In The Pink

As I type there is a Blackbird building a nest right outside our living room window in the branch crotch of a small tree. I am delighted that we may have a view of the event from the comfort of our sofa but concerned as it is only at about 1.5m off the ground and in no way safe from cats, of which there are many in the area. I am loathed to disturb the building...I may have to fashion some kind of cat deterrent. I also hope that the noise that is bound to come from the dogs barking at some point does not disturb them too much. If anyone has any thoughts or advice I would be happy to hear it.

It is glorious outside today but a little too misty for photos. I took some macro shots, more for practice, and am quite pleased with the results but the two most beautiful photos I got are below. The first one dipicts a hot pup cooling off having run round like an idiot until he over heated and the second shows a pup taking a drink having been kept out of the cold river by me! I am happy for the pups to paddle and its great for cooling them off on hot days but Roxy pup likes to swim in deep water and as there is still frost on the ground and she takes hours to dry off properly she was retricted to a foot paddle for the sake of her health and aching limbs!

Well I am very happy to say this sun is shining and the birds are singing again this morning however I did not wake up in a fabulous mood! I had a trying afternoon yesterday and a bit of a wierd nights sleep culminating in a dream about my paternal grandmother who sadly died about 10 years ago now. Although it was lovely to spend some time with her again, albeit in a dream, I woke up feeling very sad. I have always really treasured time spent in dreams with people who are nolonger with us. It is as close to sharing time with them as you are going to get, but it can also unlock emotions either un dealt with or buried deep. Anyway, I refuse to let yesterdays events and last nights dreams impact on this day in a negative way and so with the help of two buckets of tea (bucket is only a slight exageration, I have a wonderful and huge breakfast mug) and a long walk outside in the fabulous company of the pups, the birds, the sunshine and the ever encroaching Spring I am sure I can shake...

Well the sun finally made an extended appearance today nicely timed for my day off! So I went out and about with the pups and soaked it up. Although many of the plants in the garden have sprouted new buds, leaves and flowers, it is still too early for the trees, but Spring is truly on it's way!

Well my weekend has started really well! Roxy made her entrance to our room at 7.00am which is quite a respectable time for her, it varies between 5.45am and 8.30am! The sound of the door opening is enough to wake me which gives me about 4 seconds to prepare myself for a lick across the face! Hiding doesn't help as her nose will seek you out! Buddy brings up the rear but is not a face licker, although he did lick the very tip of my nose for the first time the other day. My first dog Pink used to do that and I always thought it was a very sweet and delicate gesture. Roxy likes the full on swipe of the tongue! Buddy and Roxy used to live with a family with small children. I can imagine and have surmised given Roxy's love of being cuddled that she was cuddled a lot by the kids. We noticed when we got them though that in contrast to Roxy's love of a big hug Buddy did not like to be cuddled. I don't know whether the children tried to treat him in the same way and put him off...

Well its Monday morning again but this time things are a little different, Spring had begun! Just a few days of sunshine last week followed by a day of rain was all it took and the trees have begun to open their buds. Before we know it leaves will be popping out everywhere, except on the Ash trees for a while anyway. Ash are always one of the last trees to flush. I found this shot in my photo archives. I took it a few years back at our old house where we were lucky enough to have this almost clear view through to the horizon from our back garden. It makes me excited to see this shot, the sun warming the sky and the promise of a new day with unknown possibilities. I look forward to seeing what today brings.

I took the pups out early this morning, well early for a Saturday, and have been sitting at my PC since I got back with morning sunshine streaming through the window and birds singing loudly. It is a lovely start to the day. Mr Dancin is still asleep but he had a very late night and also has a busy day rehearsing with the band so I am leaving him to it. The dogs have now had breakfast and have gone back to bed for a while! Anyway, one of the things I did this morning was download the pictures I took while away visiting my parents last weekend. These were taken on a Sunday morning walk. In the image above Roxy's paw has just gone through the ice of the puddle! The other images are air trapped under the ice in some rather pretty patterns. I know the weather is still cold but all in all I don't think it has been a bad winter. I know the snow causes problems for people and we are not really prepared to deal with it here. In my parents village no gritting was done and the roads and ...

Click on image to enlarge.

Spring is in the air!!!! No really, I have detected the first wiffs of Spring, Summer is just a few short months away! I have really noticed the nights getting longer too as the early nights hamper me for work. I can now work outside until 5pm in some cases, dependant on the size of the trees I am looking at. Big trees are still silhouetted in poor light so many things could be missed during an inspection. Smaller trees and hedgerows can still be assessed.

I have just had the most lovely walk with the pups and there is a warm southerley wind which is welcome following the recent cold spell. Infact yesterday we had the mother of all frosts but today spring is in the air. I know this song by Nana Mouskouri but found this version on You Tube instead. Wishing everyone a warm southerly wind!