It’s barely been a month since we were last in Edington to care for, not so little anymore, Tara. Now eight months old she has become larger, stronger and even more curious. Attendance at weekly dog training class is working well and she is obviously picking up new skills and enjoying life at the same time. And I’ve time to write this as she gives a beef short rib bone some serious attention ( golly, it’s kept her occupied for well over an hour after a long trot this morning). We’ve lived just a few miles away for more than twenty years now - it was supposed to be a two year, re-join the home ownership crowd but, well, dreadful inertia just took over. So it seems curious that here, just a few miles away, we are discovering a new network of tracks and paths in and around the Somerset Moors and the Polden Hills - rising to a mighty 98m - oxygen masks advised. Yet the views are fantastic as so much of the surrounding countryside is only a little higher than sea level. A local wag has produced a very popular, and quite detailed, map of the whole area showing the sea having risen just 10m ! It’s amazing how much of the land could easily be submarine; at least our home won’t be washed away, even though it would be on a tiny island standing proud of the ‘Cyder Sea’. It’s early May and spring has sprung in an almighty flourish. I should think so too with all the rain we’ve had lately. The grass stands tall and billows in the breeze, dotted with jewel like daisies, buttercups, cowslips, dandelions and a variety of less pervasive plant life. Still a way to go though before we start to see a return of the older, traditional wildflowers so rare in our rural landscapes these days. Tara just adores the long grass - diving in as if plunging into a deep pool, vanishing from sight until a black nose surfaces for air. This is the time for her ‘zoomies’ ( a phrase coined by her trainer to describe a puppy’s mad five minutes of going hell for leather in all directions, often simultaneously). For a black labrador it’s strange that she’s not fond of water (perhaps not yet anyway) - leaping over puddles like a spring lamb in vertical take-off mode. However, one morning, armed only with a pair of wellies, I waded into a stream when Tara followed, albeit in a state of some trepidation. Understandable I suppose as the raging torrent must have been 5” deep at least. After which a very smug labrador regained dry land and proceeded to not only bound about with ecstatic fervour, but braved the stream several times again, on her own, whilst on the return leg homewards. For us the week will was over all too soon, but we may return for conversational French sessions in the village hall or, if not, for the Wednesday travelling pizza van and of course, J’s cafe in nearby Chilton Polden. Being so close to home (we rarely undertake ‘sits’ so nearby) we hope to see much more of Tara. We’ve already enjoyed a couple of ad hoc walks alongside her owners and are sure there will be more to come. Time to stop now though as it does get a bit difficult to type with a young hound draped around your neck, scarf like, whilst perched on an armchair backrest ( a favoured spot apparently). Still, at least with a bone in her jaws it provides much less opportunity for a good face licking . . . Next stop - back to Oxfordshire with Gladys and Ronnie !
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'23 Adventures
January 2024
photosby Bobby ! |