How my life has changed in the last two years! The day I chose to invite a Border Collie into my life, presently followed by another, was the day my desert boots were forced to take an involuntary sabbatical in the cupboard under the stairs. until my two darlings are both full adults, I'm disinclined to leave them with anyone for anything more than a day or two at most.
so, until that time arrives, I find myself exploring places that I only ever used to drive past, blissfully unaware of the hidden treasures, in terms of rural countryside, literally minutes' walk from my own front door.
Today, I took Dill and Fennel for a stroll through a small area called
Ankerwycke, just a stone's throw from my house. And I figured if I can't share with you pictures from SE Turkey or N Uganda, then I'll take you on a virtual walk with my two tear-away hounds:
Out of the car and along the road to the gate. The sun is beatinig down, and the mercury is pushing 24C.
We run the gauntlet of the cows. As long as Dill has a stick in his mouth, then he's perfectly biddable!
Sniffing out the rabbits
... and into the next field and away from the cattle.
Christ, that looks inviting! Maybe even a few carp in there.
The building you can just make out on the skyline near the centre of the picture, is the Royal Airforce Memorial, on Coopers Hill, overlooking the River Thames at Runnymede. Just below the memorial, on the lower slopes, is the site of the signing of The Magna Carta by King John in June 1215. And just along from the memorial is the John F Kennedy memorial.
Race on to the next field...
Glorious English countryside in summertime. Lots of Green Woodpeckers along this stretch of ground.
And into the next field...