OUT THERE IN ORANGE

Beazli didn't come with us to the OrangeRunningoftheBalls because his sore back got much worse and it's really hard for him to walk - he keeps falling over. So he stayed at Dr Janet's Vet while my mum and me went to the Competition with my Team. The first night was different from other Competitions because I had to sleep in my house all night, and my Team slept in their cars instead of in the same place with us.
And the Competition Day was different too because I missed my little Flyball friend Rascal and it was the coldest coldest coldest coldest day I had ever had in my whole life. I was shivering so much from being cold that Jenni felt sorry for me and lent me one of Missy's warm coats.Later my mum bought me my own snuggly purple coat that fitted me properly and it's the right colour too.I wore my snuggly coat all day except for Racing with my Team - everyone took their coats off for Racing. But I didn't really do Racing with my Team, I got too scared of the new awful noise the Watch the Lights was making and I just wanted to run away all day from the noise and from that Judge man Trent who kept looking at me all the time. My mum and my Team kept asking me to do a Full Run but I couldn't do it, it's different from training with everyone watching and shouting and I hated those noises and finally my mum just let me sleep in my house where I feel safe from everything scary.

Digger is Braver than me, this was his first Competition where he did proper Racing with his Team and he got enough points to be called Flyball Dog Digger now.And Missy got a new name too, she's called Flyball Master Excellent Missy because she's been so fast in so many races. Missy was the start dog in my Team, and the other dogs in my Team were Molly and Rosie and Kaos. That Team was called Sydney Psychos and we came first and got a nice white ribbon and lots of prizes. I like going to get my ribbon, I've done that before lots of times and I'm not scared of it any more.I was happy when that Competition day was over and we could have proper playtime with all my Team, and dinner with Molly and Connor, and then go to sleep in my house until morning playtime again.

We had more adventures on the way home from Orange, first when we had coffee somewhere and my mum told Alex she was too tired to drive home, so she climbed in the back of the Berlingo with me and we snuggled up on all the pillows and had a nap. And then after driving a while we found Alex on the side of the road with Ian and Sandi and Alex's car wouldn't go so everyone sat around for the longest time until a man came with a big truck and he put Alex's car on top of it and our Psychos trailer behind it.Molly and Connor and Alex had to come in the Berlingo with us to get home, because Alex's car had to say at Lithgow for the man to fix it.
We had to get my Beazli before we could come all the way home and he was crying while he told me he missed me and my mum and he doesn't really like having to wear little boots even though they help him walk better. It was 9 o'clock in the night time before we could all go to bed in our own house and rest after a big weekend out there in Orange.

THE SADDEST DAY

My mum and Beazli and me are crying because today is the saddest Flyball day we've ever had. My little Flyball friend Rascal had an Operation yesterday for 'desexing' and afterwards she got very very very sick and this morning she left the world and went to Flyball Heaven. My mum says we won't see Rascal ever again, at least not until we all go to Flyball Heaven too. Rascal was only 7 months old but she could already do good Overs and Around on the Box and she was never a Delinquent like me, she was a Good Girl all the time. Jenni and Mark and Missy and all the Sydney Psychos will never stop thinking about Rascal and how pretty she was and how she made us happy and how much fun she had at Flyball.

My little Flyball Friend Rascal who's gone to Flyball Heaven.

WATCH THE DEVIL DOG

Remember when my mum told me I had to tell you the seconds for my Full Run from the Watch the Lights at Flyball? She said I would get faster and have a different time and she was right. Yesterday at Flyball we did lots of Team practises for the OrangeRunningoftheBalls Flyball Competition next weekend. And every time we did them with the Watch the Lights I got faster and faster.

I did a Full Run that was 8.8 seconds. I did a Full Run that was 8.1 seconds. And I did a Full Run that was 7.8 seconds. I was a Clever Perfect Good Ebbi Darling lots of times and my Team was happy and my mum was very happy and even grumpy Ian was happy. He didn't say anything angry to me all day.

But he did an angry voice with my mum and told her she shouldn't push me forward when it's my Ready Ready Ready turn. He said if she pushes me forward then I have to get my balance on my first steps and I can't go faster. I don't know how he knows everything but he does because I wanted to tell my mum that myself, I wanted to tell her just to let me go when it's my Ready Ready Ready turn because I know what to do.

I know I have to go fast to the first Over even if Kaos or Molly is running back to me, they won't run into me because we practice Cross Overs and they won't bite me because they are my friends from my Team.

