We had light but steady rain almost all day today. I felt positively bobbish when I went out into the drizzle first thing – I could have a lazy hour or two with a podcast and my knitting with a clear conscience and, even better, the rain would soften up the soil for resumed weeding efforts another day. Win-win.
I donned the wellies and Ishbel’s school parka for the big morning dog walk and we toured the rape fields and inspected the little woods. Lyra startled a hare in the field on the way back. This is the fourth I’ve seen recently. It must be the season. I love hares. There’s something wild and angular about them, much more exciting than rabbits. Driving on the back roads at night you sometimes get a hare in front of the car. They will try to outrun it, rather than run out of the way. Even if you stop, they just sit in front of the car waiting for you to start again so they can outrun you. I have seen us crawling along the Birgham road behind a hare honking and flashing to no avail. You have to admire their chutzpah.
As we arrived back home the cows were all clustered by the stile. I hung on to Lyra on a short lead and we were rewarded by two of the cows coming to be petted and given a few cow nuts. One of them licked Lyra’s nose and the other had a good old sniff. Lyra was exceedingly good. This rather lulled me into a false sense of security and later on when I was taking her out to play for a bit she was off and into the field before I could get the lead on. Having decided the cows are her new besties, she wanted to play. I was over that fence like a lurcher after a rabbit and an excellent game of human chasing dog chasing cows ensued. The cows were a bit spooked, but once I had captured Lyra I made her lie down and they all came over to have a sniff. Three of them (Catriona the 23rd, Kylie and the Hairy Kipper (provisional name pending approval)) were quite enthusiastic, but Shuna Spurtle is exuding disapproval. Keith, who ensures that the dog is out of the way when he ventures forth amongst the ladies, is enhancing his status as family cow whisperer.
After the dog catchathon I found myself accidentally eating the last two biscuits in the box. Feeling guilty, I set to and baked up a batch of oat biscuits. You have to hand it to Katie Stewart, her biscuit recipes always deliver a good 30 plus, none of that nincy nancy, “makes 10” nonsense. Judy has since confirmed that they go nicely with gin so that’s us sorted….
Live from Ruthven 