Just couldn't post for a while after Brian so this is whats been happening.
Cold, coldcoldcoldcold!!! Some of the pipes froze up, picking the paddock can be hazardous, chunks of frozen hound poop hurtling all over the place due to over enthusiastic hacking....The hounds will have their nightclothes on and a partner to snuggle up to, the beds are extra thick and they bury themselves in them. Usually you see the odd snout poking out or disembodied legs pointing to the ceiling. They seem to argue about the beds more with the girls usually winning. Its so funny to see how the boys try to get on the bed. Here are the methods used:
1. The Barker. Self explanatory, I'm going to bark my self sick until I make her deaf or she lets me on out of desperation for a quiet life. This technique requires a persistent male- barkbarkbarkbark into an impassive females face. She's like, will you look at him, why do you make me live with this?
2. The Creeper. This requires some dexterity and subtly from the male. Slowly, ever so slowly press yourself against the wall, far far away from your girlfriends snarling sharp teeth...easy one paw on the bed gggggghhhrrhiisssss! from her. Just ignore her, don't look at her, hey both front paws are on the bed, just edge a little bit around the side, look at me I'm so small you won't notice me at all..... By the time the male has his bottom on the bed the girl usually is resigned to him and gives up the whole "bitch" routine.
3. Banzai! Just go for it, jump up she doesn't mean it. Oh no shes got up and now she's in my face snarling at me...umm if I lie down maybe she will shut up. Sometimes the girl gets off when the boy jumps up other times they snarl bit then give up, sleep is far more important!
4. I love you. Happily the hounds get on just fine with each other 99% of the time. The staff know what they are about when they pair a couple of hounds up together. They often get on the bed together or the boy will get on and lick his girls ear and the like.
5. Plank. If I whine enough at the door some nice kennel person will come along and see me with my big eyes standing here while she hogs the bed. Oh good here comes one, they are coming in, haha she gets a talking to while I jump on the bed! Aahhh this is better, oh look they are going I must get off to say good bye and oh...
Been taking a certain girlie hound for walks on Esher Common. She gets to meet other dogs that way so we can work on "socialisation" as the experts call it. I call it "ohgodherecomessomethingsmallandfluffyofflead" She always has a muzzle on and I put her in a harness as she can pull and I don't want her to hurt her neck. She's getting better, quite likes dogs her size, confused by a puppy that didn't run away from her so she backed up to me for support! She's going to be a real gem for someone and she's begining to let little fluffy types come up for a sniff bless her.

Next Greyhound Social Walk: Sunday Feb 1, meet 11 am on West End cricket green by the duck pond

For our next Greyhound Social Walk we will return to West End Common, the site of our last walk in November (photo above).

We will meet on West End Cricket Green, by the duck pond at 11am.
The pond is on Winterdown Road, near its junction with West End Lane. Here is a map .

Bring your greyhound, or give a homeless hound a treat by picking one up from the Wimbledon Greyhound Welfare kennels in nearby Hersham.

We will walk up to the ledges and then down beside the river mole before returning to the cricket green.

(thank you to ciaran j for the photo of the pond on West End Cricket Green http://www.flickr.com/photos/ciaranj/116020653/)