It has been a while since I last put paw to keyboard. The thing is, I’ve been a bit busy. I have finally been able to go out on a slightly longer walk … and it has been fabuloso! I have missed out on so much over the last few months and it is going to take me ages and ages to catch up. I mean, WhatsYap is alright, but there is no better medium for communication than a jolly good sniff! It all started last weekend. There I was on Saturday morning, ready for my usual walk around Salisbury Road and Dewlands and low and behold we went the other way. Down the High Street we went and ended up popping into Café Connect. Don’t get me wrong, I quite like a visit to Café Connect because I usually get some serious attention which is rather nice, but it isn’t that interesting because it is full of humans doing human things. I did see the lovely Angela and a few others of my friends before we left, so that was nice. We passed Angela’s house on the way to Café Connect but I didn’t remember where we were until too late, so I didn’t leave her a present on this occasion. Anyway, as we left Café Connect I was all prepared to wander back up the High Street but no … we turned right! (Apparently he prefers to turn left on aeroplanes and things like that, but I don’t really understand all that.) We began to walk along Bay Pond path.
It has been months since I have walked along Bay Pond path and boy oh boy was there a lot to take in! I have so much to sniff and there is just so much information there. In fact, I’m pretty sure that there is more information on Bay Pond path than in the whole of Fidopedia! And let’s face it, it is far more likely to be accurate. Now, I have to be honest, the weather wasn’t all that great and that meant that I did get quite muddy and damp, but what do I care? I was out, having a good time! As is usual, he was grumbling about the weather and getting wet, but I just ignored him. We carried on up Bay Path and into Church Lane and then into Green Lane. I haven’t been down Green Lane for what seems like years. Obviously I had to pull him along because he wasn’t walking fast enough but I don’t care – he says I pull like a freight train when I want to, so pulling him along was no problem! I should say, at this juncture, that Richard was with us too. He has been at home a lot more recently. I’m not entirely sure, but I think he has left his old job and is doing something new with him. (Now Richard will find out just what I have to put up with all the time!) Anyway, off we went down Green Lane. It was quite muddy down there too so I managed to try and drag him through most of it. He was grumbling about it being quite slippery too but I had no problem getting traction and, frankly, if I can do it so can he.
I had forgotten just how good it is to do a longer walk. It was so nice and, although I was a bit cream cracked by the time I got home, I really enjoyed myself. I did manage a rather fantastic poo in Church Lane too. He says that it is a good job it is almost winter and everyone had their windows shut but I think he was just jealous! I don’t recall if I have ever mentioned this before, but he isn’t very bright … not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree, if you get my gist. Well, he had only gone and forgotten almost everything I had taught him! I mean, why did he not remember that when we got out for a walk and I am particularly good, I get a treat. I had to practically tell him that I needed a treat! Totally unacceptable behaviour, in my view. Apart from his total inability to remember that I deserve treats most of the time, it wasn’t too bad a walk. When we got home I was definitely a bit cream cracker so I had to lay down and push out quite a lot of ????s! The rest of Saturday passed virtually without incident. He decided he was going to invite some friends for dinner so he got out about a hundred cookery books but he couldn’t decide on what to cook. In the end nobody was invited and they had steak and salad instead. I got nothing! Sometimes I really do wonder whether I ended up in the right place. I must have been very naughty in a past life or something to have had the misfortune to end up with him.
On Sunday the weather was more inclement. I did get to go out for another walk up Bay Pond path and Church Lane but they decided that it was too wet to walk down Green Lane so we walked all the way to the end of Church Lane and down the Eastbourne Road. It was great! I did have to keep telling Richard to keep up … I don’t think he is quite up to speed (do you get the pun?!) on how I like to walk yet. The really good news is that we have been out for a decent walk every day since then! I have tried to drag him up Hilly Fields a few times, but he says that is a bit too long at the moment and he won’t go up there. We’ll see who wins that battle of wills! Walking aside, there are signs that the house might be finished sometime soon! Simon has been back and fitted the doors to the lounge which are spectacular! I had a jolly good bark at him just like in the old days. That was fun. Then Simon left and my friend Simon (who is married to my Auntie Zena and is my friend Jake’s dad) came and started decorating the lounge. It is beginning to take shape and I’m thinking that the colour is pretty good so I like that. It is also wipe clean paint which he seems to think is important and in some way he relates that to me! I think the new carpet is being fitted next Friday, so by Christmas we should be pretty much back to normal (whatever normal is). I’m not sure that this affects me that much but they seem pretty pleased, so I guess that is good.
