Not much writing but this time I have a very very good excuse. For the last three months we have been settling into a routine with our second dog. He is a rescue Australian working dog (he certainly has us working hard), two and half years old, loving and willing. However, a young kelpie is active animal and he has us walking us more than five miles a day (yes, we are getting fitter) which includes a lot of ball throwing, moreover, he is taught the house rules which have to be repeated several times and he is given toys and games to play which engage for us considerable periods of time. And, unlike us, he still has bundles of energy to spare.
He came with the name Simba. One of the difficulties of adopting a dog in that it comes with a name to which it responds but is not necessarily the name I would have chosen. My attempt to alter it to Simarrillion or Simmer or Symbol was met with resistance. My son likes to stand in front of the alert dog and intone in a deep throbbing voice ‘Simba, why have you forgotten me!’ Even though he has the colouring of Scar! Mostly he is called Sim.
Isla, the small kelpie heeler cross, rescued five years ago is both pleased and dismayed by the interloper. Serious amounts of time go into making sure her habits and affections are attended to. Sim defers to her in the matter of food but he will steal her toys and he can travel backwards faster than she can go in any direction but then Isla can use the dog flap, and Sim cannot, so there is always an escape route. His athleticism is extraordinary and his joy is to take a ball out of the air while he himself is airborne. Several times Isla has been tumbled over by his rushing enthusiasm; long-legged Italy too often kicks little Sicily. At the end of the day, though, they will lie down together on the rug and she likes the companionship at night or when we go out.
It all sounds like hard work but there are rewards. Every night we walk a short distance along the lane and I see stars and moons sometimes in glory, sometimes seeping around the corner of clouds or smudged by man-made light but always different in mood and position. Even going out on a dark dark night is fascinating. On all of the dog walks I encounter animals and plants; it makes me aware and appreciative of their seasonal variations. I am infected with the optimism of my dogs who are convinced the day will unfold treasures and refreshed by our uncomplicated interaction.