Harley’s Beagle Blog July 2015
More thoughts from The Abingdon Collection
Hi fans, Harley Beagle here. It’s been a strange month at Beagle Towers as Hazel’s mum Anne is very ill and is suffering with a brain tumour. People have been very kind and we have had lots of relatives and friends visit us from all over the world.
We try to raise money at The Abingdon Collection to make Cancer a thing of the past and with your help we will get there.
Dusty and I have been joined this month by my cousin by marriage ‘Poppy’ a Bischon Frise who is visiting with the people she owns. Poppy is a very posh dog, but I will soon knock that out of her. Dusty ignores her but is always interested in her diet and ensuring she does not eat too much.
She has joined us on some of our enforced marches and has even started to talk to us on the way round. I think that I will teach her some of the curse words the guy I own shouts at me… Stop… Dusty just ran out the door after the postman but he was safely tucked up in his van.
If she ever actually meets him face to face we will all be in the Sunday papers and the Jeremy Kyle show. Dusty has an absolute hatred for postmen and is like a thing possessed when he comes to the door. I am thinking of contacting the guy that directed the ‘EXORCIST’ to see if he would be interested in doing a film called… ‘Dusty, the postman never rings twice’.
Dusty’s head has now stopped spinning and has settled down… until the next time!
Better go now as I have had only twelve hours sleep last night and need a siesta before my walk and all important food.
Poppy has brought some unusual dog treats and I have just sussed out where they are stored… they will join the Escape Committee’s food store unless we decide to eat them tonight.
Harley’s Beagle Blog June 2015
More thoughts from The Abingdon Collection
Hi fans, this month I have decided to focus my attention on my passion for classic cars. Not many people know this, but I am probably the only Beagle Harrier who can claim to have eaten at least three classic cars and tasted another ten.
I had a misspent youth and my first experience in Classic motoring were my attempts at eating the entire interior from an MX5. This story has been well covered in the infamous and well published Harley Ate My Gearknob!, so I will not bore you with the gory details again; suffice to say that the guy I own still has the car and I regularly let him use it, providing I ride alongside him.
I got into more trouble as a young impressionable pup when the rear end of a mint 1986 Opel Manta Exclusive was parked directly behind my bed in the garage. Yes, as unbelievable as it seems Dusty and I are forced to sleep on two couches wrapped in thermal blankets and duvets parked behind two classic cars… Life is so unfair and we are contemplating lodging a complaint with the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. But I digress.
So picture the scene, one bored and depressed Harley Beagle lying in bed watching the rear end of an Opel Manta. I watched this for at least four hours before I decided that the rear electrics, fog lamp and tow bar were all within reach of my teeth; without me even having to get out of bed. Now what self respecting dog would not have a nibble at coloured wires and bright red plastic. After an hour I got fed up and went to sleep content in the knowledge that I had done a great job.
The next morning dawned to the welcome sound of my breakfast coming down the stairs to the garage… All was well with the world and I just stayed in bed… big mistake… He looked at the floor, looked at me, looked at the back of the car and looked back at the evidence scattered across my bed. OOOPS, this was not going well and a sudden unholy scream convinced me that retreat through the dog flap was probably a good idea.
I could hear loud sobbing through the garage door but decided that a good early morning pee would be the best form of defence.
I learned from this mistake and now ensure that I am outside before he comes down the stairs just in case that I have decided to amuse myself during the night.
My next encounter with the classics was when I mistook the small red front ball indicators from a Fiat X/19 for my tennis ball and had just managed to pull them both off when he arrived with an enthusiast to view the said car. Oh, what fun we had as I was chased around the garden with items being thrown in every direction.
I learned some very bad words that day which is not good for a young impressionable dog. Dusty has just woken up so I am going to try to get her into trouble by planting a chewed up mudflap from the Manta in her bed and see how she likes it.
Diet going well… Lost 3 ounces last week.
Call me on 028 8224 3373 for a booking.
TripAdvisor 2015 Certificate of Excellence
We are pleased to announce that The Abingdon Collection has been awarded the annual TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for the second year running.
The TripAdvisor 2015 Certificate of Excellence recognises hospitality excellence and is only given to organisations that consistently achieve great reviews from travellers on TripAdvisor.
We would like to thank the individuals and groups from around the world that visited the Collection over the last year, including those who took the time and effort to complete a review on TripAdvisor.