I do love a good roll about in the grass and I was delighted, whilst out on one of my walks, to discover some really good long wet grass. I lay down and had a jolly good roll around in it and found it quite hilarious that he not only did not think it was funny but moaned ridiculously when I finally got up and shook off all the wet over him. Mind you, he always seems to be moaning about something and often it seems it is related to me. Take the other evening, there I was laying beside him in the dining room (we haven’t been able to get into the lounge since the decorating started), minding my own business and dreaming of chasing rabbits, when I let a very tiny bottom burp escape. Moan! You wouldn’t believe the fuss he made. Complaining it would ruin his dinner, grumbling about disgusting smells, moaning that he wasn’t told about “this” when he met me. Anyone would think someone had let off a stink bomb or something … although now that I come to think about it, it was quite pungent. Anyway, a dog has to do what a dog has to do and I don’t mind the aroma so I don’t care. It was just another opportunity for him to moan about something. I have noticed that this is a trait amongst some humans – they moan about the smallest thing … a little bottom burp, a two bagger steaming on the pavement, treading in a bit of poo that someone has failed to pick up … honestly, they do moan – or, at least, he does!
The bad weather did leave one rather pleasing result … puddles! Now, for those that are not aware, one has to walk through puddles, it’s the law. It is also a requirement that one must drink from muddy puddles and that we dogs prefer puddle water to fresh clean water. There were quite a few puddles as we walked around which was awfully good because I was able to walk through every one of them and drink from quite a few. I noticed some fresh piles of horse manure too but he wouldn’t let me eat them! Anyway, I rather enjoyed my walks after the rain had passed through, although I don’t really mind the walks when it is raining. On Thursday he had to go and see my Auntie Jo in Market Harborough so I had to take Richard out for a walk and show him how it is done. It was pouring with rain when he left so I decided that was a good time to go for a walk. As he disappeared in that car thing of his, he says he could see me in his rear view mirror dragging Richard down the road in the rain getting soaked by the rain and splashed by the lorries. Ahh! Happy days! When he eventually came back in the evening – he was gone a very long time which he claims was because he spent 7 hours in the car (he blames that on the M25!) as well as visiting Auntie Jo and Grandma – he did have some very good news … both Grandma and Auntie Jo are coming for Christmas! I’m really looking forward to spending some quality time with them and, according to Fidopedia, Christmas is not that far away now!
Today it is cold outside. Frankly, that doesn’t bother me but he moaned that it was cold when we went out for a walk this morning. He had a coat (clearly not as good as mine!), a hat, a scarf and gloves on, so I don’t know why he was cold. There was ice on Bay Pond and lots and lots of white around which he says is called frost. Anyway, we had a lovely walk and I decided that I wouldn’t pull him too much because the ground was quite slippery in some places (I don’t know why yet). When we got back there was more good news – I am going to be going back to see my personal therapists Katie and Emily soon! I have an appointment and, as long as they don’t have to cancel (apparently they are getting the builders in – I don’t think they are the same ones as we have had, but I can tell them a thing or two about builders!) then I will see them before Christmas which is really exciting! Anyway, enough of all this typing, it is making my paws ache. I have been asked a couple of times recently if I have an Instapound account – I don’t, but I may look into it. When I met Richard’s college friend, Gary, earlier in the week he said that he follows a dog in America on Instagram. Mind you, he let this slip just after he had asked why a dog would get nearly 2,000 followers on his blog. Umm, excuse me! I am the most handsome, intelligentist, clever and totally lovable dog that every existed in dogdom … that’s why! That said, things to sniff so must paws … ????
Great that you are able to take longer walks Monty. You can start looking forward to Doggy Claws (see what I did there????) bringing you some special treats.