Last haircut in Oswestry

It’s strange how attached we become to places.  I first came to Oswestry years ago to learn about the mysteries of dog grooming on a one day course for pet owners run by Debbie of  www.thebristlesdoggrooming.com and now she’s retiring and unless fate or a new booking brings me here again I think this will be the last time I sit blogging in Wetherspoons in the town. 

I shall miss it. Oswestry has charted a few stages of my life over the last few years and they've certainly not been without incident of one kind or another.  I’ve been sitting here remembering the various chapters, some exciting, some depressing, but all somehow significant.  I’ve used the four hour wait while the dogs are with Debbie to reflect, meditate, think, cogitate, plan, design, dream and even on one occasion, flirted but now all that is coming to an end.  Yes, Debbie has suggested another groomer and we will go and see them in Saltney, but somehow Saltney isn’t going to be what Oswestry has been.  Apart from anything else, it’s much closer to the yard so I wont need to hang about there, and anyway there’s nothing there to hang about for.  So the Oswestry chapter is ending today and I’m a bit sad about it.

The good news though is that the lorry is mended.  The clutch is working as new and the MOT was flown through with no advisories, the inspector commenting positively about its general condition.  I’m not the sort of person who gives my vehicles names, by the way. The job was expensive but I completely trust the guy who did it and it’s been done well.  Much better to pay for quality than sit regretting it at the side of a road somewhere waiting for the rescue. It’s now all ready for the season so just the trailer to sort now.  I replace the wheel bearings on the trailer every year as it’s very near the weight limit for the type of axle. One year I arrived at an event to find not just a puncture but the entire wheel, bearing and axle end on one of the four wheels just gone!  That was a trifle scary as I have no idea of when or where it happened. I left Chester with a four wheel trailer and arrived with a three wheel one! I now have wireless tyre pressure sensors on the trailer wheels so I find out if the trailer has a puncture with an alarm in the cab.

The last couple of days in Ruthin staying with Russ and Suzanne has allowed me to catch up on some show admin jobs and follow up some enquiries.  Another enquiry came in as a result – Folkeast ( www.folkeast.co.uk ) in Suffolk in August from 16^th to 18th, and I am waiting to hear if that will be confirmed.  A new county for the show – Suffolk.  I haven’t performed in Suffolk before but I think I would go down well there.  All sort of folky, country and ethnic. I like all that especially as I will play around with it a bit.  As soon as it is confirmed, and I think it will be, it will go onto the Calendar page of the website.  Watch this space.  If it is confirmed, then I will have hit my events target for 2014 and I can start just to take the bookings I really like the sound of and not just whatever comes in.  Always a good feeling.  And I can take the chance to visit friends over in that part of the world.  All good.

A final final wander round the charity shops in Oswestry now before collecting the dogs from Debbie for the last time. I will find a nice card for her as she’s been very helpful over the years and I’ve learned a lot about looking after dogs from her. And I’ve also learned a lot about myself sitting here in Wetherspoons, but all things must pass.

All the best from a road near you,

Mr Alexander