Tuesday, October 11, 2022

A remarkable pace.


On our way home from the broccoli field a hare hurtles out of a depression in the ground in front of us. This interruption to our routine takes a little time to register but then the family diva is into head back, full throated pursuit. The hare goes left up the hill ; Sophie charges straight on. She then turns right at the field boundary, crosses the farm track, skirts the potato barn and heads off into the sea facing field where the bales of hay have been lined up. The family diva  maintains a  pace that is remarkable for a lady of a certain age with two titanium knee joints. Her companion struggles to keep up.  Our walk becomes a high(ish) speed pursuit - although pursuit implies we've gone in the same direction as our prey. Sophie might be light on hunting skills but she has a steely determination that neither age nor infirmity will stop her enjoying life. I finally catch up with her. She exudes happiness of the sort that screams out ' Now that was a good start to a day !'

Back at home Sophie, paws and legs covered in twigs, finds a soft spot on a carpet. A major grooming lies in store. There she opts for a full on doze. Not even the promise of croissant ends will rouse her.


Angus heads into town. The university chapel door is open despite the student lite early hour. Someone is practising Bach on the organ. I sit in an empty pew and enjoy a full five minutes of  the impromptu recital ... and the warmth. 


Overnight a marquee with a gas heater has appeared near our usual parking spot. One legacy of last years Covid epidemic is that the roads have been narrowed and pavements widened to accommodate outside seating. This new addition to the townscape seems a sensible response particularly as the forecast for the rest of the week is cold. 4 degrees likely tomorrow morning. That's ungodly. I'm all for heated marquees.


This is what was being played on the organ this morning. Bach can be sombre but this was quite jaunty :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xQdHu3sQtU


8 comments:

Lisa in France said...

I wonder who is opening the chapel door so early in the morning. It's really nice to see how much Sophie is enjoying her new life, hares and pigs and all. Charlie has recently discovered his first cat, and he seems genuinely perplexed as to whether he wants to play with it or chase it. The cat is a tough old guy who makes it very clear he has no interest in playing and no fear of being chased. But still every night we must walk down the little alleyway the cat inhabits so that Charlie may again consider this existential question.

WFT Nobby said...

Do we know if anyone is opening the church door back in the village in France profonde?
Nobby has yet to encounter a hare. He's currently recovering from an impromptu swim in the Dee. He tried following a spaniel whose owner threw a ball in the river. My reckless wee pup jumped straight off the the bank and into the river and, finding it deeper, faster flowing and colder than anticipated, did a rapid about turn and struggled out onto dry land. I'm hoping he'll have learned a lesson...
Cheers, Gail.

Coppa's girl said...

Here it's a comfortable 21ÂșC with a much-needed deluge, the roads are awash, and the valley below and beyond is lost in the murk. No walk for us yet, we'll wait until the rain stops and it's drying up underfoot. We can be certain that our walk will not be as exciting as Sophie's - as far as I know there are no hares in the vicinity! Not that Inca is able to give chase to anything these days, the wildlife including the garden cats, are all quite safe.

Travel said...

Sounds like a great start to the day for all involved.

Jake of Florida said...

What a fun off- leash time the lady is having!

rottrover said...

4 degrees?? Oh my...Miss Fluffy is in her double-coated element!

Anonymous said...

Lovely pictures as usual. We wondered if that was the man of two words in the first one.
Wendy (Wales)

Angus said...

Wendy ( Wales ) - Well spotted. That is indeed the man of two words. We don't say good morning now.