Sundays are always a good day for Bell and Hovis, Its Clay Shooting day. It always starts with the ritual of getting out the guns. As soon as I appear at the bottom of the stairs with the shotguns it starts, I'm surrounded by two Black whirling dervishes, the excitement is great and usually ends with Bell grabbing one of the gun covers and dragging me towards the door to hurry me up.
The clay club itself is a small local affair with about 15 regular members and is based on a nearby farm, we don't need to make a profit, it has been described on occasion as a Breakfast Club with occasional shooting if the weathers fine.
Well, today was a nice day, and as 'Catering Manager' for the club It was Christmas Breakfast day (the first time we would be all together again after the Christmas Holidays) This years treat was a Steak breakfast. we packed 2 dozen eggs, 18 slices of rump steak, Beans, tomatoes, mushrooms and hash browns. Then it was into the dog van, a small red Suzuki van. I had to insist on driving today as Hovis wanted to. She had to be forcibly pushed into the back. With Bell riding shotgun in the passenger seat and Hovis stood in the back with her head between the seats it was off to the shoot. I often wonder what people must think as they pass this tiny red van on the road with a huge great Newfie as passenger and another peeping out from between the seats.
We were early at the shoot but had arranged to meet another member at the farm gate to transport breakfast and guns. I would walk across with the girls, about half a mile, switching the water to the cabin on, on the way. At this point, I realised it was going to be a bad day for me, a good one for the girls. The farm rears sheep and cattle. Being winter, the cattle are inside, but the sh*t has to go somewhere and yes, about a months worth from 200 head of cattle was spread out before me. The girls had seen it first and so as the field gate opened, it was a Le Mans start, and I lost. Before I had chance to grab the dogs they were 20yards away on their backs doing what dogs do when greeted by such an opportunity. Well at least theres a pond at the shoot.
Today we started with down the line, my suggestion as we shoot towards the pond and the clays fly over the surrounding bank and drop in the pond. A relief for me as Bell and Hovis spent the first 45 minutes swimming in the pond trying to retrieve the unbroken clays so we only had water to contend with at breakfast.
Breakfast, a word that must appear at the top of Newfies all time favourites. The tradition at the club is that whatever is left over goes to the dogs, there was only Bell and Hovis there today, I could almost here them doing the maths, 11 shooters, one a vegetarian, 18lbs of rump steak, whoopeee!
In the best traditions of the Ingleborough Clay Pigeon Club, the human members tried their best to demolish breakfast and failed miserably. The 2 Furry members came to the rescue and cleaned up half a dozen eggs and 4lbs of steak plus the odd bean and hash brown.
Shooting continued till mid afternoon when 11 happy shooters and 2 happy newfs (on leads) returned across the field to their vehicles.
The rest of the afternoon has been, well quiet, I admit to having 40 winks on the couch with 2 newfies at my feet and I'm sure I don't snore and grunt half as bad as Bell. Oddly enough I've not been pestered for an evening meal, I wonder why?
It's been a great day for Newfs.
Andy Bell and Hovis
