Well Suited

We met through a dating agency Fredrick and me. Filled in all the compatibility forms and they matched us up, our scores perfectly in tune. We go together like lock and key.

We both like to walk, like a bit of ‘Am Dram’, where he plays second lead usually and I am the prompter. Our life is busy but uncomplicated. The dog was spontaneous, a Christmas gift to ourselves, we saw her picture in the paper, and we both knew that was what we needed.

We started entering shows as soon as we had thought of a name for her. Frederick likes the grooming and the actual showing and I like doing the lists and campaign diary.

I think it’s best if we condition, colour and set our hair three days before a show, Phoebe Alyssa Lady Daphne has hers done the night before. You have to be very careful about static and it goes without saying that split ends are a definite no-no.

We've had a lot of success. We got a little giddy with it all. At Easter we bought a display cabinet for the rosettes and trophies. Dear Daphne is quite a star and it came as no surprise that certain members of the family began to get a bit jealous of her.

Fredrick and I don't like to blow our own trumpets and we do sing from the same hymn sheet on this one. We do our duty visits to all the aunts and uncles, aged parents, the cousins and family friends from way back. We don't do this because we haven't children; we do it because it is right for us but since Daphne came along we have been doing it a little less frequently. This has not gone unnoticed.

Well Suited

Frederick’s brother has had a lot to say about Daphne. At first he did make a comment about our reproductive plans. Not that it is any business of his. It is scheduled for two years’ time. Not that we are that specific with our answers and find it sufficient to say ‘when the time comes’ or ‘when Frederick gets his promotion’. We aren’t prudish about such matters just private and prefer to go about things in the orderly manner.

I work in fashion, assistant buyer at a department store in Swansea and Frederick’s job is with the Meteorological Office. We encourage people to photograph us when we are showing Daphne, especially in those unguarded moments. Frederick’s ambition is to do the weather forecast on the 6 o'clock news. I shall keep my career.

He is adorable in his new jacket with that bold check; it lends him gravitas; he wears it with an understated modern authority. I chose it of course. But he in turn had carried all my jackets to the tailors to ensure we had no unfortunate clashes of contrast stitching. We also have a ‘mood book’ with samples of Daphne’s coat in it. It’s so important to accessorise correctly.