Shifting thoughts and word counts
Here I am, writing my way out of a grey place I’ve been caught in since December. Since Renae’s short illness and sudden, terminal departure from my life. It’s two months now that I...
Category: France
A Corner’s Been Turned
Albert Claude is way off in the distance, a dark grey blur against the frosted brightness of the winter field. I’m useless at judging distance but at a guess, he’s probably a hundred or...
Winter Solstice
It was minus six degrees this morning as Albert Claude and I went up the lane and round the pond in time to see the Winter Solstice sun rise. Cold, beautiful and quiet. A...
With a bustle Cerise starts her day
There’s a bustle about Cerise this morning. She bounced off the bed at 7.30 a.m. as I was still sipping my coffee. She came around and sat herself on the cream sheepskin rug at...
Talking to Anna Webb about the important things in my life
I recently joined broadcaster Anna Webb for an episode of her popular podcast ‘A Dog’s Life’. Anna and I chatted about Schnauzerfest, Susie-Belle, living in France and of course puppy farming and how hard...
My first UK visit since 2019
September is almost at an end and while it’s been a quiet one on the blog, it’s been a busy one in reality. I did something I haven’t done since November 2019, I went...
Sharing the sunflowers
When we arrive at the top of our lane we always pause. The dogs’ heads dip down, busy noses snuffle out scents caught in the thick grassy verge. It’s August, the sunflowers are out...
Midsummer
It’s past midsummer, a time usually in south-west France when our walks would be at dawn, to be home before the heat rises. This year there is no rush for us to be out...
Pup Crawl Anyone?
As Britain and France resurface from lockdown, families, friends and colleagues are resuming meeting up for drinks and meals. Café culture is embedded in French society, dating back to at least the seventeenth century....
Creating and keeping memories
I’ve been going through photographs recently. It began as a task to find one for the cover of the 2022 Schnauzerfest Calendar. Having Susie-Belle there has become a tradition. Each year when I’m asked...