastic job and stayed remarkably calm considering she didn't get to take a break all day (and had to do so much talking!). The judges also done a great job and were kept very busy with so many entrants to get round. Oldies Club sponsor dog Sal won Best in Show- which was very well deserved........AND Tess won best reserve. I was collecting the money for the classes so couldn't enter with her, but she went in with my friend Michelle, who done a great job at controlling her with the aid of sausages! Anyway, another huge congratulations to Amy. She done the Oldies Club proud.

Thanks Cheryl, sounds like a nightmare for your friend! When he originally said that he was going to move out one of my other friends asked to move in as she had just split up with her boyfriend. I told him that she was waiting to move in, but then he stopped looking for somewhere and just tried to sweep it under the carpet. It put me in a really difficult position as my friend missed out on another property as she had expected to be moving in here. As a result she was having to commute for four hours a day to work from her mum's house in Cambridge. I felt really guilty, so she now stays over in the week and has to share a bed with me! It's a nightmare. I should just get some balls and tell him to move out, but I am a wimp.

The fact that this happened in South Norwood doesn't surprise me at all. Things are completely out of control in London with gangs using and abusing dogs in such a disgusting and despicable way, and something needs to be done asap. This happened in a public place at 8.30am on a week day- evidence that these scum bags are fearless of any consequences of their actions, or the possibility of being caught. Many responsible owners are too scared to use certain parks in London because they are scared for the safety of their dogs. These idiots actually set their dogs on random dogs just for fun. A few years ago my cousin was walking her dog, Millie, in the park when two dogs came running over and just started tearing into her. The two scum bags that were walking the dogs just stood back and watched the whole thing. My cousin is quite a strong girl, but she said it felt like a life time before she could get the dogs off and she ended up sustaining a lot more injuries than Millie in the struggle (she had to have a skin graft on her arm). At the time Millie was having treatment for leukemia, so my cousin was totally devastated and didn't know if she would recover. Luckily she healed quite nicely..... ....but my cousin was so distressed by the whole thing that she ended up moving from the area. It sounds like this lady and her baby had a lucky escape, thanks to the bravery of her dog (who I hope wasn't badly injured, it doesn't say?). It's great that despite everything she can still be objective, instead of jumping on the bandwagon and demonising the dogs, who are also the victims in all of this.

Permission granted!

Tess could join in if you like?

Lots of positive thoughts for your mum, and for you

We've had this conversation many a time, but he never actually does anything about it. A couple of months ago he threw a serious strop when I was fostering Clyde, who unfortunately wasn't house trained. He had woken up at 5am and came downstairs to find a big puddle of pee on the floor. Instead of just opening the back door and mopping it up, he came barging into my room and demanded that I get up immediately to clean it up and take Clyde out. So I got up, cleaned it, took Clyde out for a walk and thought that would be the end of it- how wrong I was. He spent the rest of the day moaning about it and said that if I took in any more foster dogs he would move out. So I said ok, move out. I think he was a bit shocked, but started to look around and quickly discovered that he didn't stand a chance in hell at finding another place to rent for such little money. He did view one property for £400 a month (not including bills) and came back looking totally shell shocked. He said it was a tiny room in a dirty house with five other people- none of whom spoke English. I thought that would have given him the kick up the backside he needed, but apparently not!

I felt really sad when I was watching it last night- especially when she said she would be the happiest girl in the world if he were to reciprocate her feelings. Unfortunately, I don't think he will. He looked quite annoyed during her interview with Davina, but then it can't be easy to have to sit there whilst your relationship is being scrutinised on live tv. I would have liked Chantelle to win, but Brian was a good substitute.

You're right, it isn't! My mortgage and bills combined cost me £1500 a month and he contributes just £300 (that includes all bills, Sky, telephone and internet). For the London area that is dirt cheap. We share the food and he does tend to buy more than I do, but he also eats more (which I have to remind him every time he tries to raise the matter!). I'm constantly moaning at him about it, but it goes in one ear and out the other. He says it's a habit and he doesn't even realise he's doing it, but when his mum was down for the week he didn't do it once! Funny that. Yes it is rather repulsive. What I failed to mention in my last post is that he isn't just some random that I rent a room to. Before moving in he was one of my best friends, I say it in the past or present tense depending on how well we are getting on at the time, at the moment, not so well! Another thing that grates on my nerves is how much space in the fridge his beers take up. It sounds like a pathetic thing to moan about, but when you've only got two shelves, having one taken up entirely by beers is quite annoying. I even bought him a mini fridge to keep in his room, but he doesn't use the blimmin thing!

I think I could quite happily put up with all the aforementioned complaints for a man that was supportive when it came to animals. I've yet to find one that is, so until then, I'm quite happy on my own. Even my house mate makes my life a misery when it comes to the animals, and he's just a bloody lodger! He blames them for anything and everything- making too much noise, making too much mess, molting etc, etc. Apparently they're responsible for leaving hundreds of shoes lying around all over the place, empty beer bottles sitting on the side, crumbs all over the work top, plates in the sink and months worth of unopened mail on the side board. He recently went away for a week and the house stayed spick and span until his return, then within an hour of him being back it looked like a bomb site- obviously Tess and the cats were conspiring against him all the time. He also complains about foster dogs smelling, which they often do, but he's hardly Mr Hygienic himself. Most nights he sloths on the sofa for hours on end with one hand down his trousers and the other on the remote control. I have to wipe everything with anti-bacterial wipes. If he uses the laptop he'll transfer his hand straight from inside his shorts onto the keyboard. It makes me so angry! Anyway, rant over!

