Snowdrops and tractors.

Monday, 10 Feb 25 4.2 km - 34.4 min - brisk walk in rain and sleet 

My weather thingy said it was +1ºC, but it didn't feel cold. Maybe it was me, maybe it was because there was hardly any wind. 

My favourite kind of rain - a thing film of drizzle, today mixed with a bit of tired snow. Almost like walking through a cold hammam room.

Snowdrops are out in force and there's a definite smell of Spring in the air. 

Belka, my lovely black dog, was running and sniffing around happily, and when there wqs the sound of a car coming quickly coming to stay by my side. 

A tractor followed by a yellow 'camionette' passed by, very fast. Okay, I thought, farmers are rushing to finish their Winter business. A few minutes later the same tractor came back. It had a cows' trailer with long tail gates open and flappibng about! I had to jump in the ditch to avoid being hit by them and waved at the guy in the yellow car. 'Is he mad?' 

The guy acknowledged with an apologetic nod and I heard him honking at his mate in the tractor. They stopped, presumably to fix the tailgates, it was already out of my sight. 

Belka had a big carrot for a treat and I had a long soak in the bath.

Snowdrops with a bit of snow -

Through the billowing mist of October

 

24:55 — 4.8 km (3 miles)

A brisk walk with Simon Jones through the billowing morning mist.

And a few brilliant ceps!

Belka had a whale of a time running around and sniffing out the trails left by the creatures of the night.  

First snowdrops.

22:52 — 4.8 km (3 miles)

Every year in our parts around the end Christmas, at Epiphany, first snowdrops come out.
These are at Le Pont d'Egrenne, South Manche.
Someone told me worryingly that they'd come out too early because of global warming.
But I've been checking for about fifteen years and every year it's about the same, mid-January.

Snowdrops 2019

Snowdrops 2019, ©A.Anichkin

Who runs who?

23.22 min - 4.8 km

The Guardian ran an advertorial by Zoe Williams on taking up running with a dog. While having lots of product placings and links to commercial sites, it has has a list of common problems when running with a dog — and a few helpful solutions. 

The piece opens with a convincing brief explanation of why joining forces with your pet makes such good sense.  

Milo Royds devised dog running as a concept for the dog, not the human. They just don’t get enough exercise walking along a path on a lead, however many hours they spend that way. I, conversely, started doing this for me: I don’t have enough air in the day to go running myself and walk Romeo. So running together should be a good fix; I just need to iron out a couple of things.

Cave canem.

Cave canem.
Mosaic in Pompeii,
photo by Greg Willis, 2002

22:49 min - 4.8 km (3 miles), cold biting on my cheeks

Grieving for Strelka.

Among other moving episodes, we remembered how beautiful he was barking and galloping to the gates with his mane waving.

Which in turn brought to memory the old sign that was on the gates of one of the family houses — 'Cave Canem'.

'Beware of the Dog'. And we wondered if anyone has or would have one in Latin these days. 

Strelka

(35 min digging)

Today, said final goodbyes to the best cutest kindest dog in the world.

And the best running companion. (The vet said, 'that's why he had such a long - and healthy - life'.)

The Christmas dog —

Strelka on the left (2006)

Strelka dying and we can't do anything for him

22:30 min — 4.8 km (3 miles)

Strelka is dying.