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...
Category: Walks
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...
It’s all a bit orange this month
October is the busiest month of the year for Schnauzerfest and it’s always a productive and fun time. Even last year when COVID-19 messed up plans, we adapted. I am so glad we did....
Where 10 years brings us to
Walking the dogs has been part of our daily routine since we first brought Jasmine home as a puppy 25 years ago. When we adopted Susie-Belle, exactly 10 years ago, she was a dog...
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...
Joy
Joy. The word that sums up what Albert Claude brings to me. More importantly what I hope he feels every single day of his life. What he did not feel, I am sure, in...
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...
What we do is what we are doing
Late spring and we’re walking a familiar path with the dogs. The sun’s warm but a nippy wind keeps us from lingering. Albert Claude is hurtling along up ahead, nose to the ground. Hard...