I love doing Watch the Lights, it's better than just doing Overs even though we still have to do them at the beginning of the day.

There are some new dogs at Sydney Psychos, and my mum has been helping them with their Overs, Ian says she should be an expert at Overs because she's had to do so many with me when I behave like a Devil Dog.

My mum's been been helping Sunny Boy, he's a bit fat like my Beazli because I think he likes his dinner a lot. He can do four Overs now before he gets tired. And my mum's been helping Aussie do Around the Pole, he's black and skinny but taller than me and he just wants to play with everyone. They might be in my Team one day if they keep learning and try not to be Delinquents.

When we got home after a really long playtime my mum said me and Beazli are going to have a big adventure at the OrangeRunningoftheBalls. We have to go a long long way in the Berlingo and stay in one of those different houses again. We're going to stay with Jenni and Missy and Alex and Molly and Connor. Beazli has never come with us before so I'll have to tell him what to do. I hope he behaves himself.

TOO BUSY TO BLOG

It's so busy here with people coming and going and doing things that my mum doesn't really have time to help me with my blog. I keep asking her and then someone else comes. On Saturday Ian and Sandi and Jenni and Mark and Alex were here but only Molly and Connor came, no other Flyball dog friends. The man who belongs to my mum's sister who lives a long long way away in a place called Brisbane was here too. He has a lot of names, his name is 'MyBrotherInLaw' and 'Marianne'sHusband' and 'Des'. He did something on a ladder with stuff out of a big container that he was putting on the walls, while my Pyscho team people did something in our messy garage.

The best part of Saturday was swimming, even with scary Ian in my pool with me. My mum wanted me to show Ian how I can go on my board across the pool but I had to watch out for Ian and I only did it properly after he went home.Beazli's a big show-off, he didn't care about Ian in the pool or Jenni and Mark watching, he just chased his sausages like he always does. Now that he has his floaties he doesn't get so tired swimming any more, the floaties are for his big heart and his sore back that I told you about before.On Sunday we went to Flyball even though 'MyBrotherInLaw' 'Marianne'sHusband' 'Des' was still doing the thing on the walls. Because we have our new Watch the Lights and because we are going to a Competition soon we did lots of practises with My Team, and I really really liked it and I only had to go on my back once at the beginning because I was a Darling Good Girl and did all my Full Runs when it was my turn. Those Watch the Lights make it very exciting and then while we are waiting for my turn my mum talks to me softly and says 'see there goes Missy Over Over Over Over and now it's Rosie Over Over Over Over and now its Kaos Over Over Over Over and now it's Molly and as soon as I can see Molly going Over Over Over Over I know it's my turn next and I get Ready to do my Overs and Catch the Ball and Bring it to my mum.

One time Debbi said 'that was an excellent CrossOver Ebbi!' because I accidentally did a good CrossOver with Molly when she was coming back, I was so excited I didn't even know I was doing it.

Now we are just at home again with more people, the sister Marianne came last night even though MyBrotherInLaw' 'Marianne'sHusband' 'Des' isn't here any more. I like her, she's the one who plays lots of catch with me. My mum says that I have a Cousin called Max that belongs to the sister Marianne, and he's a black Kelpie like me but bigger. He doesn't learn Flyball like I do. I wonder if I will see him one day?

DIGGER COMES BACK

We didn't go to Flyball today because my Team went to a Competition without us. My mum said there was too much work to do around the house and there must have been a lot of work because Alex came every day for three days and another new lady came too, to help my mum do work around the house.

I kind of didn't really mind because I love it when Molly and Connor come especially Molly we just chase each other around and bark and have the best time.

Every day though my Mum and Alex talked in sad voices about Digger. They said he got frightened of the big thunder with the awful lights, not a thunderstorm but those other scary ones called fireworks at the CanberraRoyalCompetition and he ran away from his Team and his mum and his dad and he was lost at the Competition and everyone was very worried. I know how scary those fireworks are, I was scared last night in a thunderstorm and I was in my house.

Digger is one of my friends we sit down the back of the races together because we are beginners. I didn't like to think about him being lost in the dark at a Competition. He was lost on Friday night and he was lost on Saturday night and he was lost this morning and he was lost this afternoon and everyone kept those sad voices all day when they talked about Digger.