The Abingdon Collection represents a unique alternative tourism product in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland and we continue to grow due to your support.
Small private collections, which open their doors to the public, are now few and far between but the interest continues from visitors, both local and worldwide.
The Abingdon Collection attempts to recreate a time gone past while raising much needed funding for Cancer Research UK. The generosity of the public has been exceptional and makes the continuing development work on the collection all the more important.
We thank everyone who has visited us for their continued support and invite you to take ‘A Walk in the Past’.
Harley’s Beagle Blog May 2015
More thoughts from the Abingdon Collection
Hi fans, before I start this month I need to get something off my chest, a dislike for Dog Groomers. Dusty got kidnapped last month and after six hours the people we own paid the ransom and we got her back. She was traumatised, far too clean and smelled of Lavender.
It took her at least ten minutes to roll about the wet lawn to even smell like a dog again and get upstairs with good old muddy footprints.
I have been conned before into going into these dens of vice and will not be caught again. They put the lead on, get you into the car, promise hope of open fields and you end up in a prison cell for six hours for a shampoo and set.
I don’t remember signing any consent form for that. I think that I smell pretty good and if I need a wash I will have a quick dip in the local burn or puddle. Doggy beauty parlours are not for me and once bitten twice shy.
I am forty kilos of pure muscle and a little fat and I can lie down all day if necessary but they will need a winch and a block and tackle to get me out of the car and into any salon for pampering.
It has been a great month at the collection with a lot of money raised for Cancer Research and we have a lot of visits booked for May particularly from classic car clubs.
Please give us a call on 028 8224 3373 to make a booking and support my new diet plan for the summer months… I intend to get Dusty to lose two kilos by eating as much of her food as possible.
By the way don’t forget to visit BEECHGROVE DOGGY FUN PARK Facebook page to see me and my mates having a fantastic time.
Harley’s Beagle Blog April 2015
More thoughts from the Abingdon Collection
Well, here we are again. Dusty and I have formed an Escape committee and continue to try to find ways to try to get out of this camp. The high walls, barbed wire, guards and machine gun posts make it difficult but we are determined.
Dusty has been trying to dig up the back garden but a one inch hole to try to bury her poo is a rather futile gesture. The guards left the front door opened last week but I only got 200 yards before being bundled into a car. Dusty missed the breakout as she was asleep and I just do not think her heart and soul is committed to the escape plan.
New groups visiting the collection always give me hope that an opportunity to escape will come and one of them will forget to close the main gate. I live in hope providing I can get back in for supper and my bed at night.
It is the boredom of captivity that gets to me and Dusty has lost all interest in chasing me and the balls. Even the cats come over the wall and we ignore them, and while they can run freely we only get a two hour route march every day and Dusty’s wee legs are suffering. I am still awaiting a Red Cross Parcel of food and hope to see my friends at BEECHGROVE DOGGY FUN PARK soon.
The Abingdon Collection raised over £2000 last year for Cancer Research, making it our best year yet, so why not give us a call on 028 8224 3373 to make a booking.
I hope someone remembers to bring me some food as we only get fed twice a day and I am beginning to see my bones.
Harley’s Beagle Blog March 2015
More thoughts from The Abingdon Collection
Hi fans, welcome to another report from the trenches.
Let’s start with an update on my best mate Dusty the Jack Russell. She arrived one year ago on the 17th March 2014 and I suppose she should have been called Paddy but she was rather dirty and dusty so the humans thought it a fitting name.
I suppose she was lucky cause at one stage she was going to be called Smelly. They tend to lack imagination when it comes to names.
She is in great form but maybe putting on a little too much weight. She is supposed to be on a diet but I don’t think she knows it yet.
Not much to report this month after the excitement of the Radio programme in February 2015… check out my great picture on the The John Toal Show website.
A few new collectable signs have gone up on the wall but the guy I own is having difficulty smuggling many new items past his wife.
We are expecting a busy spring with many new groups already booked and I hope that someone brings me something to eat… I am also on a diet but am finding it difficult.
My day never changes – I get up, go to the toilet, go back to bed, go to the toilet, walk about the yard, go for a walk, eat, play, chase Dusty, go to the toilet, sleep, eat, and then go to bed.
I suppose it’s not a bad life but I am four now and think that it is about time I got a real job.
Anyway, if you want to visit me phone him on 028 8224 3373.