Oh my god. This is unimaginable cruelty.

It has been pretty boring, hasn't it? The only thing maintaining my interest now is the Chantelle/Preston saga. But I doubt anything will happen there, as much as we are all willing it to!

Well done Lynne. Running a stall is blimmin hard work, so the fact that you have done so many on your own is a real testament to your dedication (and patience!). I'm sure the money you raised has gone a long way to helping the OC.

Even though I hated him the first time round, I'm quite liking Victor now. He seems to have chilled out a lot, but is still quite cutting and sarcastic. I was cringing last night when Makosi was doing that task. It was so obvious that she knew what was going on, I'm not sure why she thinks acting in that manner is a good idea. She is an egotistical idiot. Michelle is annoying too. What's happened to her accent? It's like she's trying to disassociate herself from her roots. The first time round I thought she was naturally pretty, but she looks bloody awful now. I think they all do compared to how they looked originally. I like Chantelle, but her lips look ridiculous, as do her boobs. It's cheapened her.

So sorry to hear this sad news.

Who was Gerry? I don't know who I would put in, but Sam Pepper would be a great choice for stirring things up. I know I'm probably alone in thinking that though!

Oh bless her. She looks very sweet.

I'm a big Rammstein fan too and found it highly amusing when the BBC played Du Hast to introduce Germany during the world cup. Industrial metal and the BBC just don't go hand in hand! My dad was in a punk band during the 70's and used to play a lot of punk and ska when I was growing up, so that had a big influence on my musical tastes. I remember having a sticker of The Clash on my lunch box when I was in infants school, which was the late 80's when everybody else was listening to Michael Jackson, Madonna etc- so my peers definitely didn't consider me to be very cool! Once I had reached junior school the whole grunge scene of the early 90's was really taking off so I was listening to the likes of Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Hole, Bikini Kill etc. I also started listening to Metallica and Anthrax around the same time, and kind of went down the metal route after that. The first band that I saw live was Nine Inch Nails when I was thirteen. My mum took me and two of my friends as a birthday present and I don't think she was quite prepared for it! Bless her. These days I mainly listen to heavy metal and a bit of punk and hardcore (not to be mistaken for 'happy hardcore'!). If I'm feeling adventurous I might listen to some rockabilly or indie. I love Johnny Cash and occasionally northern soul, but I don't think I could claim to have varied tastes. I HATE dance music, techno, garage, house, garage etc. I'm not a fan of modern R'n'B, disco or pop music either to be honest- I really struggle at weddings!

Is it just me, or did Big Brother just bully Coolio into leaving?! That seemed biased and unfair to me. Nadia clearly has some mental health problems if she can get that upset over a pair of shoes being hid, ridiculous! And what's happened to Michelle's accent?

I will be running an Oldies Club stall at this years Chiswick House Gardens Dog Show on the 26th September. The show opens at 10.30am and closes at 3.30pm Entrance to the show is via Staveley Road, Chiswick, London, W4 Show schedule 10.30 Show Opens 10.35 Agility Display 11.30 Ring One: Best puppy (dog or bitch) Ring Two: Best Rescue 12.00 Ring One: Best Youngster (1-2 years) 12.30 Heel Work to Music Display 13.15 Ring One: Handsomest Dog (5yrs +) Ring Two: Prettiest Bitch (5yrs +) Ring Three: Best Trick 13.45 Ring One: Handsomest Dog (2- 4ys) Ring Two: Prettiest Bitch (2- 4yrs) 14.00 Fancy Dress 14.15 Agility Display 15.00 Ring One: Best Veteran (9 yrs +) Ring Two: Best Young Handler 15.30 Best in Show There will also be lots of stalls selling both canine and human goodies. There will also be a few celebrity judges attending and donating prizes (last year Tess won a designer dog bed!). More details can be found on the website: http://www.chowgroup.co.uk/index.html It would be great to see people there!

Kizzi went to her new home this afternoon She slept for most of the time that her new owners were here, but they seemed very happy with her anyway. In fairness, she had a very tiring day yesterday at the Egham Royal Show- where she won two rosettes in the companion dog show for best veteran and best rescue. (I have pictures but need help uploading them ). Tess also entered the Scruffts heats, but only got second place so didn't qualify. The whole time Tess was in the ring Kizzi barked like a maniac to express her disapproval at being parted from her best friend, bless her. But she now has two new best friends to play with and I'm sure she will be very happy. Tess looks a bit lost, but she'll soon get used to having all the attention back on her, I'm sure. We will miss Kizzi a lot, but I am sure that she will make her new owners very happy. After a 10 minute battle get the snood on, it took her about 2 seconds to get it off again, so unfortunately I had to jump ship and admit defeat!!!

Bless him. From your descriptions of Perl, she sounds like my sort of cat! Firstly giving you the run around with the whole poo strike, and now bossing around huge dogs- she could lead a feline revolt!

He does make me laugh though (apart from his views on hunting and horse/greyhound racing). When he was waddling out of the bedroom the other night in his pants and Coolio said "it's Grizzly Adams in a diaper" I was cracking up! I still remember his tantrum over the diet cokes from the last time he was on. Can't believe he's 73 though, dare I say he looks good for his age?