The Birthday Boy

After 5 weeks of 'lock down' I give little thought to the time of day and hardly remember which day of the week it is.
There are no 'deadlines' in the diary; no schedules to be met; neither people to see nor  places to go........
In the midst of so much humdrum Bugler's 7th Birthday is a Noteworthy Event. He's not a foodie so we didn't celebrate with cakes or special treats. Instead we did what he enjoys most; sniffing, hunting and 'finding' things hidden in unexpected places...... It was an unseasonably warm day and for once the beastly easterly breeze which has bugged us for days on end eased off and our 'walk' found us trundling along a cooling stream after a busy hunt through our 'secret' wood...... He was carefree and happy and, as always, a joy to be out and about with.  At 7 years old he is probably in the prime of his life. Whilst he is blissfully happy running and sniffing through the fields and woods though there is no question what he likes doing more than anything - going out on a shoot day and doing his job. Let's hope he has many more seasons ahead of him. Happy Birthday Bugler and Many Happy Returns x

A short while but a long time later

Bugler is symbolically looking over his shoulder to see what else is coming over the horizon.... in the short time since my last blog, life as we knew it has altered.
That weekend, as well as it being Mothering Sunday, the weather turned bright and sunny for the first time in weeks. People turned out in their thousands - beaches, parks, beauty spots were all inundated with humans out to make the most of it. Despite the government's urging for everyone to stay at home to prevent the spread of the coronavirus - or Covid19 as we now refer to it.
That forced a sea change in the government's attitude. Stay at home please became "You will stay at home". I'm not sure we realised what "lock down" meant; at home, in the home, near the home, with the family wherever they were, with our friends but not strangers....... so much confusion and so much room for transgression.....
My training buddy and I met up on the 23rd to train our dogs as usual and wondered what the implication would be on our weekly sessions; would we still be able to go to agility l-2-1s or not? I had a hair appointment scheduled for the following day; would that still go ahead...... In the next 24 hours we learned what lock down meant. No more training even out in the middle of nowhere with no one else about; no more 1-2-1 sessions; no more taking the dogs anywhere in the car for any reason at all; no more taking ourselves in the car to anywhere for any, except urgent or necessary, reason at all. I got my hair cut only because the salon boss was awaiting deliveries which could not be un-scheduled so was there anyway - behind a locked door! Strangely furtive. A normal 'thing' become strange.
As has so much. Two weeks on we talk of the 'new normal' without a clue what that is or might be. We look for 'green shoots' in the news reports to match those springing up in the "real" world.  Our gardens are more fertile.
If the dogs wonder why we are suddenly going nowhere, they give no sign; happy to be doing anything anywhere, they continue in blissful ignorance. Would that we humans could do likewise. Today a text suddenly pings into my phone and shatters any complacency I might have felt. I am one of the million and a half  ultra vulnerable who have to remain housebound for 12 weeks.
For once I am eager to interpret the phrase "she lives outside most of the time" literally.
So far, 2 weeks - although a short while - have seemed a long time. What will 12 weeks be like?

I think, like Bugler, I will look for inspiration in the ground...... there's not likely to be much coming from further afield......