The strangest thing......

Thursday started as one of those misty, cold mornings when Jack Frost's icy tendrils reached out to cover even the hardiest of the surviving plants and cover them with minute crystals of ice, transforming the landscape once again into a mirror image of winter.

By 10am a wan sun was doing it's best to brighten things up and by 11 had succeeded, the mist dissipating almost as quickly as it had come, as once again the river and it's inhabitants delighted in the light and warmth and started to go about their day.

The river is tidal and today it was on it's way out when I finally reached the sea-wall to walk Harvey & Jada, two of my more energetic clients!

Harvey is a yellow Labrador and I've been looking after him since he was a puppy.  In that time he's grown from a cute, loveable pup into a handsome, loveable rogue.

 At 21 months he's filled with boundless energy and thinks everything in the world has been put there specifically for him to play with.  

He doesn't mind if it's animal, vegetable or mineral and will go to extraordinary lengths to convince one and all that he has to be their friend.  

Jada is a brindle and white Staffie who can run rings round Harvey  (literally) and now has him very firmly in the palm of her paw.  She's a year or so older and reminds me of a Sherman tank on legs.  Like all Staffies she's pure muscle with a surprising turn of speed  when she wants to run - which is often.  She, like Harvey, has the sweetest nature and watching them play together is the highlight of my day.

 On their own, they're confident and happy but together they're unstoppable and  live with perpetual grins on their faces.  Even the most gloomy day is brightened by their infectious happiness and joy for life

Anyway back to Thursday..........we started our walk, turning left at the Yacht Club, through the gate and onto the seawall.  It's a perfect place to walk dogs, far away from the nearest roads, bordered on one side by the river and the other by fields and they can run as far as they want to, which they do with the greatest enthusiasm.

The sun was hot and the dogs were beginning to slow down when I first heard the sound of the geese.   Barnacle Geese have over-wintered on the fens this year and spend much of their time grazing in the fields, but today the whole flock - probably a couple of hundred - were all out on the water.  It's a recent development that we've had this particular goose here in East Anglia and they've a very distinctive bickering sound.

Today however, there was something clearly holding their interest and
I stopped to watch, sitting idly on the river bank with a dog either side, all of us glad to take a breath.



The river is actually quite broad at this point and the gulls were wheeling overhead, their raucous cries in sharp competition to the geese as they soared above us, swooping down almost to the riverbed and then back up again, the sunlight glinting sharply on the droplets of water from their beaks.  A short way out a grey heron was standing watching the water intently and a couple of young cormorants were sitting on the jetty, a favourite resting place of theirs, wings outstretched, as the morning sun dried them.

Jada, who having given up on the 'sitting still' experiment (well she had for at least two minutes) was now mooching near the waters edge and had evidently found something to relieve her boredom. She looked up expectantly as I wandered down for a look and found her pawing a mussel which she had found on one of the now exposed rocks.  Much to her obvious delight it was open and she was evidently trying to extract it, having no luck she carefully picked it up, and then took it back to Harvey to show him.  Not particularly interested he feigned a glance in her direction and then went back to 'goose watching', whereby she promptly dropped it and rolled on it, a particularly self-satisfied look on her face.

Anyway the upshot of all this was that a large number of mussels had been left as the tide had gone out and the gulls were making the most of it, picking the molluscs up and then dropping them onto the rocks below whereby they had opened and were providing quite the feast.

All life was on the riverbank that day and I mused once again how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful and unspoiled area.



          

Missing......

A neighbour called this evening to tell me that her 17yr old tortishell cat, Tilly, was missing. She had gone out in the early hours of yesterday morning and not come home.
NB: Tilly has been found safe and well a couple of roads away from her home

It doesn't take much of a leap of imagination to know what she was thinking, but dare not say, and as I sat there trying to console her I found myself remembering when Jax, in his youth, had done the exact same thing and how devastated I had been.
Backing onto fields, and hearing the foxes call at night, it's difficult not to think the worst.

I was lucky, Jax came home - eventually - after four days and three sleepless nights, there was a thud on the fence and there he was, as large as life and twice as beautiful. If I'd bet myself it was the first and last time, I would have been wrong.
Despite being neutered he's always had a penchant for being out at night when he can get away with it (which isn't often).....but sometimes he manages to slip past me and he's gone, disappearing like a shadow into the night.

For the most part he's come home again around 4am, yelling outside the bedroom window, demanding to be let  in, his joy at being home, compounded only by my own, that this time, he's safe.

Jet & Fudge wake, sleepily eyeing us up and down, rumbles of contented purrs echo in the quiet kitchen as Jax once again proves that he's far wiser than I, after all what other fool would be at his behest so willingly.  As I give him a few biscuits and turn out the light to go back to bed for what's left of the night, I turn and watch him settle down on the top of the scratching post, like a king surveying his kingdom and know that all's well with my world again - until the next time........

