A rebel without a clue.

I'm looking at my snoring dog laid dreamily on my left hand side. We've returned from a penultimate walk before my flight on the 21st May. At nearly nine he is getting just too old for more than a few miles sniffing, peeing and trundling around the Wetherby District footpaths and bridleways. He'll come with me eagerly once I mention 'walk', bound along Braine Road and York Road looking back expectantly and he'll still demand, glancing back in my direction, we go where he likes best; leading the way towards the various paths we've traced over the years, but now, by the last home leg, Snoopy is really thinking of the treats he has in store once he arrives back at 42: a nice rub down with a warm towel, a twisty 'chewy' hide stick, a biscuit (various) and chilling/sleeping until dinner this afternoon: he has his zone on the seat - it is his and he'll always move any incumbent on from there with a nudge and a penetrating stare. I love him implicitly ...

What more do I need...except weather like today, birds chirping and geese chattering, snoops in the river fetching the whole breadth of the channel, the distant sounds of a prop plane, golfers striking clubs on balls, swallows diving over the calm shrinking waters, joggers...work, relationships and money perhaps? A thrush is my mothers garden searching for food, grubs in her hanging baskets and plant plots while snoops lays supine on his cream polyester throw and snoozes content after our 2 hour hike and swim(he swam). Snoops stretches and swallows. Leaning backwards as his breath settles into that sighing deep satisfied slumber. Some how that feeling has spread to me. On returning to the house I curled up next to the dog and dropped to sleep. Out for 2 hours. By 2:40 I'm in the garden still following the dogs singular example: lingering over sleep, but the choral tunes I hear prevent my drifting like an ancient man. Slightly irregular day. Off to Leeds 4:20. Bus has 4...

Well I am back...what a multiple journey. Not again for a while. It has really taken the wind out of my sails(I got into a warm bed at 00:23 and slept so snoringly soundly). Went for a short walk with Mister Dogg and played a while. He's so easy to reaquaint with. I've seen him once since May. Job interview tonight at Sant' Angelo hopefully I can say and do enough to fill a gap in their schedule up to and over the New Year. Fingers crossed. Need to cut my barnet fair tonight and have an early one. By tomorrow I won't be so knackered. Try boiling some sliced potatoes leaving to dry when they are just at the crumbly or breaking stage. add parsley, white wine vinegar, garlic. simple to accompany Sardines deep fried for a few minutes(salt pepper and a little flour). gobble and enjoy with a chilled Malvasia Like the very enjoyable Istrian variety produced by Vina Ritoša