2020 is no more, the year that was going to be so much better is being greeted with the news that BoJo is about to make another proclamation that will go some way to totally wrecking this country. Our children returned to school today amid stringent precautions, with every child being required to self test before coming back to school and with regular checks every few days. According to the BBC’s political Editor Laura Blackhill, Bojo will announce this evening that all schools are to close with effect from midnight tonight. This is not meant to be a political blog, but what’s happening is so all-engulfing it’s hard not to make comment. The words piss-up, brewery and organise spring to mind. If I hear one more political “leader” quoting “the science” I might just walk into the English Channel and keep walking!
Callie, our whippet lurcher, is as good-natured a hound as you could hope to meet. She loves to run and she loves to play. A flat-out chase with another four-legged beast is doggie heaven. It’s intriguing to watch the mental processes involved. Quite often when she sees another dog approaching she will completely ignore it, walking by on the other side, apparently oblivious of the Good Samaritan. Sometimes she will approach with caution, cuddle muzzles like teenage lovers and perhaps even venture round the back for a good anal sniff. More often than not such tentative overtures lead to nothing and the would-be lovers trot off in opposite directions. Occasionally, such amorous behaviour sparks a chase, with Callie darting off at high speed for a few seconds before turning to make sure that her new playmate is playing ball. If not she’ll try to provoke the other mutt by chasing it or using her front paws like a kangaroo, to punch the indolent creature into action. Such encounters don’t normally last long. The really fun one to watch is when Callie spots a likely soulmate approaching from some way off. Goodness knows what signals she gets that indicate a willing fellow-chaser but she’s normally not disappointed. She’ll go into a low crouch like a panther waiting to pounce. Once the approaching target is within ten yards or so, she leaps into high speed action, throwing herself at the opposition either to induce a chase with her as the rabbit or to chase her new found friend. She not only has electrifying acceleration and an impressive top speed for a small dog, but she is incredibly agile with a very tight turning circle. It’s pretty much only fellow whippets that can match her for speed, but once caught she has a ready will to scrap, using her front legs and paws like George Foreman to punch the opponent into submission. Every now and then some wolverine lookalike will prove too daunting and then she’ll come and shelter behind her mistress until the coast is clear. Walking on the Sussex Downs is never dull with Callie.
It’s looking horribly as though another national lockdown is imminent, which means there will be nothing happening and nothing to write about. That will stretch my ingenuity to the limit! Back in March and April we were blessed with gorgeous Mediterranean weather that lasted for weeks and weeks; gardening, or even just lounging in the sun was an absolute pleasure. Now, the days are short, the air chill, the sky grey and the air thick with moisture. Fun.
ADayInTheStrifeOf 