Harley’s Beagle Blog February 2015
Some thoughts from The Abingdon Collection
Well that was some weekend! We had The John Toal Show from Radio Ulster live from the collection on Saturday. My mate Dusty and I were warned not to bite anyone, not to bark and to behave while the visitors were here.
Me, being a very well trained and obedient Beagle Harrier kept to my word, while Dusty tried to ingratiate herself with everyone and turned on the charm. People are so easily duped. Poking your head out of a pink duvet and looking cute does not gain any points with me but she gets away with it. She will do anything for a biscuit!
Back to the story. Harley gets told to stay quiet and does his best, Dusty gets told to stay down stairs but halfway through the choir’s first song disappears up the stairs to be petted, poked and cuddled like treats wouldn’t melt in her mouth. Life is so unfair. I did get to hear some great singing and tried to join in but was told to shut up by the man I own.
Great smells from the kitchen of fried venison, but did I get any, not a chance. Some humans did come down to the garage and gave me the odd pat on the head but I knew that tease Dusty was upstairs getting the cuddles meant for me… it’s not easy being forty kilograms and still growing.
I think that I will go and scratch myself along the bumper of the 1955 MGA as a protest, but wait I hear plates being cleaned and food may be on the way… I always live in hope.
Check out the 21st February 2015 edition of The John Toal Show on demand.
TripAdvisor 2014 Certificate of Excellence
TripAdvisor have awarded The Abingdon Collection with a 2014 Certificate of Excellence.
This award honours hospitality excellence and is only given to organisations that consistently achieve outstanding traveller reviews on TripAdvisor.
The Certificate of Excellence is an unexpected bonus for us and we would like to thank all the visitors who took the time and effort to complete the reviews on TripAdvisor.
The Abingdon Collection attempts to recreate a time gone past while raising much needed funding for Cancer Research UK. The generosity of the public has been exceptional and makes the continuing development work on the collection all the more important.
The Abingdon Collection represents a unique alternative tourism product in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Small private collections, which open their doors to the public, are now few and far between but the interest continues from visitors, both local and worldwide.
We thank everyone who has visited us for their continued support and invite you to take ‘A Walk in the Past’.
Out and About in Ulster
The Abingdon Collection was recently featured on ‘Out and about in Ulster’, a local magazine programme from Irish TV, Ireland’s newest and most exciting live digital media platform.
As well as showcasing the cars, motorbikes, militaria and memorabilia, Philip was interviewed about the challenges of collecting and maintaining the collection. The programme, which covered several aspects of Omagh life, was broadcast by IrishTV.ie at 7.00pm on Monday the 21st April 2014.
Click on the link below to see the programme:
If you are interested in arranging a visit, you can contact The Abingdon Collection by post, phone or email
Contact: Philip Faithfull
Address: The Abingdon Collection, “Abingdon”, 16 Gortnagarn Road, Omagh, Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland, BT78 5NW
Telephone: 028 8224 3373
Mobile: 07715 455170
Abingdon Collection goes from Strength to Strength
This has been the best year yet for visitors to THE ABINGDON COLLECTION, with collectors, enthusiasts and tourists arriving almost every day.
The kind remarks now being made on TripAdvisor have encouraged visitors to come along and make a day of it, particularly if they are visiting the Ulster American Folk Park.
The collection is beginning to receive some very good national publicity and we have recently seen visitors coming from America, Australia, Canada and the Continent.
Irish visitors still make up the majority of our numbers and Cancer Research UK are really benefiting from the generous donations freely given.
So if you want a day out with a difference give us a call and get an experience which is unique and also has a free history lesson included.
Nick Murray – An Appreciation
Omagh lost one of it’s true characters last week with the untimely death of Nick Murray. Nick was originally from England but will always be remembered for his contribution to the life of Omagh.
When classic car enthusiasts talk of local legends then Nick was always mentioned and in his own way, he created a mini industry and reputation for classic car restoration in the West of the Province. He was a talented engineer but also an authority on old vehicles and used his knowledge to rebuild some of the best ‘nut and bolt restorations’ in the North.
With friends he would scour the Country in the 6O’s and 70’s buying abandoned old military vehicles and wrecks, bringing them home to Jail Square and then bringing them back to life. He will be best remembered in Omagh for driving around in old American Military vehicles including Jeeps and a very rare Dodge command car and he was ahead of his time in recognising the value of saving these historical vehicles.