The Collie Clan

Of course no blog would be complete without sharing some of my regular dog clients with you, in this instance Finn, Kyah and Merlin, and three more beautiful collies it would be hard to find.

My first visit to meet the Clan went well, at least both their owner and I thought so; we sat and chatted for a while and then took the dogs on a  favourite walk and all was well with the world.

It was duly arranged that I would make the first of my solo visits to them the following Monday.





Of the three dogs, Merlin, the youngest had also been the friendliest at our first meeting and I had no reason to suppose that anything would be different this time round, that was until I opened the door..............

Finn was happy to see me and Kyah, the more timid of the three barely cast a glance in my direction as I walked into the kitchen.  Of Merlin however, there was no sign, just muttered grumblings coming from somewhere in the vicinity of the dining room.

'Hello' I finally, found him under the table and sank down on my haunches for a better look.  Troubled eyes glared at me balefully as he examined me from his position and the grumblings went up a notch.

'How about a treat?' and I proffered a dog biscuit, which I had been reliably informed, no dog could resist (and which incidentally no dog walker worth their salt should ever be without) only to be met with a look of complete disdain as he contemplated a leaf on the carpet which he obviously found far more interesting, thereby leaving me in no doubt that I needed to up the anti if I were to befriend him this side of Christmas.

Back in the kitchen I surveyed the treats that their owner had left out and chose a particularly enticing one that he obviously couldn't refuse.  Or could he?

Two minutes later, and yes he could.

Finn of course hadn't gotten to a ripe old age without a bit of cunning thrown in here and there and what better to practice on than a strange human, who to date, hadn't actually done anything more interesting than sit on the floor for the better part of ten minutes, talking to a dog who patently didn't want anything to do with her.  Wisely he waited until Merlin's grumblings had reached a certain pitch and then he walked purposefully in between us and lay down.

I like to think he came to help me but in reality he came to help himself to the treat that was clearly going begging and which he enjoyed with a twinkle in his eye.

Post note:  Merlin is now, it has to be said, my best friend, who welcomes me with happy barks and who loves nothing more than cuddling up to me when I sit on the floor with them;  him on one side and Kyah on the other.

And Finn - well Finn has pole position on the treats - who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks!

Spring is just around the corner

Mum says not everyone can wear green!

The first of the lambs have been born!

   

Most of them have little knitted coats and/or are being kept in the barns at the moment

What a time too, night time temperatures have dropped to -10

and even the days were bitterly cold less than two weeks ago.

  And now, well Thursday was the warmest yet, up to 17 degrees, sunny and bright.

 Nature has finally decided to call time on winter and the first of the daffodils and snowdrops are out. As for the blossom I don't think I've ever seen them in full bloom quite this early in the year, but another frost will almost certainly wreak havoc on them.

A week in the snow..........

A week on and the snow is still laying in the fields at the back of the house but for the first time in days the temperature has finally risen to1 degree.

Birds have had a really hard time with the ground frozen and with food scarce, if not impossible to find, each day has become a battle to survive.

Like many other people I've put fat and suet out for them along with bird nuts and seed and of course replenished the water for them on an almost hourly basis during the worst of the weather.

The feeders have attracted a number of birds that I wouldn't normally have seen at such close quarters, all eager to replenish their stocks.  Sadly many of their number will have perished but those that remain are feeding as quickly as I can replace it.

Further down on the river the swans are looking less confused as the hard ice, that for the last ten days, has blanketed their world has recently started to thaw and there is movement once again on their patch of water.

Each morning and evening for the last couple of days I have seen them flying in and out at roosting time, their powerful wings the only sound - who can fail to be moved by the sight. 

                                               

Whilst winter to some means hardship, to others of course it's a time to be enjoyed, normal mundane walks become a source of adventure as well-known paths merge into one another and once leafy hollows are filled with the dark, throaty bark of dogs as they find new energy, their constant enjoyment and fascination with this brief spell of  winter,  mingle with the annoyed chatter of squirrels as they search for food.

Snow

Nature Reserve

The beginning of the year can be hard and unforgiving, but this year so far, has been the exception rather than the rule, until now, when subsequent weather forecasts seem to be predicting a bitterly cold month ahead with sub-zero temperatures.

Despite this the foxes were in fine voice last night, in sharp contrast to the stillness around them.

December to February is the breeding season when they are at their most vocal and this year is no exception, they can be heard calling and squabbling amongst themselves at various times throughout the night, often some distance away when their high-pitched cries can sound almost eerie.


Fox gestation period is 52 days and cubs, numbering 4 to 5 are born in March or April.

I'm lucky enough to live backing onto a small nature reserve where fox numbers are healthy and growing year on year.  It's true that many are becoming less wary of human contact and one is bolder and more curious than the rest.  Almost certainly it's one of last year's cubs, in peak condition, with a wonderful red coat and bushy tail and amber eyes that glow like the coals of a fire.