Saturday socials.

I opened my eyes at 4:35 am and my ears shouted “woolly hat please”, my cold nose had to cope until later.
Blip was attended to with a hot drink and a sleepy Dippy who drew closer in a warm and snuggly symbiotic position.
I read some of my planned scriptures up until my four legged little friend decided it was playtime, he’s getting a bit big for pillow fights and so I suggested that he search for his ancient marrow bone to have a gnaw on.
Dressed, cat licked and out at 6:30am. It was a tad dark but dawn was due to break imminently and so we wandered around the top meadows leading to the woods where I sat down for 15 minutes while I read the rest of my scriptures to the surrounding wildlife:) Dippy sat peacefully by my side (not)!
Back for breakfast and then off to ParkRun where the days social activities started, several good friends from past sporting days turned up and we enjoyed banter alongside nostalgia.
I ran the last couple of laps together with a lady who had recently lost her son tragically while he was working away in a foreign country. She showed remarkable resilience and a sense of humility that was admirable in the circumstances.
At the finish another good friend found me and chatted, Huw was here from Exmouth to support his brother whose wife was in hospital for major heart surgery.
A quick change at the car and off we stomped along the coastal path in a southerly direction, an off the lead Dippy was very obedient and good friends with everyone we met and chatted to.
A lovely dry day made for perfect walking and lots of birdsong both estuary and woodland, the curlews and oyster catchers being the most vocal.
I popped into my favourite antique shop with some of the more abundant flowering blooms I’d collected on route. I made a spontaneous purchase of some lovely Bunnykins bowls and a mug that leapt out at me , two of them signed by Barbara Vernon.
(Some of the earliest designs were originally illiustrated by Sister Mary Barbara Vernon (nee Bailey), the daughter of Royal Doulton's general manager in the 1930s. After the 1950's other artists were introduced.)
Walking along the quay Dippy and a two year old springer spaniel (Moose) formed a friendship that lasted over an hour as myself, Leo and his long distance girlfriend [extra] who were here in north Devon on a short break wandered along to the lifeboat station where some doggy paddling/rock-pooling took place.
We strolled back to the main village and said our farewells as Dippy and I purchased a rather large sausage to accompany a small portion of chips before sitting in the Coffee cabin to enjoy more social interaction over a large pot of peppermint tea.
Strolling back we met several dog walkers and other interesting hikers with like minded intentions. More flowers collected as seen in my main photo.
Back to Amadeus and some lamb hotpot which had been melding away in my recently acquired slow cooker.
Dippy is currently in the land of dog nod looking quite content with his exiting day.
Zzzzzzzzzz