This appointment meant more to me than any of you would have realised! You see, my teens were largely spent travelling up & down the general ch show circuit (that was from 1970/71) on Bettie Farrand's dog bus alongside not only that skilled & forthright lady up front but fellow Wire greats, like Susan Raphael & Jane Naylor, picking up tips that left a lasting impression like a pair of converted nylons would both keep a wiry coat flat (I had Griffons remember) & would bring on coat growth if kept on post-stripping. Her motto for successful breeding was ‘Daring & Dedication’ & of course she was right & as the world shrinks & our boundaries open so you have the ability & opportunity to follow suit.

I had 33 exhibits present, including 4 champions. Weak muzzles, poor front assemblies & short ribbing were areas for concern whereas harsh jackets, muscled rears & firm backlines were not.

P (1) 1 Cishelvine Caught Out, 8 months, good head & eye, well set ear, strong through muzzle, very good forehand balanced out by his rear angulation, excellent jacket, short rib with consequent long loin to give overall extra length, showed a good flowing profile when of a mind to, can still firm at hock & elbow to advantage. J (1) 1 Bellamy’s Veenen Onyx Resetin Gold at Garjay, 17 months, rather weak in muzzle, large ears, good skull & eye, well boned yet still needs to firm in front as stood on east/west feet, deep enough, all good otherwise with a truly exceptional rear that was well angulated, well ribbed back, firm backline, good jacket & pleasing overall outline. PG (1) 1 Vine’s Derochaise Justified for Cishelvine, 22 months, quality exhibit bred in the purple, excellent head type with desired length & maintained strength through muzzle, good eye & ear, long neck with slight arch, well developed forequarters, harsh coated, prefer better ribbed back & needs to fill through loin, sound moving with some style. L (6) Headed by three impressive males to upgrade the competition. 1 McPherson & Paterson’s Treis Pinheiros Obi Kenobi, 2½ years, long enough in his proportions as against height at withers & personally would prefer eye one shade darker but that's about it! A class act with that noble head carriage aided by a long, slightly arched, neck, conical head through to strong, yet tapered, muzzle, excellent forehand, balanced angulation fore & aft, excellent bone & feet, firm backline with corresponding underline, well ribbed back, harsh jacket, moved true with long stride as his structure predicted. Ranked him 3rd best male today but a certain champion any day soon; 2 Wharton & Pughe’s Derochaise Black Tarquin, 22 months, obviously less forward but a well structured dog with good clearance, scored with his proportions & the flowing quality to his action in profile, good neck & backline, well ribbed back, good neck & backline, firm rear, conical head with good eye but felt it tapered rather much so as to lack strength through muzzle, struck me as of potential CC quality; 3 Hinder’s Aventine The Kings General. O (5,1) 1 Phillips’ Wiretap Here I Am, 2½ years red who can now shout out his name for certain! 2½ years, total class with a truly remarkable rear to provide width, so you can see right the way through as he moves away, & rare drive being beautifully muscled, back firm with underline gradually merging, compact with all the proportions correct, great head type with good eye & ear, strong muzzle being of uniform taper, well ribbed back, strong loin, superb jacket, great head carriage on clean neckline, can be a touch careless in front but not to any marked degree & the whole picture is of positivity, combining breed specifics with that boldly defiant carriage that sums up the breed. CC & BOB & his title; 2 McCalmont’s Ch Silvae Farrago, rising 3 years, outstanding breed type, lovely headpiece, good eye, strength right through to end of muzzle, good neck & backline, well ribbed back, excellent bone, excellent jacket, breadth & strength through rear, a stylish dog of great presence, simply not the front to match. RCC; 3 Davies’ Ch Atahira Joie De Bleu. GC (1) 1 Taylor’s Taywind Martha My Dear, 16 months bitch, good skull & eye, lacks underjaw, proportions rather long & low, lacked topcoat, scored with her balanced angles & good backline, moved out true with drive. P (6) Good class of promising babies. 1 Dean’s Brontillow Grace Darling, 10 months, strongly built of excellent breed type, length & desired strength in head, dark eye, outstanding in neck & forehand with prominent breastbone, balanced rear angles, ribbed back, excellent bone & feet, harsh jacket, long enough, strode out soundly & with purpose, one with an assured future. BP; 2 Phillips’ Tendrow Dancing On A Dream at Clipperdown, 10 months red daughter of the BOB, such a pretty bitch, lovely head & eye, compact, so well constructed with an excellent forehand, well ribbed back with good neck & backline, good jacket, suspect can lose a bit of condition as went with a bit of a roll & not as assertive on the final run ‘out & back’, she too shows every likelihood of making the grade as an adult; 3 Wharton’s Greyhayne Black Velvet. J (4) 1 Phillips’ Tendrow Time'n Time Again, 14 months, cracking bitch to go over, excellent head type, outstanding front assembly with prominent breastbone, good bone & feet, scores in neck & backline, excellent jacket, loved her proportions, sound enough but just rather ‘bloody minded’ about the need to prove the point; 2 Bubb’s Rocinda Dora for Wyeknot, 17 months, feminine bitch, good eye & muzzle, not the neckline, standing east/west in front, rather cut up in underline till she matures more, also loved her height/length body proportions, positive enough, if rather close, in rear; 3 Fraser’s Tamara at Bystock. PG (3) 1 McPherson & Paterson’s Brumberhill Bellissima, 20 months, developing well, length & strength through head, superb forehand, here was the front I wanted, excellent jacket, well ribbed back, has clearance, super jacket, ideal proportions, sound moving b with bold attitude, gave a good account of herself in the challenge where just her relative lack of maturity showed; 2 Wharton’s Greyhayne Lotty Merry, 2 years, finer all through, good skull & eye, rather narrow muzzle, can strengthen in front, good backline & rear angulation, rather cut up in underline & lost her outline when circuiting, just needs to be left to develop to her true potential; 3 Clayton-Smith’s Boloria's April Fool. L (1) 1 Rowe’s Boloria's Forever Foolish, 2 years, really nice bitch with so many breed specifics, lovely head type right to the end of her muzzle, arch to neck, scored more in rear than in front angulation, well ribbed back with short loin, short, hard jacket, tended to sag a little in backline & ran a little close in rear. O (6) 1 Paterson’s Ambiesque Allure, rising 3 years, half sister to her PGB kennelmate, evidently her day as if she knew it with such an assured, foot perfect performance, loved her conical head with its tapered strength maintained to end of muzzle, excellent eye, tremendously filled through keel, excellent neck & backline, strong bone, hammy quarters, shown in a full double coat that enhanced her functional look, her action was a demo of long striding, free flowing drive. Delighted to award CC & find I had made up my second champion of the day (well, my third as I bred the new champ Griffon BOB too); 2 McCalmont’s Ch Silvae Solo, rising 3 years, bred in the purple & of utmost quality, finer headed which becomes a matter of preference in interpretation, classic outline, not as secure in front, so well constructed with excellent neck & back line, plenty of clearance, hard jacket, handled to get the very best out of her, my hands told me she was a little light in condition & her sporting owner explained she had been dieting her, well that worked but is transient. Me next! Obviously will be rapidly back on form. RCC; 3 Phillips’ Hototo Swellegant Gal at Tendrow.