A dog's life

The early rain departed by the time I'd got up and bathed. We were expecting to go to town this morning to visit the farmer's market with Rosie, my sister, but handily she rang to say she would be arriving late. She also didn't want to go walking, so instead we decided on a trip to a local pub which has good food.

Rosie arrived by 1130 so we had time for coffee and a chat round the table, as well as mutually enjoying our view out over the garden and the valleys. We were also pleased to see plentiful feeding birds, who all seemed to be stocking up on food before the cold winds drive in the rumoured snow sometime soon. We saw goldfinches, coal, blue and longtailed tits, a siskin, bullfinches, robins, blackbirds, a black cap and the ever present pigeons, magpies and rooks. A delightful surprise was the great spotted woodpecker, which I haven't seen for many weeks, and whose nesting habits we saw featured on a tv programme last night.

After we'd ordered food at the Old Fleece at Rooksmoor, a couple arrived with their three dogs. Two of them were very obedient and well trained, sitting quietly beneath their table, and this is one of them. I smiled at him a lot, and tried to make friendly eye gestures, as one can do with cats, but he still seemed nervous. I liked his face and the colours of his coat. I miss having a pet dog, having grown up with them from early childhood. This view was between the horizontal supports of the back of a chair, seen from my seat at a table in the window. The third dog was obviously very young and extremely active. He wouldn't sit still and demanded attention. The other two dogs didn't seem to want to know him, which was a bit sad.

The meal was great and it was lovely to see Rosie again. She has now gone off to a friend of hers in Somerset and I hope she doesn't get snowed in.