This week we’ve been tasked with the responsibility of dog-sitting my sister-in-laws pooch. She’s a friendly enough mutt, but does have the tendancy to bark at pretty much anything that moves. However, one advantage to having a dog is that you’re never really sat still. Take this weekend as an example. Now, normally a “weekend” is the time I chill out, go shopping with me darling, have a beer and do any stuff around the house that needs doing. Hmmm… actually that doesn’t leave much time for chilling out, but you get the general idea. Anyway, this weekend has been all that – plus a dog. So, I’ll tell you how it’s gone…
Friday I arrive home at around 7pm to find the dog much in need of a walk and very excited to see someone opening the door. As I open the front door, the dog leaps on me and licks my face before I even get chance to set foot inside…
But I get in and drop my stuff off.
“I ain’t cooking, it’s too bloody hot”, says my sweetness.
Hmm.. I decided (like all men do before they realise they won’t win) to try the “Well, I’ve been at work all bloody day” argument….
It didn’t work.
After a quick phone call to the Pizza place we’re suitably fed and watered, but the mutt still hasn’t had a walk. So, we shoved her in the car (she ends up in my motor, which I wasn’t best pleased with, but I decided to keep quiet and maybe get some beer on the way back to chill out) and we drove a few yards down the road. I was amazed. We were walking through a bloody beautiful bit of countryside which – had it not been for the walk – I would’ve never decided to walk on. The best bit was that this was just half a mile from our house (I must confess that Emily – my fiance – knows more about the lanes and stuff by our house than I do… actually, that fact itself should worry me, but I’m too tired to think that one through right now) :)
Being the semi-uber-geek I try not to be, and struck by the warm summery evening, I snapped a couple of shots and used AtomicLava to upload them to my photoblog..
As it happens we did manage to get a few cans of lager on the way back and that Friday night I got quite merry indeedy!
Saturday was spent putting a concrete post in the garden, which is a right old ball-ache to do. Lugging a concrete post around and digging a hole in the right place and deep enough for said concrete post isn’t much fun – especially when it’s also baking hot. Anyways, we get that done and the fence panel goes in very nicely. The next job was to paint the fence – all the panels in our garden have been various different shades since we moved in a few years back, and I was on a mission to get them all one “Golden Harvest” colour. After 5 panels, I was ready to throw the whole tin of “Golden Harvest” into the f***in field that it came from. My arms were aching to hell and bird had no sympathy for me. She was doing the staining on the decking we have, “It’s really easy y’know”, she says… well, yeah.. of course it is … it’s bloody HORIZONTAL for a kick-off and doesn’t have plants growing up it, or thorns, and the paint goes on easier. Pff…
We took the dog for a walk after that – thank gawd, anything but painting this friggin fence!
About a mile away we found a special dog-walking place called the “Abnalls” or something. This was even nicer than the place we went to on Friday. Rolling fields, a small crop of trees to walk through, a brook and lots of other dog-walkers saying, “Evening” to you. Very friendly. Again, I snapped away at the fields and views on my C500. Bloody lovely it was…
Today was much the same – we were up nice and early, out the house at 2pm (that’s early for us) to go to the local DIY emporium to get yet more chuffing Harvest Gold…. AGH! However, when we get back she doesn’t want to help, and even though I’ve done another panel she’s busy reading “Heat” in her “not gonna paint in this” clothes. I ask her politely if she’s gonna help (something like “Are you gonna sit on your arse while I sweat my bo**ocks off”) .. but no, she doesn’t fancy it…
This is where me and the missus work well together, cus to be honest – neither did I. So, we went out. This time to my parents, then her parents, and I had a couple of beers in the process. Get in!
Oh, then we took the mutt for another walk, this time to a pond near Milford in Stafford. The dog got well wet and I’ve just finished cleaning the bloody car out.. :) You can just see her below..
So, the reason for this post is simply this – if you’ve got a pooch then you’ll probably see some very nice views, be healthier and explore places which are just yards from your doorstep that you’d never normally go near.
Oh! And we foung this little baby toad, or frog, or something..
