Guy
So what has Guy been up to?
Guy is hardly recognisable as a puppy now thanks to the excellent care and training by his puppy parent Glenis. He has grown significantly and has a wonderful black shiny coat.
Guy will live with his volunteer puppy parent Glenis and attend weekly training sessions at Canine Partners headquarters in Midhurst for the first year. At around 14 months he will begin advanced training for up to six months.
Judging by the way young Guy is doing in his initial training, reaching all the goals set for him, we are sure he will be looking forward to plenty more.
One of the challenging aspects of his training in September was being taken to a Clay pigeon shoot, where he was very well behaved and not at all frightened by the guns.
In October, November and December it was more of the same weekly training , not that Guy minds, he is always warm and well fed and he loves his exercise.
Well he was always warm until on New Year’s day 2008 Guy was taken to a Fund Raising event by the Sea and yes you guessed Guy was swimming about in the cold water with another young Labrador proving that anything anyone else can do, he will try to do better. He may not have been the most cheerful looking dog when he got out of the water but it didn’t take him long to shake himself back to his former lovable self.
We are trying to take a few more photographs to show you Guy’s progression and when we do we will post them here on the Smith Pearman Office News spot. We hope you like the few we have taken for you.
Ripley Young Blades
take Hampton by storm
Emma & Alex
Look how Ice Skating has become popular since team Smith Pearman took to the ice a few years ago. Well we couldn’t help but do it again this year 2008 and we have a few sneaked pictures of our star performers.
007 Bob Chalk in trench coat and skates demonstrating speed posture to reduce wind resistance and Emma (blades) Wigley showing off to her young daughter Freya, preparing to do a cartwheel, which she must have done at lightening speed as we all missed it but she seemed pretty relaxed afterwards and did several victorious laps with husband Alex and a pose or two for the camera.
Veteran of the rink complete with last years Christmas present strapped to his feet was Keith (hot boots) Hardy who returned to the rink with smooth action packed laps punctuated with stops to talk to other less gifted of the SP team skaters. Presumably this was to offer encouragement and no doubt advice on how to hone their technique.
This advice or the annual practice associated with the Smith Pearman Ice spectacular seemed to have worked thus attracting no derision for polishing the ice with the backside and a completely dry and bruise free evening from all participants.
Torville and Deane were spotted but it turned out to be Geoff Railton and Partner the confusion being due to the bad light. The big house at the far end of the rink seemed to be having trouble with the outside lighting which was forever changing colour and going bright and dim so my guess is they haven’t paid the bill or the ice rink freezer motor was draining the current. The large house big enough to be a Palace did look quite pretty and fit for a king. Whether the occupants ever came out for a skate we don’t know but talk has it that several of the ladies of the household had felt the sharp edge of a blade or two and had been round the block so I presume they had enjoyed the experience too.
Thank you Keith and June for a lovely evening I am sure the SP-ICE SKATING team their cheerleaders and spectators would second that.
Ripley Event 2007
Ripley Event 2007
This year we were concentrating on raising money for Canine Partners and had on our stand Wendy Ireland in her wheelchair accompanied by her dog Indi. Wendy and Indi did a demonstration in the main ring to show exactly how much help a dog can be to a disabled person. On command Indi removed Wendy’s gloves, jacket, socks and cap. Wendy talked about some of the things Indi can do for her and showed how, without even speaking to the dog Indi will bark to summon help. In other words Indi has changed her life completely. (the photograph is showing Indi handing Wendy back her socks).
We also had on our stand Glenys and Combo, Glenys has just completed Combo’s first year of training and he will be passed back to Canine Partners next week for some intensive training before being partnered with a disabled person. Glenys is now Guy’s puppy parent so we will be watching their progress carefully. Glenys says Guy is constantly looking at her as much as to say “am I doing all right” and so far, she says, he definitely is.
We managed to raise almost £200 on Saturday which we thought was quite an achievement as the weather was definitely not helping!
Welcome Isabella May
We are delighted to announce that Emma (at last!) gave birth to a healthy baby girl weighing 7lbs 13.5 ozs on Wednesday 28th March. Isabella May was in no hurry to come into the world but now that she is here she is making her presence felt. Emma, Alex and Isabella are all doing well – more photos later. All of us at Hurst House eagerly await her first visit to the office.
