It's not that difficult. They curl up really small in the tent. And they sleep all night! Amazing! Except for once when they got wind of some wild animals. Here's what we've been up to the last couple of weeks.
Saturday January 10
To Rye for some running and dog walking. Fine and warm, ideal for the 6.75km Portsea Twilight Fun Run. A great run in perfect conditions with the sun setting on one of the great vistas where Port Philip Bay meets Bass Strait at the 'heads'. Harder than the distance might suggest - all hills for the first 5kms, followed by a 2km slog along the sand with a 600m sprint to the finish through the ti-tree. The sand on the beach section was hard-packed and easier to run on than last year so time was faster. Tracy ran the full distance and passed a couple of runners at the end.
Sunday 11 January
Goldie the Brittany still has her plastic anti-scratch collar on - she tries to run up the steps into the house and collides with them. But she's a determined little thing and is not put off. She just tries again. But we're not taking her out for coffee in that stupid collar. Just a light run to the beach and back today.
Wednesday 14 January
More back stuff - a visit to a natural medicine practitioner who specialises in back and spinal ailments. She's a wizard and knows just what to do. She's also a dog-lover with a big black Doberman whose photo sits on the desk in her waiting room. Cute. Email me for her number.
Thursday 15 January
Goldie to the vet. Stitches out and headguard off. Thank god for that. Aberfeldie for 3km walk - about 13:30 after Tuesday's 24:30 in the State League 5k walk at Doncaster.
Friday 16 January
Racing over for the week, so we took off on a camping trip around Victoria with the dogs on board. They love travelling - anywhere. We aimed to camp somewhere along the East Gippland coast.
Afternoon stop in Sale for cool drinks in a beer garden. Later, nearing Loch Sport, grey clouds gathered. Another twenty minutes - thunder and heavy rain. The weather can change in minutes in this part of Victoria. We headed back towards Sale, a distance of about 45kms, frantically twiddling the radio to find a forecast. As we moved away from the coast, the weather improved and in 30 minutes we were pitching our tent in glorious sunshine in a camping ground in Sale.
Saturday 17 January
Leaving Sale after taking an hour's walk around - and buying some bones for the dogs at one of the butchers - we headed inland as the weather looked like moving in off the coast. Lunch in Bruthen, an afternoon stop in Omeo and then we were into the mountains. A fairly easy drive into Hotham, and then the road down the other side was a serpentine nightmare. Finally arrived in Myrtleford, where we pitched our tent next to a river. A walk for the dogs around town finished the day.
Sunday 18 January
Beechworth, via what is surely one of the most picturesque routes in Victoria through Stanley. Lunch by the lake then on to Wangaratta and another camping ground, this time equipped with a swimming pool. Luxury! A dip then a big walk for the dogs.
Tuesday 20 January
Back to Rye, taking seven-year-old Canisha, now with two front teeth missing, with us for a couple of days. Went shopping for clothes in the surf shops, lunch at Blairgowrie cafe, lazed around, built sand castles on the beach and ran up and down through the shallows with the dogs.
Thursday 22 January
Took Canisha back to Melbourne then joined the group for a training session, first time for a couple weeks. Three 600s, two 400s and two 200s. Good, hard, refreshing session with a jog around Princes Park to finish.
Friday 23 January
The weather's great again, so a couple more days camping. This time, headed to middle Gippsland and arrived at Leongatha around five after leaving Rye mid-afternoon. The usual routine of a stroll around town with the dogs after setting up camp, then back for dinner.
Saturday 24 January
Stunning countryside through South Gippsland via Toora, a town overlooking Wilson's Promontory. Stopped there and walked around the town hoping to bump into Lisa but no sign - I didn't have her address. Tracy saw a cute old-fashioned hotel with accommodation and has made me promise to take her there for our anniversary. Stayed overnight at the Best Friend Holiday Retreat, a dog-friendly camping ground that sounds way too cutesy but was actually magnificent, nestled in the Tarra Valley and complete with five or six very large enclosed off-leash areas for the dogs to run free, a fully appointed kitchen and barbecues and a chattering river with waterfall two minutes walk away. Truly magnificent. An odd thing - while there must have been at least thirty dogs in residence, it was the quietest night I have ever spent in a camping ground. Ever. All we could hear was the river gently trickling over the waterfall. Figure?
Monday 26 January
Australia Day fun run at Rosebud. 10kms from Safety Beach along the coast to Rosebud. Is there a more scenic 10km run in existence? I doubt it. Finished 26 seconds slower than last year in 36.40 for eleventh place. Tracy ran 54 minutes in only her second ever 10km race.
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