Sleepy dogs, sleepy children and sleepy parents

Smudge, Primrose and Belle had their MRI scans today at 'The Downs  Veterinary Practice' in Bristol. We all set off this morning at 6.30am to get to Bristol at 8am to book them in and as its the school holidays my husband took the day off and we had loaded up our six children for the day out. We had looked at places to twiddle our thumbs whilst waiting to pick the dogs back up  (for the scan they are fully anesthetized , so need to recover from this before we can pick them up) and we thought that Blaise Castle Estate looked promising with a cafe open at 9 am so we could be a little extravagant and have a full English breakfast, we where not disappointed. Being owned by Bristol City Council and with free parking and a 650 acres estate with loads of paths and tracks to explore what was not to like. The weather even was conducive in making it an enjoyable day out for us, dry with just a little cut in the wind. Although how ruddy my face feels now maybe there was more cut in the wind than I realised. We got a cooked breakfast, eat slightly alfresco in the cafe by the main car park and then we embarked on a marathon walk with the only thing missing our dogs. It certainly was a place with a dog friendly vibe and if we had known that before hand we would of loaded up a couple more dogs to enjoy our long walk with us.
We started the walk at around 9.45 am and returned to the car at around 1pm by then I resembled a pack horse with our youngest and several coats discarded along the way strewn over me, our youngest is only four and she had only started to fail nearing the end. Any one who is taking a trip near Bristol and wants a place to have a good walk I seriously recommend a visit to Blaise Castle estate.
We rang the vets to find out if all okay and what sort of time the dogs would be ready and they told us, "around 2.30 pm," so just enough time to get lunch in.  We found a little place called 'Toby's Carvery' and refuelled the troops.
We then picked up Smudge, Primrose and Belle, still sleepy but recovered enough to go home. We travelled home with not a murmur from them or our children, with four of the children falling asleep on the trip back. We got home just after 4pm to a big welcome from the rest of the dogs, who this morning had been run out at 6am in torch light and then we had put them in a lovely area we have outside for the odd occasions they are left for more than an hour or so.
The area is four wooden stables that are rubber matted throughout with a bedding area in one for them and there is a corral area that runs infront of the stables and runs the length of the stables and is secure for dogs and concreted out fully.
Now its just a waiting game and will be awaiting Belle's result with the most interest and I suspect the British Veterinary Association (BVA) will view it with interest, as Downs vet practice do a lot of the MRI scanning on this scheme in the Southwest and this is the first crossbreed they have scanned on this scheme. I should get the results within a month but don't hold your breath, as last time it took just over four weeks for results. Timing of turnaround of results I have been told is about where your scanning falls, to when the board gets together monthly to go through scans on this scheme.
So just had supper and we have three very sleepy dogs and several sleepy children and the only downside of getting sleepy children you tend to end up with sleepy parents. Thankfully we don't get trick or treaters on Halloween but if any where brave enough to come out in the sticks down our dark lane tonight it might be like trying to raise the dead, in a couple hours time.Lol 
Photos tonight are of the sleepy trio of dogs and one with one of our sleepy children.