Rainy days........

Yesterday was one of those days when the rain didn't stop and the cloud cover was firmly stuck overhead with not even a glimmer of light shining through.

Having said that Paddy (a Tibetan Terrier) and I firmly put all feet forward and trudged determinedly out onto the river bank for his afternoon walk.

Of course like any walk, it's what you make of it, and once out and dressed accordingly (well I was anyway) it really wasn't so bad.  Rainy days are great for having somewhere to yourself and we didn't see another soul from start to finish.....

By the time we'd covered half a mile along the top by the river, the rain was horizontal and gluttons for punishment though we are, it was actually beginning to impress upon both of us that perhaps it wasn't quite the wisest course of action to continue in the same vein.

Paddy was looking particularly sorry for himself as he squinted through the drizzle, walking just that bit faster towards the usual halfway point where we either turn into the farm track and walk back behind the animal enclosures or carry on round to the point where the speedboats live. Now certainty has always been Paddy's middle name and he's nothing if not tenacious but continuing on would have been nothing short of fool-hardy and Paddy is certainly not that. Besides which we were both of the same thought and practically jogged down the slope in our haste to get out of the worst of the weather, being wet of course meant it was slippery but with no one to see us what did it matter if we fell rather than ran down it!!!

Crossing to the side of the track we walked close to the bushes which provided some shelter from the driving rain and almost began to enjoy ourselves again when suddenly out of nowhere appeared two beautiful  foxes.

One was a lot darker than the other but they were both in fine condition and clearly intent on stalking a flock of pigeons that were gathered for a communal bath.  So immersed in the hunt were they that they passed within a stone's throw from where we were now standing, rooted to the spot.  Paddy moved not a muscle as he watched them creep nearer and I'm sure he let out the breath he was holding at almost exactly the same time that I did.  Whether it was our combined movement I'll never know but one of the foxes turned and saw us and then they were moving, running and jumping over the stockade fence, looking back only as they reached the river path and then they were gone.