But tonight we are all as happy as we can be because a nice lady found Digger trying to walk home on that big busy road where me and Beazli saw the truck fall over on its side. Alex said it would take Digger a week to walk home but he didn't have to, the nice lady brought him back to his mum and his dad and back to his Team and we don't have to worry about our Digger and we can have happy voices when we talk about him. I can hardly wait to see him at training on Sunday. I'm going to give him a big kiss and tell him how glad I am he isn't lost any more.

This is my tired friend Digger after he was found.

DOING IT WITH MY TEAM

Today at Flyball I did some Good Girl things, some Delinquent things, and some Ebbi Darling You Are Such a Clever Good Best Girl things at the end.

When we started with 8 Overs back from the Box I did them all once but I thought that was enough after being Good yesterday so for a while I did Run Along the Side and then I did Over 2 and Run Along the Side but you guessed it my mum put me on my back and then when I did Run Along the Side again Ian came and got me and tied me up to tree all by myself away from all my Flyball friends and away from Beazli and my house.

I didn't like that at all so when mum asked me to do Over, Around Catch the Ball Bring It, I did it for her and Alex and so Ian wouldn't tie me up all by myself again.

Mostly I did what Alex and my mum asked me to do, even jumping Over very big jumps, higher than I've ever done before. They took a long time asking me to do a Full Run close by to where Jessie and Zeus were practising but I kept looking at Sandi on the other Box and she reminded me of the scary man on the other Box at NowraShowtimeFlyball. I felt much better when they took me away to do it by myself and I did do a Full Run and then I was allowed in the pool.

But that was only a Good Girl thing, not an Ebbi Darling You Are Such a Clever Good Best Girl thing. That came at the end when everyone was doing special racing. It was special because Sydney Psychos has something new, we have our own Watch the Lights. They came from very very far away from a place called America and they are just like the Watch the Lights at competitions, they go Yellow Yellow Yellow Green and then you have to race. No other teams have their own Watch the Lights, only Sydney Psychos and the people who do Competitions, my mum says those people are called the AFA.

I went to sit with my Team and Ian shouted Line Em Up, Team Ready, Watch the Lights and then Kaos went as fast as he could and then Zeus and then Jessie and then Lance and then my mum took me to the new Lights and I did a Full Run and everyone cheered! I did it 4 times, and it was exciting and I wanted to do it and the last time my mum didn't even have to take me to the new Lights, she just let me go and I did it, I did a Full Run and I didn't drop the ball any of the times, I bought it straight back to my mum and everyone kept cheering and that was the Ebbi Darling You Are Such a Clever Good Best Girl thing I did today. You can see a video of how happy everyone is with me.

PS My mum said I have to tell you that the Watch the Lights has a time thing and when I did my Full Run my time was 9.637 seconds. I don't know what that means but my mum says if I keep practising I will go much faster and my time will be different one day and then I can tell about it.

PPSS My mum said to tell you it is exactly 15 months since I started learning Flyball on 20 November 2005. She said one day we will make a list of all the Brave Good Girl things I have learnt from my Team.

LUDDENHAM LOONIES

We're getting ready to go to Flyball today, and that makes 2 days in a row because we did a Demonstration at the LuddenhamShow yesterday.

It was kind of like a competition but there weren't any other Teams, and kind of like the SydneyRoyalEasterShow only smaller. There were lots and lots of horses (they are like ginormous dogs and I remembered them from the SydneyRoyalEasterShow) except at the LuddenhamShow there were people sitting on top of the horses! They kept coming close to where our Team was sitting between the ice-cream truck and the popcorn van, and every time they came close I had to bark and so did Kaos and even Beazli barked because he says he has never seen people sitting on top of horses either.

We sat in our spot for a long time while all sorts of people and kids came to talk to us and I let some of the kids pat me. Kaos kept trying to go into the popcorn van and Beazli tried to take my mum's pear and he kept asking every stranger if they would give him some food. He puts his foot up and looks sad at people but it's hard for him to pretend that he's really hungry because he's not what you would call skinny. (Not like me.)

After a long time waiting we finally got to do our Demonstration and we had to walk with our Team Sydney Psychos out into the middle where all the horses used to be. There was tons of horse poo and Kaos and Zeus tried to eat some. My mum tied me and Beazli to our Psycho Slammer which is a special tie down stake, near a little bridge in the middle. Straight away me and Beazli went up on the litte bridge so we could see everything, all the people watching and all the racing and my mum doing Boxloading.

