The temperature is definitely dropping but there’s no danger of frost, so I grabbed the rose by the thorns and pruned the rose bushes this morning. That’s them put to bed now until they receive their wake-up call of top dressing and mulch early next spring. Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve always thought roses to be pretty and fragrant, never tasty, however the pup seemed keen to prove me wrong.
It’s a pleasant, dry day today so I then took the dogs for a walk. We’re fortunate enough to live in Snowdonia. Obtaining planning permission may be a pain when you live in a national park but the walks and scenery right on your doorstep more than make up for it. The field I normally exercise them in is currently occupied by eight Welsh Black cows and calves – not beasts to be trifled with – so this was the first time I’d taken the dogs out by myself on leads. Springer spaniels are notorious for pulling so Sami has a rather flash harness (see pic) that makes her look like a rescue dog (one who rescues as opposed to being rescued) and Megan has to wear a halti until she’s big enough for her own harness. Apart from when we were surprised by some hikers as we were trying to navigate the steepest stile, causing Megan to bark as she thinks the woods are for our sole private use, and Sami cutting her mouth, it was remarkably incident free. Just as well as the beef are here to stay for the next couple of weeks so many more such walks are on the agenda.
I only hope that Sami’s cut mouth wasn’t a bad omen for tonight. She’s named after Sami Hyypia – Liverpool FC defender and all-round hero – and we’ve got a crucial, must-win match in the UEFA Champions League tonight. Sami (dog) has been in the doghouse of late as Sami (footballer) has put the ball past his own keeper twice recently, hence our nervous tension.
P.S. Just seen the news article about the new hybrid domestic cat – the Ashera – which costs up to £14k and has a year long waiting list. It looks the spitting image of my 12 years old tortoiseshell which I adopted from the Cat’s Rescue, so save yourself some cash and head down to your local RSPCA instead. And yes, I’ve already been told I can’t have one.