A bracing slide
A bracing slide into 2007 within the grounds
of a colourful Hampton Court Palace
It seems an age ago now but it should not go unrecorded, true to the spirit that the first event was held, ice skating at Hampton Court Palace is now officially an annual event. Why can I so confidently predict this very pleasant evening is going to enter into the tradition of Smith Pearman and become an annual event - it’s easy, our star of the rink and noble leader Mr Keith Hardy had a new pair of Ice skating boots for Christmas. One of us not to be out done produced a fine pair of black gentleman’s figure skating boots circa 1968 hardly used and in excellent condition unlike their owner.
The one notable absentee this year was the lovely Emma who claimed immunity as custodian of an unborn child who might have been subjected to early trauma through contact with the icy surface. We must be careful not to suggest Emmas skating skills are in any way diminished by her increased frontal area as I am sure she would defend the female ability to multi task and I am sure given a clear rink and plenty of cushions she could have skated, knitted a romper suit and done a bit of filing so as not to waste time.
Julia and Marian were seen circulating with varying degrees of confidence obviously flush with the success of last years performance where most managed to stay upright without collecting bruises or a wet posterior.
It was a fine start to 2007 social activity and thanks must go to June for the superb food and hospitality laid on afterwards - a large table of glowing cheeks (due to the freshness of the evening and not an unguarded moment on the ice) tucked into a choice of hot dishes and beautifully prepared salads. If the popularity of Celebrity Ice skating on television ever dips I am sure the stars of Smith Pearman would come to the rescue. Roll on next January.
A Double Whammy!
A Double whammy! Win
boast local Accountants Smith Pearman
The lucky lady winner of the raffle run by the Smith Pearman Charitable Trust was particularly delighted at winning a beautiful hand sewn quilt because she was a long time embroiderer herself and was more able to appreciate the finer points of the quilt she had won. The double whammy came when the selected recipients of the funds raised, (Sailability sailing for the disabled) will receive nearly 60% more than anyone had expected (£ 2,320.00) thus two very happy parties and a very satisfactory outcome from what was a generous donation of a hand made quilt by the ‘Prospect Quilters ’ of Thames Ditton in Surrey.
Ripley Accountants Smith Pearman were pleasantly surprised when their Charitable Trust
was offered the exquisite hand sewn quilt to raffle for the benefit of Sailability.
The beautiful quilt was donated by The Prospect Quilters, the collective name for the group of very talented ladies who had made it.
This unique quilt it was decided, should become the prize of a raffle organised by Smith Pearman. and because of the quality and desirability of the quilt, it was expected to raise over £1,000. possibly even £1500. Tickets were sold at a £1 each,
The draw was held in December with the proceeds earmarked for The Smith Pearman Charitable Trust and in particular their current beneficiary Sailability.
Quilt winner Mrs Sue Judd (pictured) has decided that her delightful 4 ft 6ins x 5 ft 6ins quilt is far to precious and attractive to lay on a bed so she intends to hang it on a wall in order that her family and friends can also enjoy the colourful masterpiece. A large vote of thanks must go to the Prospect Quilters, Alyson Huxley who designed it, together with Mary Stewart, Lorraine Galloway, Jen Lickfold, Jill Marsden, Janet McCullagh, Bernadette Marshall, Greta Wennike, Doris Da Costa, Hazel Fry and Brigitte Haydon all of whom worked together to create the quilt that will be admired for generations to come.
Every penny collected and donated through the Smith Pearman Charitable Trust is 100% for the benefit of the chosen charity without a single deduction of expenses or costs.
A Life on The Ocean Waves!!
“Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing—absolute nothing—half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. Simply messing….”
That was how boating was described in the Wind in the Willows, and when a day’s sailing was first mooted this was what I had envisaged. A warm summer’s day and time drifting, like the river, idly by. Perhaps a hand trailing over the side of some Edwardian launch moving towards a picnic site in the dappled shelter of an English willow…
I should have known better especially when the invitation comes from a nautical cove with the name of Hardy. Apparently on the high seas, size matters! The lunch of my dreams became 52 feet of mast, sails, winches and other wizardry definitely not designed for the Thames. Yet even with all this at our fingertips it was necessary for a volunteer to be hoisted up the mast to retrieve a rope before we could cast off. (Did someone mention “avast behind,” no surely not!)
The group was fortunate to have the services of Phil who, with a mixture of infinite patience and understanding let a few budding Captain Bligh’s loose at the wheel and soon the air was full of sailing expressions like – coming about, prepare to repel boarders and give that man fifty lashes. Sometimes power just goes to people’s heads.
In all, a good time was had by all. However the suggestion that perhaps next year we should try to get Roman Abramovich’s little boat, complete with submarine, has for some strange reason, been vetoed.
|
)
)
)
)
)
)
