Christmas is a good time to reflect on the past year, this being the first year where we have been solely responsible to you, our members. We can afford to be upbeat, but not over confident.

Membership is well past the 100 barrier with our first three walks seeing record, or very near record, numbers of happy hounds and owners enjoying each others’ company.

The same applied to the fun day with all the committee taking up their tasks with enthusiasm assisted by kind volunteer members. My personal thanks go to the whole committee for their support and dedication over the year. Just think of the delight when we read Tony’s Lowdown or browse Derek’s web. I am always conscious of Frankie’s cheerful help and it is a pleasure to thank Thea (King) for taking care of this edition of Lowdown, when assistance was needed. I hope she enjoyed the experience and was not too stressed!

The midsummer picnic saw numbers drop, with quite a few unable to attend but those who went pronounced it very good, as evidenced by it being 9pm before the event broke up.

‘My personal thanks goes to the whole Committee for their support and dedication over the year’

Thankfully, the low attendance proved to be a one off, but it set me thinking whether we could improve our programme and in particular whether we would do better with a lively new chairman, with bright new ideas.

After much thought, I felt we could do no better than our tried and tested programme. We will perhaps tweak it when inspiration strikes, or when you, the members, make suggestions, which I assure you will be discussed at the next committee.

A number of you have the appetite for optional refreshment after walks. The Roebuck on the A22 is not more than a mile from the Broadstone/ Millbrook East (The Dumps) and Long car parks. It has spacious parking and serves coffee and snacks as well as lunch.

Enough of the serious stuff! We need to prepare for the fun, joy and stress of Christmas.

Great for children and grandchildren, but how marvellous is the peace when, finally, they cave in to the demands of sleep! Often there is one already out like a light sprawled over your favourite settee, covered in a tangle of your hounds.

If you are really fortunate your aptly named Aunt Dotty (the one who chose to wear black velvet and spent the whole evening carefully and deliberately removing dog hairs individually) will drop off peacefully. Thus leaving the rest of us to enjoy a leisurely wind-down with a night cap or two, without any feeling of guilt - how can people dress so thoughtlessly!

1. Speak to every person you see out with a basset and explain how much fun you give your hounds and yourselves by being part of our club. Ask them to look up the BHOC website and and come along to try a walk.

2. Help us by paying your 2015 subscription fairly promptly. The reward is a year of pleasure for your hounds.

3. Finally, from myself and on behalf of all the committee I wish you a very merry Christmas and a Bassetful New Year!