Tuesday 18 December 2007

Walking the dogs in winter

The short daylight hours see me trying to cram in daft amounts of activity. All the usual farm and work stuff, plus holiday cover farm-sitting for the neighbour's twenty something pigs, fifty something sheep, hundred and fifty plus rare breed chickens, geese, ducks, cats and dog. Everything takes much longer than usual as the water supplies both here and over the road are frozen first thing and by the time they start contemplating defrost mode to allow a mere trickle of the pure stuff, the temperature drops like a stone as the light fades and we are back to solid hosepipe.
But Bernese Mountain Dogs thrive in this dry cold weather; they are made for snow and seem to inhale energy as the thermometer plummets. They give me the Bernese nudge, an insistent and forceful snout thrust, and I put on a second pair of trousers and socks, not having been naturally endowed with a fur coat. Most of the sheep kept on the farm have been taken off the land so it can rest for a couple of months, so I don't even take a lead with me as we head out onto empty fields. But the fields are clearly not empty. The dogs stick their noses into every conceivable size of hole in the ground, up trees, in the earth banks, behind troughs, under leaves. For them, the farm is thrutched up with animal life, scent flags waving for those with the sense to appreciate.
The rush and push of the day drops off the shoulders and I stand and admire the scene, grateful to be here, now.

11 comments:

rilly super said...

mopsa, you need to take a photo of your dog from a different angle so we can see the brandy barrel around his necks, or have you relived him of it to keep the cold out whilst you pause to admire the scenery?

Mutterings and Meanderings said...

What a wonderful idea - I wonder if I could persuade my cats to carry barrels of G&T around their necks?

Mopsa said...

Rilly, they are both girls, and teetotallers. I always thought they could carry small items for me - the odd sarnie, spare gloves etc. Perhaps I could add a small flask of brandy and design a doggy rucksack to take the lot.

M&M! how nice to see you. Not sure I could get MY cats to oblige with anything weightier than a chocolate liqueur.

Flowerpot said...

good idea to get the dogs to carry things. Id try and persuade Mollie to, but she has trouble remembering to carry her toys.

Anonymous said...

parallel lines - our lives and thoughts! It is good when you can look round, breathe and feel...well, pretty good.

Anonymous said...

still not having much luck with the new system.

Mopsa said...

FPot - my girls are not natural carriers - they drop stuff in their excitement to see me!

Mopsa said...

Paula - this lovely dry cold weather is fabulous as long as you keep moving; how could we not love it and comment on it?
And I'm sorry that Blogger seem to be making a hash of things:(

tim relf said...

Nice looking bears. I mean dogs!

Eurodog said...

Lovely dogs,Mopsa.

Mopsa said...

Tim, they are VERY bear like.

Eurowoof, you don't need to tell me, I'm completely convinced! But thank you. They are wonderful.