Crisp and uneven.
A thick frost this morning as we drive off for our morning walk . We try to go somewhere different every day now. It's not just the humans who are going lockdown crazy. We park on a grass verge at the top of a hill. Sophie stands impatiently at the back of the car while I put my gloves on. Her nose starts twitching as if it's developed a life of its own. The reason for her nasal gymnastics soon apparent. Down in the valley a large family of deer appear. She can smell them but seems to know they're too far away to chase. The deer seem unperturbed by our presence. One good thing about the pandemic is that large groups of hunters aren't out and about every day during the season. Local wildlife numbers have benefitted from their absence.
Satisfied her master is at long last dressed and ready Sophie heads off . Nose down. tail up. Scents everywhere. She pursues a zig zag , high speed, 'where to go next ?' path. Occasionally she stops, silently rooted in exploration of eau de wild boar. At this time in the morning the rising sun paints her fur golden. This , as always on mornings like this, makes me laugh out loud.
A fox is sighted but is deemed too far away to chase. For a span of thirty or so seconds, amid the concentration of deciding whether to pursue it, Sophie's tail falls into that ' I'm lost in the moment' position.
On our way back to the car I walk alone. My companion has hurtled off into the sunrise in pursuit of something only she can see. By the time I make it back to the car she's already there , wondering what on earth's taken me so long. On the way back home we listen to the French breakfast radio broadcast. The Washington correspondent is today explaining to an incredulous audience why Mr. My Pillow has been seen in the White House.
12 comments:
Have not read the blog yet as it is 10:24 pm here on Vancouver Island. You are my treat in the morning. I had a thought that all us readers could send letters emails etc to Volvo on your behalf. We would point out if we tell two friends about your bad experience and they tell two friends etc etc. We would gladly do this. Just give us some addresses or links please. Cheers. Shelagh
That is very kind and thoughtful of you. However, we're taking the view that a dog car is an irritant not life threatening. Angus sometimes gets annoyed by Volvo's Olympian lack of after sales service but that is, I'm afraid, 21st century life. We'll ask all blog readers to become activist letter writers when there's something unjust or unfair in the world at large that we can change.
That's a beautiful description of Sophie's morning walk, both in words and pictures.
Churches and cathedrals are being repurposed as vaccination centres all over the country, including Aberdeen. Using spacious and high ceilinged buildings seems eminently sensible. The country is now full of happy eighty-plus year olds, all busy phoning their younger friends, saying they had their jab and slightly smugly adding things like "well of course you will have to wait a month or two for yours as you are only sixty-two"!
Cheers! Gail.
Angus is always amazed that the twenty somethings who run and work at the soopa kool AI company in Hoxton are unconcerned about the pandemic. With an average employee age of 22 it's something annoying rather than life threatening. For those with a 6 in front of their age such insouciance is not shared.
Beautiful.
Angus, your photos this morning are exceptionally beautiful - what glorious scenery. I gasped out loud when I saw the first photo - with the frosty ground, low lying mist and the rising sun, it's a perfect image. What a wonderful place for a walk - who wouldn't be lost in the moment.
Beautiful photos today of the wide open spaces and Sophie's lost in the moment moment. I love LA, but that house is gross, kind of a monument to a certain lack of modesty (not to mention taste, style, etc., etc.).
Hari OM
The American palace-lust looms large in that property... I see that it is the last of its type though, as LA council sees a need to limit such things. There is something grotesque about such 'squanderance'. As a fan of Kevin Anderson and Grand Designs, the first of this year's offerings was a kind of equivalent (from none other than Traquair's own Justin Maxwell-Stewart)... by contrast, the modest budget and sheer Love of the second show was a salve! YAM xx
The house makes me long for the days when alpha male primacy was determined by who could pee farther. Now it's the number of zeros at the end of one's net worth or surface of one's home.
The acrobats are fantastic. I hope to see this show. Yes, very French. Reminds me of when I lived in Brussels and spent all my (little) free time dancing Argentine tango. A bunch of young people who worked in a circus were regulars, and boy were they amazing dancers.
Gorgeous light in the photos! Not a fan of the house. Reeks of new money.
Beautiful pictures of your walk this morning with Mlle. Sophie. Loved the tumblers :-)Their performance seemed a metaphor for the rebuilding of a certain government. Hopefully soaring after recent street fights.
I keep returning to look at the first picture, and shiver each time, as if I too am walking with Sophie. Glorious photos Angus!
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