I couldn't find my special wooly hat with ear flaps. I was not going out without it. I asked JR, and she found it. Where she said it was... The ear flaps not only keep my ears warm, they keep my silly Apple earbuds from falling out - bonus!

I also had my special boots that I'd forgotten about. Thick soles, furry insides, but not heavy. And so I set off well equipped for a long(ish) dog walk. What could go wrong...

At this time of year, the sun is very low in the sky, and so I really should have set off earlier - it had already moved over too far. I had the good idea to go down to the duck pond, the benches on one side are always in full sunshine. But not today, just the far end was still sunny. So I had the idea to walk on, up the hill and maybe through the paddock.

We met Tosca and her mum (Extra). Tosca was wearing a full bodied pink coat - just her paws got dirty. I wonder how Archie would feel about that...

By this time, I realised that the socks I was wearing slid down in these boots. Most uncomfortable, but I couldn't do anything about it. I couldn't sit down anywhere to fix them, but they would have just come down anyway. 

I thought of phoning JR and asking her to come in the car to pick me up, but I plodded on, knowing there was a bus stop a bit further on. Actually, quite a bit further on. Up a hill. But we got there, and yes! A bus was due in two minutes. I think I would have sat down and cried if I'd missed that bus! Even though it was only two stops. (8,117 steps)

However, I listened to two 'Conversations' one with Anthony Penrose, the son of Lee Miller, the Vogue photographer who was a model, a war correspondent and friend of Picasso. There has been a film made about her, starring Kate Winslet which I really want to see. I really recommend those ABC (Australian Broadcasting Company) 'Conversations'. 

Very sad to learn that John Byrne has died. We used to see him quite regularly there seems to be quite a lot of famous folk leaving us of late..