We reached there in record time so that I could see more entries parading in the show ring. During my last visit to the show ring, I met Mr James of Balkana Kennels and his champion, Tommy. This time around, I met Mel, a lady who is showing a Silky purchased from James.
Polly is her name and she is adorable. She has the same signature features as Tommy since her sire is Tommy's brother.
Mel was the only one showing a Silky this time around and I had a great time talking to her about raising Silkies. Mel even took the time to groom Polly so that I could shoot a few pics of them at the grooming table.
I can see that Mel truly adores Polly and the feeling was mutual. Polly responded well to Mel's instruction and was willing to perform at the slightest encouragement. What a treat it was for me to see them together.
Mel told me that she takes Polly to Ballarat every few weeks so that James can do a full grooming on her. Lucky Polly. You can really see Polly's potential to grow into a beautiful Silky. She has the ear set that I like, very erect and just above the eye sockets, her coat is lush and very straight and her eyes melt my heart. She reminded me of my gals back home and for a moment I nearly cried out of missing them so much. Polly was waiting to compete for BOB to be held later in the day so I bid them farewell to check out the rest of the dogs there.
I came upon a few Standard Poodles and they were magnificent.
A black beauty caught my eye as it has that commanding presence about him. It was great to see him in the ring and I was right.
My choice was the best and the rest did not have a chance against him.
As promised to Yin, I made my way to look for Papillions and when I found them, their owner was no where to be seen.
I was told that they have gone out for lunch and will be back later. Unfortunately I could not wait as I have to be at Wantirna later that day.
The CKCS were treated like kings and queens by their owner.
Their soft expressions were enchanting and I had to tear myself away from watching them in order to check out the other dogs on show.
Here are the rest of the pictures taken that day at the showgrounds and at Renee's place in Wantirna. Did I mention that my nephew Joshua shared the same birthdate with me? Well, we both had a grand party and had so much fun. After the cake cutting ceremony, my husband told everyone that he'll be taking me for a short holiday to Ballarat, Bendigo, Castlemaine and Echuca as my birthday present. Now at that point of time, I truly felt so lucky to have a husband who is not only understanding of my passion towards animals, he also appreciates me and treats me like a princess everytime I'm in Melb. I am a very lucky person indeed.
Long Coated Chihuahua
Chinese Crested Dogs
Joshua age 10, 26th May 2007
The Birthday Cake
My sister in law, Clara Gurrie & son Jake. She baked us the yummy birthday cake.
Sharing a cake means my age was displayed on one side and Josh's on the other. Note the different sides of candles on the cake.
The 1st day of our road trip, Sovereign Hill, Ballarat.
The Gold Museum, Sovereign Hill, Ballarat
2nd day of road trip, the Eureka centre, Ballarat.
Calling all miners to unite and fight for justice - Eureka!
The original Eureka flag. Preserved at the Ballarat Art Gallery.
Cabin interior. Fully equipted with cooking facilities. Very
nice,clean and comfortable.
Cabin exterior. Very clean and well kept.
I fell in love with the garden at Castlemaine.
Beautiful place where I want to be.
Up close and personal with a hungry duck.
A place to relax and be in touch with mother nature.
In between the trees, is where u can find me...
I just love this shot. Nic looked as though he was super imposed - so
unreal.
3rd day of road trip. The Murray River.
The old Port of Echuca signboard.
The original port structure is still standing.
Notice how much the water level has gone down over the years.
Inside the paddlesteamer. Passenger's cabin.
No fancy luggages. It's all back to basics back then.
We were on board the biggest "star" of the hit tv mini series "All
The Rivers Run"!
In the olden days, when you travel on a paddle steamer, you have
to sit on sacks placed on deck. No chairs for you to lie back and
rest.
The captain of the ship.
The Murray River is so shallow now that they have to push the ship
to prevent it from getting stuck everytime it has to make a turn.
The captain & me.
Nick looking calm & collected, loving every minute of the river
journey.
The end of the boat ride. This is one of the original stucture of
the old Echuca town.
Day 4, we reached Bendigo, another gold mining community back in
the olden days but it was raining very heavily we only managed to
travel in our car around town. Went straight to the hotel and had
dinner. News on tv said that the wind was up to 140km/hr!
Day 5, decided to do more sightseeing on the way back, we made our
way to the Eppalock Reservoir.
Unfortunately the draught has left little to no water and the
reservoir looks like an abandoned place..... very sad.
On our way towards Kilmore, I saw this rainbow and wondered
whether is there a pot of gold at the end of it..
The town of Kilmore has a nice, solid post office. Just look at
the structure standing proud serving the town all these years.
The old Kilmore Goal, now being used as an auction centre.
What is a road trip without going on for a hike up a trail. The cold
wheather was a blessing - not a drip of sweat at all!
The view from Sugarloaf Ridge. Magnificent. Can actually see
Melbourne city from here.
Last stop before we headed for home was the Toorourrong Water Supply
Reservoir. We were happy to see that the water here is still at a
healthy level and not affected by the draught.
Well, this last stop ends our journey this time. My next trip to Melbourne will be in summer so we are planning a dive trip at Portsea and Sorento area. I'm also looking forward to visit the Royal Melbourne Show in September so I hope to meet all dog lovers and breeders at the Showgrounds in Sept. Till then, I bid everyone farewell and God bless.
