Balloon Killer

I promised to tell all about the Balloon Killer in our midst. This tale starts with Megan as a younger dog, taken to an early 2CV camp, long before I was born. The camp happened to be the 10th birthday camp of the local group of 2CVGB (google "2CVGB") centred around Lewes and called (for no accountable reason) the "French Ticklers". The camps were held at the Laughton Showground near Lewes (county town of Sussex) in June, and were called "Strawberry Camps" because the convoy each year was to a PYO strawberry farm

This year, being the 10th birthday, the organisers had organised a hog-roast and then an evening entertainment in a big party-tent which involved giving to all present a red, white or blue balloon. Everyone had stuffed out on the pork, and all the dogs at the camp had been making like Henry VIII's time, wandering about below the spit as it was carved, stuffing out on bits of crackling and over-done pork that were carved and dropped.

Then the people started blowing up balloons, at which point Megan seemed to lose all reason. She danced about below anyone blowing a balloon up, bouncing and barking. The balloons, once released , she had to chase after, trying to bite them into submission, loving the "Bang!" they made, then waiting for the next one. Haggis, apparently was also swept up in the excitement, but did not know why, so he just charged about following Meggie, and barking, but never killed a balloon (it was the same with rats when "we" had chickens)

The people all thought this was great fun, and adopted Meg as part of the cabaret, deliberately blowing up balloons for her, and then trying to keep them aloft by kicking and flicking with hands, till eventually she'd get them and kill them. Eventually the balloons ran out, she tired and sloped off to Dad's tent, to curl up on the sleeping bag.

BUT - the combination of over-excited dog and belly full of bolted pork bits took its inevitable course and when Dad eventually headed for the tent, torch in hand, he found Megan asleep but looking green, and in the middle of the sleeping bag a neat but big pile of doggie chunder. Hmmm... Might sleep under a blanket tonight!

Megan has been doing the balloon killer cabaret act ever since (2CV people don't forget a good act easily) but nowadays we don't fill her with pork roast first.

Hence my pics in yesterday's blog - 3 dogs dancing to try to get a balloon in mid flight. Megan is now teaching me the ropes and I am hoping to join her act when I get my Equity card

Deefs