Emergence from the Dark Ages!

A few weeks ago WiFi broadband arrived on the mountain so at last I have been able to join the 21st century! By way of celebrating I have also acquired one of these !!!!!!!           >   >   >   >   >   >   >   >   >   >   >   

Having done quite a bit of "serious" training with Nénu over the last few days she was given a more-or-less free run in the forest with the bonus of a few long tennis ball retrieves into the trees and undergrowth this morning. Mainly coniferous forest is most definitely NOT the best sort of area in which to exercise or train a dog with a coat like the Barbet's! The bark of fine twigs which litter the under storey is composed of scales which "grip" the coat at the best of times, but when the coat is wet they are the devil to remove!
I find those long-handled tennis ball throwers a nuisance to take out .. they are awkward to carry to say the least. I have a retractable one which is excellent as it collapses to about 8 inches in length so will fit in a pocket, has a comfortable rubber grip and is very flexible adding distance to the throw.