Lion hound....

...or tiny wee chick hound?

The latter.

This unusual canine behaviour led me to watch what was going on and very soon I heard a "cheep!" from just in front of Bean's nose. 

She then stood stock-still - see the extra - and watched intently as the chick hunkered down in the grass. It was beautifully camouflaged. 

After a couple of minutes of holding this pose, my beautiful dog took four steps backwards - never taking her eyes off the chick - and sat down. She clearly thought she was on guard duty, and certainly no predator would attack it while she was there; but neither would the parents approach to give it food. 

She came the instant I called her off, telling her what a Very Good Girl she was. I have never had a dog so reluctant to play with, let alone to eat small helpless animals. She'd be utterly useless without a human slave to feed her.

Rain, thunder, lightning and possibly hail were all forecast to start anytime between 10am and 4pm today. As a result I have been chasing around the property cracking on with the to do list before getting drenched. 

I have mown grass, line trimmed grass and weeds, pulled out oodles of weeds, watered everything in the tunnel house, and walked with my dog.

During our walk we stopped five times to chat with locals, which turned it from a quick romp down the road into a lengthy social occasion. It was delightful to connect with so many neighbours.

It is now 4.30pm and it remains dry, but the clouds are gathering, so I am indoors to do some admin. And maybe I'll catch up with Blips, which have taken a back seat today.