Everyone was a bit excited because we had waited so long and there was some running away and crossing over and missing Overs before there was a good race. I could see my mum laughing.

Soon it was time for the Beginners to do Overs back from the Box and Mocha had a turn but he just did Run Along the Side and Rascal had a turn but she just did Run Along the Side and then I had a turn and I did all my Overs as fast as anything and you should have seen my mum she was so happy that when she asked me to do it again I did it faster than before and Alex came over specially to tell me I am an Ebbi Darling.

Then there were some more races and even though I was tied to my Psycho Slammer I did get into a little bit of trouble because over on the other side of the bridge there was a place where people were riding animals that looked a bit like really fat horses, except with sharp things on their heads and they jumped around and tried to make the people fall off. I was frightened of them and I told them in my loudest bark not to get outside their fence and come near our Flyball. But my mum yelled No Ebbi so I stopped barking and just kept my eye on them for the rest of the time. Well, I did bark a couple more times but I definitely stopped every time my mum said No Ebbi. Later my mum told me and Beazli that those big fat horses were called bulls. They are boy cows and they don't like people sitting on top of them. But my mum said the horses do like it and I believe her because I didn't see one horse jump around in a naughty way to make its person fall off.

ANOTHER FLYBALL COMPETITION

My mum didn't even tell me we were going to a Flyball competition until we got into the little car by ourselves on Friday and started going to NowraShowtimeFlyball. We had to drive a long way and we didn't meet any Flyball friends until we got to a special house where Jenni was with Missy and Rascal and Ian and Sandi were there with Rosie and Kaos and Deb and John were there with Maverick and Jessica. The house had a great big yard and there was tons of room, even enough room for Alex and Molly and Connor and Susan and Rob and Chloe and Mocha when they came, tons of room to chase squeaky purple balls and play rough games.

My mum was tired from driving (and getting lost, she didn't tell me we were lost until later) so she laid in the hammock and had a rest before dinner.

I didn't even mind when we had to go to bed because we had done such good playing, and I was very happy in the morning because I knew we must be going to a competition, and I wasn't scared at all until I had to do Measuring Stick. The man who had Measuring Stick was Trent, he was very nice to me this time, but I still shook and tried to make myself small. He patted me and put Measuring Stick away and then the proper competition day started and it was full of excitement.

I had to do things all day because in the first race when everyone is really excited there was an accident, when Pjevs was swinging on his motivator he swung right into Digger and Digger got a fright and jumped at him and then Pjevs got a fright and jumped back and I saw them do scary teeth at each other. And then Pjevs got upset and wouldn't race any more. And then Zeus ran to the other team's hurdles and did Overs there three times and the Judge man held up a black card and Zeus couldn't race any more. So that left just Kaos and Chloe and Digger and me. Chloe is a good Flyballer, she does fast Overs. And Kaos is good now too, he's really fast, and he Brings the Ball and swings on his motivator and wants to go again.

But Digger and me are just beginners and we're only used to sitting in the back of the ring.

When it was Digger's turn he was very Brave even though he had been in the accident and he did all the Overs but he forgot to get the Ball and just came back to Larry. When it was my turn, I did 2 Overs and then I stopped and looked around and saw everyone watching me, even the Judge man, so I quickly went back to my mum.

The whole day long when it was our turn to race my mum kept asking me to do a Full Run and I kept thinking about it, I really did. But whenever I got past the 2nd Over I would have a quick look around and see different people looking at me and the other team racing and the Judge man and the ladies with their red flags and I would just think, I have to get back to my mum.

Until the very very last race, when I saw Alex calling to me from the Box, and I thought 'do Brave, Ebbi' and I went Over 1, Over 2, Over 3, Over 4, Around on the Box, and got the Ball. But I dropped it! I had to chase it, and catch it, and I wanted to get back to my mum so I just ran down the side past the first 2 Overs. My mum was still calling me 'Over, Ebbi' so I went Over the last 2 and she was so happy she kissed me and gave me yummy chicken and I could hear everyone clapping.

I went in the little pool with my team Kaos and Chloe after that race, and I went with them to get our ribbons at the end. And then we went back to the special house for more playing with squeaky toys and cuddles with everyone.

And I had the best time until there was a scary thunderstorm and Molly and I had to go and hide in our house because the noise makes us shake. At least my friend Molly was there and I knew my mum and everyone else was close by. And that we could play again in the morning, which we did for hours and hours before we had to drive home and tell Beazli everything he had missed.