It was lovely to see my friends at Crufts. It's always a wild and crazy day. Between dashing in and out of the ring and working at the LRC Scotland ringside stand there's often only time for a quick hug and kiss and a promise to keep in touch.We took two dogs and had two placements in great company so can't complain too much.

On to Potomac.

I'm now waiting to take an oath of allegiance to The Queen at which time I'll hold duel citizenship. I’ve even officially double barrelled my name to make it Cross-Crook. I feel a bit like that statue of Winston Churchill with one foot in each country and my Weathertop Collection tent has become the unofficial British embassy at Potomac.

Richard Edwards has again given me 5 each of his brilliant books Sandylands and The Show Labrador Retriever in Great Britain and Northern Ireland 1945-1095 Volume One which covers the history of British Labradors up to Tweed. These are THE books to read for a comprehensive history of British Labs. I'll have these books available in my Weathertop Collection stand at Potomac. If you really want one I strongly advise that you pre-order from me now as every year they get snapped up early Wednesday morning.Contact me via email to secure a copy.

The Labrador Club of Scotland will once again be with me in my Weathertop Collection stand with their lovely wool tartans. The tartan was designed for the club using the black, yellow, and chocolate for Labradors along with purple for heather and green for the Scottish moors. They'll have just 5 baseball caps so if you want one either pre-order from me or be at my stand early Wednesday morning. I offer these items for sale as a member of the LRC Scotland. The money goes straight to the club.

Editor Mairi Brown (Ramsayville) has made the LRC Scotland yearbook one of the best yearbooks in the world with lots of kennel reviews and many informative articles. I wrote for them again this year giving step by step instructions on how to save you up to thousands when bringing a dog into the UK . It's the same procedure to use while getting your dog ready to ship fresh semen into the UK. All the requirements are up to date as of time of publication, and I give lots of tips that I learned 1st hand while bringing our dogs over from the USA.

I sold out at Crufts again this year so I’m very busy getting ready for Potomac. Can't wait for the donuts. See you all soon.

Ta…

Saudjie Cross-Crook

Saudjie, did the back cover photo on the Scotland Yearbook look as nice as I hope?
Haven't received the book yet. Hubbie took the photo of Nicky, that's why I ask

Hi Anki,

Your photo on the back cover is brilliant!How did he get such a shot of the reflection of the dog while swimming? What kind of bird is that? John and I can't make it out. The front cover is also beautiful. They've surrounded the photos with their tartan. I am really impressed with the yearbook this year. Mairi knocked herself out.

Many thanks for the kind comments, Saudjie!
The bird is a simple crow (Corvus corone). Nicky, who is bred by us, and his owner had been out in the forest shooting crows to be used for Nicky's retrieving training. Thomas and I met them at Moose Lake, a very small lake close to our home. It was a crisp autumn afternoon and hubbie and I had decided to go there to let our dogs have a swim. The weather was very nice and the surface of the lake was dead calm and almost pitch black - a splendid opportunity for taking photos.
Hubbie Thomas says he just took the picture on the spot where the reflection was the best. For this photo he used his Nikon D200 with the zoom Sigma 70-200/2.8
We felt very honoured indeed when Margaret Brown asked if she and Mairi could use the photo for the Yearbook. Can't wait to see it