My World Tuesday

It was a fine, frosty morning yesterday but as the day grew up so the sun shone warmly. Our walk was a delight - the bluest of blue skies, the sweetest of bird songs and fresh, clean air to breathe. 

The waxing gibbous moon shone palely, surprised at its eminence in the sunshine.

There are a number of new ponds in the forest. 

They were dug out recently, in the last couple of weeks, so the surrounding ground still bears the scars carved in it by the heavy diggers and has yet to recover. The mallards are quick to discover new waterways. We see these drakes every year. They usually accompany a single duck but she was nowhere to be seen.

Book ends, anyone?

Preening is important. A chap's got to look his best!

Aircraft flew high above, little sound audible in the clear atmosphere.

This one is a British Airways aircraft. How do I know? The BA fleet is the only one whose planes have blue undersides.

 Vapour trails dispersed quickly, an indication of a fine day in prospect.

There had been some logging. The smell of pine resin was quite intoxicating.

Strange fruit in a Scots Pine. Can you see it?

Have a closer look . . . No?

There, now! It looks like an apple or maybe an orange. Odd! 

I wasn't with Barry on the day this fruit 'ripened'. 

 It is usually to be seen in a Labrador's mouth. 

Yes, it's a Kong - the orange thing, not Gus!

The one in the tree? Barry threw it rather enthusiastically and it caught in the branches. So it hangs, being tested by the elements. I wonder how long it will remain there. The Labradors are clever and persistent but tree climbing is not one of their skills - not to twenty feet, anyway.

This is the retrieval ground to which they are accustomed . . . 

 . . . or this, though this is not strictly 'ground'!

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Yesterday’s walk - Gus grows up and a small tragedy

Gus carries the Air Kong

Gus is 13½ months old now and growing into quite a big boy. He learns very quickly and is a wonderful retriever, always keeping his eye on the ball or the Air Kong. He is as fast over ground as Jenna and nearly as speedy as her in the water but there is one area in which he has taken time to mature. All our other dogs cocked their legs the day they turned six months old but Gus was content to continue discreetly squatting, like Jenna, until yesterday, when he cocked his leg for the very first time. We felt that our little boy had come of age!

Two dogs, one Kong and Jenna, on the right, wins the prize.

Gus is intent on taking part in the 2012 Olympics and has been practising hard for the Long Jump event. So far he has only practised over water and still has to perfect his landing. At the moment his tail ruins any chance of breaking a record, I’m afraid.

Like all good athletes Gus mentally rehearses his jump

 Like a tightly coiled spring he is ready to leap forward

 

Uncoiled and almost airborne

 Flying!

Preparing for touchdown - the tail is going to spoil the jump!

As we returned from the practice arena, otherwise known as the forest, we noticed a sad little corpse. It was not there when we set out and we could see no cause of death. 

We are sure this adult had only recently met its death as the scavengers had not yet started their grisly work.

Normally we only see dead squirrels  on the roads – we have never found one in the garden and it’s rare to see a corpse in the forest. The last time we saw one was  a few years ago when Frodo was quite young. In fact, he found it and gently picked it up and brought it to me. He didn’t notice this one.