Small certainties
- 7 this morning. The sort of weather that has both dog and dogs companion walking briskly along. Angus finds it intriguing that the piercing wind blows in his face when he walks up the beach and again when he walks in the opposite direction down it. This morning joggers are ignored but a group of serious student runners are chased. Instead of stopping to play with her they speed up and carry on running. Sophie stands and looks as they disappear into the distance. This is not the the response she expected. Disappointment is writ large on her face. Archie the arthritic labrador is greeted. His tail wags - slowly. He's enjoying himself but I'm not sure how many more days Archie will be out walking on the beach. The PONettes days centre around such small certainties and routines .
On our way back along the track to the house we meet one of he local vets and his wife. She's a doctor. They marvel at Sophie's coat. Sophie greets their Collie calmly . This is surprising . Silent restraint is not always the family divas approach when meeting new dogs.
The Collie heads off to be replaced by a local farmer and his cocker spaniel. He informs me - apropos of nothing - that great care should be taken when feeding pigs - they have very sharp teeth. Sophie stops for a lengthy drink from a frozen puddle. To get to the water she has to stand on the ice so that it cracks. The air is so cold and clear this morning that we can see the wind farm that's being built far out at sea. I'm beginning to think that the super smart Los Angeleans might be right about the end of month 'cold bomb' that they've been forecasting.Five months since we left France. How time flies. The joiner has now started work on the bookcases. Installation is expected next month. The conservatory designers are drawing up plans for a garden room for 'The Font' that will be built looking out onto the sea. They may ( or may not ) try to install it at the same time as they're working on the house. Drainage run off is proving to be more complicated than you might imagine. The kitchen makers have started to build the new cabinets. They say they'll work 'around' the folks building the conservatory but this sounds - to me - like a recipe for disaster. The plumber remains resolutely incommunicado. The new term has started so car parking is once again a nightmare.
12 comments:
Hari OM
My, but that puddle appears to be full of 'nutrients' of the mineral kind. That's the slant I am giving that ***brown colour. YAM xx
It's so true what you say about "small certainties and routines." Charlie's evening walk in particular is bound by routines - down the hill, turn left on the street where the cat eats his dinner, visit the sweet shop for a treat, stop at the fish shop for another treat on the way back home, etc. It makes me wonder what his routines will look like six months from now, but seeing how Sophie has flourished in her new environment gives me confidence he'll find them. I'm feeling very proud of myself this evening, as I have (at least I think I have) successfully applied for French import permits for our two parrots. I had been attempting to work with an agent that supposedly helps with such things, but as they haven't responded to my last three or four requests for a status update, I decided to take the bull by the horns. Six months from now, I will look back on this as either a moment of triumph or . . . something completely different.
Yamini - We hope it's only good Scottish mud.
Lisa in Tokyo - Well done for obtaining the necessary permits. We found moving Sophie back from France to the UK was a straightforward experience although we worried about it ahead of time. Just remember to have all the documentation ready and where necessary stamped ahead of getting on the plane. In six months time you'll be happily complaining about being sold baguettes that are an hour out of the oven !
Love the last photo of Sophie drinking from the puddle. Like Yamini, I wondered about the contents, it looks what I'd call "brackish".
I hope Indy doesn't get to read Lisa's details of Charlie's evening walk - she doesn't get to go anywhere near places that offer treats!
The student runners should engage Sophie to coach an increase in speed. Nice thanks for taking us along.
I'm looking so forward to pictures of the renovations once they are in full swing. A garden room with views of the sea sounds dreamy.
I love all your pics of the seashore, the detail in the rocks & grasses is amazing.
Wendy (Wales)
Hope the renovations go smoothly. Just wondering if windows so close to windy seas need treatment. Some places near our coast need replacing sooner than inland ones. Apparently the salt spray etc pits the windows.
My Joey...rescued WFT at 13, now 16+, has an internal clock in his tummy. Sleeping on the couch with us as we watch a movie, at 10 pm precisely he awakens, jumps off the couch, and is ready to go outside for his bedtime walk and treats. Though he's not a sheepdog, he's clearly into herding us to that end. Sophie would approve.
As I recall, Sophie wants nothing to do with dogs in France. Now she seems to be a social butterfly. Perhaps it's a language thing?
Rottrover - It may be that she's seeing so many dogs here in comparison with the small number of pooches in the small French village. I still wouldn't say she's a social butterfly - she remains highly selective in who she'll play with.
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