For twenty years he drove the countryside in his beloved 1953 black MGTD and would never miss a local classic car show. With his late wife Kathy, he drove through the towns and countryside raising a smile from the public particularly with their loving dog Ben sitting on Kathy’s knee and looking over the door of the car.
When Kathy recently died, a light went out in Nick’s eyes but they are now together again. Nick Murray is remembered by many as a gifted artist, a talented mechanic and restorer and a true friend. The classic cars he leaves behind are a lasting true legacy of his life’s work and will stand the test of time.
He restored cars for many local and distant collectors, gave advice to many, helped many and made lasting friendships throughout the world of classic cars. If you wanted to know anything about MG’s you had to see Nick Murray and he was always there to help.
The thoughts of all his friends are with his two beloved daughters at this sad time but his memory will live on in the quality of the restorations he completed over the last 50 years and when people ask ‘who restored that car for you?’, the answer will often be…
‘Nick Murray of Omagh built it’
‘Wow, he did a fantastic job.’
From Philip Faithfull and all his friends and colleagues.
Harley Ate My Gearknob!
In December 2010 I was persuaded to take in a 10-week-old Beagle from the local dog pound; an unwanted Christmas present that needed a new home.
This new addition to a house, already containing two cats who hate each other, created its own form of absolute chaos. The dog was quickly named Harley, after the motorbike, and Harley the Beagle Harrier soon began to take over the house.
In the first few weeks of living with us Harley ate furniture, skirting boards, supposedly indestructible toys, and produced enough waste to make me wonder if someone was delivering ‘take out’ food to him during the night, particularly of the extremely smelly curry variety.
Anyway, that sort of sets the scene for Harley’s arrival and the next few months saw the tiny pup grow into a 30 kilogram muscle bound monster who had to be walked by my wife or myself four miles every day. It’s a great way to lose weight, and sometimes friends, but we are lucky to live in the countryside with some great long walks only a few miles from home.
Harley loves the car and I made the mistake of commenting to my wife Hazel, that Harley was always on his best behaviour when travelling in the car. Famous last words!!
Harley loves travelling in my wife’s 2002 Garnet Red MX-5 Montana – a great car that we have put over 125,000 miles on in nine years of ownership.
It was a lovely day in August when I put Harley into the passenger seat, strapped him in and prepared for a four-mile hike in the mountains. Then I got called over by my next-door neighbour and had to leave Harley for exactly three minutes alone in the car. No problem. He had never posed a threat to the MX-5 before. Why would today be any different?
It was! Looking through the front windscreen Harley had disappeared from his usual position beside the steering wheel. I approached the MX-5 with an increased sense of dread and trepidation. Had he escaped or was he simply lying down on the passenger seat bored of waiting to get into the starting blocks for his walk?
No… I could see as I slowly looked in through the window that Harley had decided that the beautiful brown wooden Nardi Torino gear knob was ripe for destruction and was at exactly the right height to fit exactly into his mouth and was an excellent teething toy for dogs.
I opened the door, almost started to cry, and watched Harley’s big brown eyes look away from me as if to say… ‘I know something’s wrong but I’m not exactly sure what the problem is here.’
The gear knob was a mass of splintered wood gauged out by huge teeth marks, part of it already swallowed and the rest lying forlornly on the floor of the car. I could have said more but my only relief was that he had not the time to eat the wooden steering wheel and handbrake handle.
Anyway, off we went in silence for the four-mile walk with me having dark thoughts about taking him off the lead, hiding behind some trees and running to the car before he missed me!
To cut a long story short I checked eBay and found a Nardi gear knob for sale on there. I bid and bought it for £35, as new.
Harley loves the MX-5 with the window down or the roof off, ears flapping in the wind.
We also have 20th anniversary MX-5 model in red, white and blue. Will he ever get into it? Only if he learns to open the door himself!!
By the way, Harley ate the mud flap off my 1986 mint Opel Manta last week. One year on, would I change him? Not a chance.
If you are visiting Northern Ireland why not visit Harley and the Abingdon Collection in Omagh, Co. Tyrone. Check out www.theabingdoncollection.com or telephone 028 8224 3373.
By Philip Faithfull from Northern Ireland.
Reprinted with permission from Soft Top Hardtop, the MX-5 OWNERS CLUB magazine.
See the original Harley Ate My Gear Knob article or visit the MX-5 Owners Club website.
