Monday, May 15, 2023

Not keen on sharing.


Two topics with the Manhattanites this morning. Turkish President Erdogan seems to be secure until the next elections and  Trump says General Mike Flynn will be his National Security Advisor if he's re-elected. One is expected the other leaves even the New Yorkers speechless.

5:00 am. The sun is up and there is some mist rolling in off the sea. We head out of the courtyard and down the track that leads to the coast.  Sophie watches a small herd of deer saunter through the barley field. She opts not to give chase but stands and glares at them to make it quite clear this is her territory. The deer seem unperturbed.... as in completely unperturbed.

Down on the beach the family diva  continues to exhibit a surprising enthusiasm for water that she's hidden for the first decade and a bit of her life. She paddles, by my side, through the waves. We walk like this twenty minutes to the north and then twenty minutes back. 


We're the first customers at the Jaffa Cake cafe. The lady behind the counter is putting out fresh tulips on every table. She hurries inside when we arrive. With exams over and the students gone the cafe is finding the start of day footfall to be way down. 'The good news is that the golfers show up around seven with hearty appetites'. Sophie is still being unenthusiastic about kibbles but is very keen to share a bacon roll. In fact that's not true. She's not at all keen to share a bacon roll - she'd much prefer to have it all to herself.


On our way back to the car Sophie comes face to face with a large town gull. It's pulling weeds out of one of the old medieval staircases that front onto the street. The gull flies off squawking angrily. Sophie howls.  A man in a Belgian motor home sticks his head out of the drivers window to see what's going on.


In the house opposite the cinema the piles of essays that used to cover the table have gone. Some carnations have appeared.

So starts a Polish Lowland Sheepdogs Monday morning.

10 comments:

Coppa's girl said...

Does Sophie's enthusiasm for water include having a bath? Salt water makes a girl's fur sticky.
Good to know that the exam papers have been marked - and that the flowers have been changed - they look so cheerful.
I agree with Sophie - I'd prefer not to share a bacon roll either.

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
To be fair, Sophie was not exposed on a daily, possibly even monthly basis to the sea shore up till this past year, so who knows how she might have been, had the experience come earlier in life? Quite possibly, there is a mermaid deep inside her... YAM xx

WFT Nobby said...

Nobby and Gail both agree that bacon rolls are not for sharing.
Gail is remembering Sophie's failed efforts with the minnows in her former life, and wondering if she has ambitions to go sea fishing (or maybe just rock pooling).

Travel said...

Simple answer, order two rolls, at our age we shouldn't be denied simple pleasures.

Camille said...

Perhaps Miss Sophie should have the vet take a peek at her teeth. A tooth going south could be the reason for some reluctance in eating hard crunchy foods. Or maybe after all these years, the dear girl has put her paw down demanding more bacon rolls please and less kibble.

Pam in NH said...

Lola is also getting picky with food. We find that a tasty tidbit on it often gets her started. A sprinkle of bacon bits, or a pinch of shredded cheese, or a mini milk bone will do the trick. She starts with the goody and continues to finish the meal. If she skips breakfast, a goody will appear for dinner. Right now she wants to nap on my bed so she's insisting that I go upstairs to make it. I make it after coffee, before I shower. I have told her: coffee and Sophie first.

Diaday said...

As my dogs aged and became more particular with their food, I did the same as Pam in NH: add a splash of chicken or beef broth, a pinch of shredded cheese, or a spoonful of canned dog food. Is there a time when a girl of a certain age should get her own bacon roll? Thank you for a lovely start to mid-May's Monday.

Stephanie said...

The Wagner has indeed begun my day on a grand and dramatic note. The first picture of Sophie gazing toward the horizon has a haunting beauty.

Jake of Florida said...

I always love watching a musician play in addition to hearing the powerful music.

rottrover said...

A light dusting of Parmesan cheese over his breakfast gets Otto's breakfast motor to turn over.
That first photo could be a panting.
I cannot listen to that Wagner piece without flashing on Apocalypse Now.