Grignan: June 25-27, 2011

Seeing a lavender field was one of my dreams, and we made it come true this weekend. As we drove, we could smell the lavender in the air. My happiness level was at its max. It was just amazing!

We stayed in Grignan, where a beautiful 12-18th century castle stands in the heart of the town. The chambre d'hôte, the rhythm of our séjour, meals, everything was excellent.

This elegant scent of lavender must reach where my beloved people rest in the sky.

Ruins, Dog, Water, and Namesake : June 11-13 (4)

We found Rue de Beauregard in Grenoble, Place Beauregard in Lyon, and now a town called Beauregard north of Lyon. We will be visiting another one in Drôme Province. We should find 12 to make a calendar!

And of course a visit to a village called Chanas. Close enough. Only wish Chana were literate.

Ruins, Dog, Water, and Namesake : June 11-13 (3)

Evian was quenching. The water was flowing endlessly, welcoming those who come with a thirst.

Badoit... In the small town of St. Galmier near St. Etienne. We found a miracle fountain where a naturally bubbly water supposed to come out for free. The only problem was that the miracle fountain was fenced in, and it was closed for the holiday. C'est pas juste.

As we had about five bottles to fill up with something, we tried the municipal water. Nope. It was not Badoit. C'est pas juste.

Ruins, Dog, Water, and Namesake : June 11-13 (2)

The Dog Agility French Championship was very exciting. In terms of the size, it was much smaller than the Ontario Regional which we went to see in 2010, but the excitement was much greater. The audience was as high as they can be, and I wonder if it had anything to do with the location being very close to Beaujolais...

What amazed me the most was the club spirit. One for all, all for one! When the winner got announced, there went the flag, people carrying the winner to the podium, and people doing the club cheer... So much pride and so much honour. This is because the agility team is a very selective part of a dog club. For some clubs, in order to join the agility team, you have to be a member of the club long enough to gain respect and must have the right dog. This must be why two clubs told us, visiters from Canada with a Cocker Spaniel, that the agility was only for competition and it is currently full. They just do not know how perfectionist Nathan is how Japanese I am...

At the competition, they had the demonstration by the Team France member for 2011. I found my favourite pair: Gregory Bielle Biadalot and his Border Collie, Cayenne (Photo below, the one in the middle). The bonus is, he is an amazing singer! French national anthem never sounded beautiful than his a capella. I cannot wait to see them in Liévin at the FCI World Championship in October!

Ruins, Dog, Water, and Namesake : June 11-13 (1)

As we have another road trip coming up this weekend, I have to quickly get one blog entry in from our last road trip.

On June 11-12, the Dog Agility French Championship was held near Lyon. So for the future reference :), Nathan and I decided to go have a peak. Of course we did not miss our own trainings: agility at 9:30 and obedience at 14:30. After a fun agility (still at the old place) and a depressing obedience (not us, other owners), we hit the road with a little KIA.

Ever since we found that random ruins (towers) on our way home from Evian, we are like ruin hunters. Especially if the map indicates there is something, we are going. Here are our findings! Cows and a tower, La tour de Clermont, dated 1107.

After seeing a ruin, we decided to go see a preserved castle in Virieu dated 11th to 18th century. We arrived there a bit too late to take a tour inside, but we will be back.

L'examen du DELF (résultat)

I got the results for two of the DELF exams I took in May. I am happy with the results, and I got what I wanted: pass B1 with a good enough score and get 100% in A1 :D.

When I went to get the result for B1, the total mark was actually 10 points less. I looked at it carefully, and realized that my worst mark was the reading section. I asked the secretary to recalculate the score, and voila, the examiner had miscounted my mark. Qui ne tente rien n'a rien. Well, I thought I did the best in the reading section, and it turns out that it is the worst score... Need to work on vocabulary!

Compared to how much English I learned in one year when I was on Rotary exchange, my French has not done so well. I am planning on taking a semester course in September so that I am forced to learn.

Doggies love macaroni?

How to serve:

1) For those who like crunchy stuff: Serve as is.
2) For those who are more gourmet: You pour boiling water, wait until soft, cool it down with water, and add favourite veggies or meat.

I have also found a bag of rice in the doggie food section at Carrefour. Let's talk about high carb diet.

Agility in France No.2

Another post for our friends at Aimhi Coaching.

We are starting a new chapter of our agility training in France. Last week, we signed up for one-year membership at Club du chien de défense et d'utilité located in Saint Etiénne-de-Crossey, about 40 minutes away from Grenoble. Here are the reasons we chose this club.

• Public vs. Private

We learned that "club du chien" in France is a public entity, and the trainers are qualified but they are all volunteers. There are some private clubs, such as the one we signed up in February. We pay €120 for 12 sessions at the private club, but with our new club, it costs us €120 for a year, no matter how many lessons you take. They offer three agility classes a week, and various levels of obedience, Ring, RCI, tracking, flyball and dog dancing.

• Team spirit

When we went to see the club, all five participants of the class were very very welcoming. It reminded us of our experience at Aimhi. They were informative, supportive, and we felt very comfortable being with them. Four of them compete, and we appreciate the mentality of polishing skills and working towards higher goals. At the same time, they were really enjoying this sport with their dogs. They all had one aged dog besides their current partner, and the 13, 14, or 15 year-old dog had a chance to run a bit of the course without jump bars. I saw a good balance of labour and joy. 

• Environment

Although this place is about twice as far as our current agility training, there are no rocks on the ground, there is a nice stream in the wooded area where dogs can go for a swim, and a big field to run around off leash away from the road. Chana's performance is better in this field. I guess her paws are not sore from running.

And lastly, the coach is there to guide you. She focuses a lot on motivation and efficiency. My new trick to master is "l'avion=an airplane" which seems to be a blind cross? Gradually, my agility knowledge and vocabulary is becoming bilingual, but Chana does not seem to mind. She is a happy dog who all of a sudden completed a 12 weave poles one day, when we were still working on the entry with 4 poles. I guess going through 6 and 12 is the same thing for her. I should never underestimate Chana.

The members are planning on going to see FCI World Agility Championship in Liévin. Nathan and I have bought our tickets. All we need now is a Team Canada shirt and Team France shirt!