Come rain, come wind, come sunshine

The dog walk must get through….

Yesterday started rainy, so I donned the wellies and we marched forth. As I was mulling over various plots and plans for indoor things I would be getting on with when I got back, the sun sneaked out. By the time we got to Butterlaw corner it was steamy and hot inside the parka. To add insult to injury, I had a migratory left wellie sock. (There’s always one, spoiling it for everyone…and once they get a taste of freedom there is no stopping them.) Undeterred we marched on resolutely ignoring the unasked for left instep support…

Today we had gale force winds. I eschewed the parka but tried the zip up cardi. Again the sun sneaked out and I sweltered (but retained complete sock control thankfully). I have concluded that what I urgently need is a thin waistcoat with a collar (to avoid weeders sunburn), four pockets – two large (glasses, phone, dogtreats, cow treats). If there is ever a non-sunny day all other projects need to be deferred and this given TOP priority.

Another hare spotted on today’s walk, just sitting in the middle of the road (but too far away to get any focus). The ferns are almost fully out now, cow parsley is flowering and there are tight buds forming on the meadowsweet. I noticed a lot of birdsfoot trefoil and wild strawberry plants in the Butterlaw verges. Closer to home, where the cows have been cropping the grass the cat’s eyes (speedwell) has thickened up nicely. Looking at it closely you can see that it must be of the veronica family as there’s a distinct resemblance to one in my garden. The grass in the lesser travelled verges is now dog high, as are the nettles. The stinging variety are hiding in along the dead nettles to catch the unwary photographer. (By way of fact for the day, it is formic acid that gives the sting, named for ants. Latin for ants is formica – which fact may make you forever look at worktops in rather a new light.) According to dandelion time, it is now too late to stop next year’s seed o’ clock. Ah well…

Lyra’s sitting for photo opportunities and coming back rather than disappearing training is going much better for having adopted Raymond’s sage advice to eschew tripe sticks in place of softer treats (I have tried cheese and grilled and chopped up black pudding so far). Apparently crunching breaks concentration. So a word of advice for anyone out there struggling with their ground breaking first novel – dump the crisps and move on to fingers of fudge. (No need to thank me now but my middle name is Iona if you need it for the dedication).