Loch, Twist and I had our lesson with the professional handler yesterday. I was so worried about his Scottish accent and I shouldn't have been. I always create a little extra stress for myself. He was absolutely charming. He explained theories, angles, approaches, sheep and dogs in clear and concise terms. It was such a good experience for me, especially since I've been feeling a little low about the whole herding thing lately.
Since Hubby backed out of going with me, I recruited Youngest Son. Of course SoccerGirl came along too, but I didn't mind (as long as they were getting along and not acting bored - they were golden). I gave YS a five minute lesson on my camera and he did quite well. He took over 400 shots and we can use about 20 out of them, which is not bad for a first timer. I am going to make sure to print out a couple for him in appreciation. I know he'll feel good about it. Plus I took $20 off of what he owes me for helping me out and he didn't even know it until after he had done the job for me. Such a good boy. Sometimes.
I learned quite a bit and many of the things he off-handedly said to me brought a bit of peace and patience to my spirit. How nice, and here I thought it was just about moving the sheep around the field.
Thanks for all the positive comments on the video from yesterday. It was a lot of fun to make. Both boys and SoccerGirl loved it. SweetGirl is coming home from Europe tonight so she'll be seeing it later. I think she'll be happy too, she photographs very well.
When Hubby saw it he said, "How come you didn't put more pictures of yourself in it?" I said, "Because no one ever thinks of taking any pictures of me." He got really quiet after that. Let's see if he takes that to his spirit. I'm not holding my breath!