Went to the circus this week. No - I wasn't visiting relatives, heading back

to my birth place or running away from home, I was taking Team Gamble on an

afternoon trip of power. By circus we're not talking dancing elephants,

seals chained in bathtubs, or juggling ferrets - we're talking one of

Britains voted best small circuses where the only animal they had was a well

built collie dog who was having the time of his life!

 

It was brilliant - great family fun. The clown was funny with a must have pair of giant red shoes, the rope acts good and the chap juggling knives on the back of a motorbike definitely added some spice to things - especially when he started dropping them.

 

The animal issue did come into it though - but from unexpected quarters. At the interval, I lumbered to the toilet. Not a great fact to tell you but

whilst queueing a lady shouted "Are you Luke Gamble?", I turned, nodded and

gave what I like to consider a winning smile.

 

She said in a really loud high pitched voice, "You do all those things with

animals!" 

 

Now, this in context, that was pretty accurate but then I could hear the

message fiiter down the queue.

"That guy over there - he does things with animals",

"Who is he?"

"What sort of things?",

"I don't know, but that lady says he does stuff with them in remote places,"

 

"How can you bring yourself to  all those things? I just can't believe what you get up to," the lady continued.

 

People started to crane their heads wondering what the heck she was talking

about, I shifted uncomfortably, willing the queue to get a move on and

cursing the fact I didn't have a bigger bladder.

 

"Is it legal in all those places you go?"

 

It was my turn next - if only the toilet door had locked. She was there,

outside the toilet door, chatting away. Difficult to say the least. I was

troubled by the time I got back to the family, people were looking at me

strangely, luckily the incident was soon forgotten due to more pressing

concerns by Noah that the trapeze lady wasn't wearing any trousers.

 

On other news, I was supposed to be taking a team to the dadaab refuggee camp in Kenya but unfortunately it's been pulled due at the moment due to a flair up in area, just nailed 18 nights on call out of the last 26 at the practice to keep me off the streets, and there has been an outbreak of sick pigs, a spate of surgeries on really old dogs and I saw my birthday in doing a caesarian on a cow with a twisted uterus and a breech calf. Not bad a way to do it, bed could have been slightly better, but both cow and calf lived so result all round. Onward we go... another year under the belt and for anyone reading this who sent me a happy birthday message via twitter, facebook or mail - thanks a million, was great to get them.

 

P.s. Rob is a local farmer and this is his new bike - just in case you see it and wonder who it belongs to...