And so, after a break of very close to a month since this blog opened, young Rusty and I have completed our first week together. Facebook friends might have seen some of the photos on this post already, but stay with me - this is the story so far. And, I hope, I'll be able to update a bit more frequently now that Rusty and I are based in our own little haven from reality that is the Rame Peninsula.
Let's begin with a quick run through of our adventures in Somerset's own Las Vegas substitute Weston-Super-Mare. I made my way there to begin training on Monday just gone (that'll be the 17th, then) - rail replacement bus service to avoid the devastation on the Dawlish Sea Wall line, all the way to Bristol Parkway. Everyone's favourite Rusty trainer, Emma, met me and - with himself riding shotgun in the hatchback's dog cage - whisked me to the Lauriston Hotel.
Soon enough it was first outing time; Emma and Rusty took me on a circuit around some quiet streets off the seafront. There no photos of this because I was concentrating on what I was doing, Emma was doing the same and Rusty can't use a camera.
But that was pretty much it for day one (don't panic, I'm not going to bore the gussets off you by detailing every last training outing over the whole five days). To be fair, "pretty much it for day one" seemed to be quite enough.
The remainder of the week passed in a whirl of traffic training, kerb work, nice lunches, Costa Coffees, grooming training and so on almost ad infinitum. By the time Mrs the Millbrooker came to stay midweek, my poor little brain was filled with so many things to try and remember I fear I might have bored her rigid with Rusty babble.
But she did snap us having a bit of play time in the hotel room.
Note the telly in the background - old Daily(ish) Millbrook readers might recall that the Millbrooker household doesn't have TV. Luckily the Winter Olympics were in full swing so I had some vague entertainment of an evening over and above the usual drivel of soaps and football that made us give up having a telly in the first place. I'm pleased to report that Rusty was transfixed by the half-pipe skiing and the women's figure skating. He was, though, totally uninterested in curling.
The week came to a close and our lovely Emma drove the pair of us back to God's own county.
We lunched in the Honey Room. (This is an old photo, I don't think anyone featured was actually in the cafe at the same as we were yesterday).
And now Rusty seems nicely settled at Millbrooker Towers; he's met Shazzerooneypoos and Grandma Dong the Legend. He's met the Village Vamp and our good friend Christopher.
And he's met some very fearsome fluffy cats. It seems he's terrified of cats. Big rubbish wussy that he is. Here he is cowering and trying to fit into the smallest possible space behind his big strong defender in Shazzerooneypoos' kitchen as he's menaced by Cleo and Clarence.
That'll do for an update, I reckon. Another week's training to come, this time based at home, and then it's back to work.
Fear not, more Rusty news will follow soon.
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photo credits:
All photos by Mrs the Millbrooker or yours truly except....
Lauriston Hotel photo shamelessly nicked from http://www.easybedandbreakfasts.co.uk
"Welcome to Cornwall" shamelessly nicked from http://www.downthelane.net/endtoend
