dogs

The Wisdom of Dogs

~ Kate Wilson ~ 2 Comments

We have arrived in Lamorna.  After a journey of about 3500 km from Catalunya to Cornwall via France, Italy, Switzerland and London, we rolled in at lunch time and within 15 minutes the dogs were playing together in the field.
After all the worrying it was fine. All three dogs are getting along fine.

Of course there were moments of growling and irritation…..but as for the dogs – they are getting on fine!

And now that I have more time and some reliable internet I will write a little more about the journey – but that will be tomorrow. Now it’s time for a cup of tea and a familiar bed.

Beach Days

~ Kate Wilson ~ 3 Comments

I may have said this before but one of the wonderful things that I love about Catalunya is that there are dogs on the beaches.

Yes there are signs that say No Dogs!!!
But Duna comes with us and there are always a few other dogs who spend the day with their family, on the beach, happily playing or sleeping under the umbrella or swimming in the sea.
There is NOONE jumping up and down pointing at the signs or stomping over to remind you that it is not allowed.

Just people getting on with each other and their dogs.

The water pools in my dream castle

~ Kate Wilson ~ 2 Comments

Two homes – one heart

~ Kate Wilson ~ 4 Comments

My last night. Cleaning the house. Saying goodbye to the dogs – yet again. A visit from Dandelion my beautiful ginger cat, he now lives next door but must have known that I am leaving soon.
Thinking back over the long list of things that I have done in the last two weeks all I regret is that I didn’t go for more walks with Bonnie on the coast path or lie down more doing nothing with Blue who has been too wobbly to go further than the bottom of the lane.
Except when we went to the vet!
After we came out she took off down to the promenade and insisted on a long walk beside the sea

The Jubilee Pool has beautiful flags this year

Let’s go then!

I’m off!

Shall we stop here for a bit?

I will be back soon but two and a half months is a long time in the life of a dog, especially when you are almost 15. And a long time for me too.

Tales from the River

~ Kate Wilson ~ 11 Comments

Sometimes nice things happen and I don’t take a photo – either I don’t have the camera with me or the battery is dead or perhaps it just feels awkward to pull it out and start clicking.
Tonight we went down to the river to take Duna for her walk. On the way we passed by the little vegetable patches and the rough fenced in wasteland that houses chickens and geese and the two dogs that I always visit as I go by.
Do you remember? The border collie who is normally tied up inside the enclosure and who barks as you go past but wags her tail at the same time. I used to shout ‘Hola Guapo’ before finding out he was a she and on heat.
Tonight she and her terrier friend were running freely around the chicken plot. Her owner was there relaxing on an old plastic chair. We all got talking – actually I mostly smiled and listened as it was all too fast and in spanish. But I learned that her name is Lolita. That her owner is passionately against cruelty to animals. He is Andaluz and comes from Huelva north of Cadiz . He feels it is more important to live simply and take care of the planet than to work all hours just to pay for things you don’t need. He had three baby ducks who were being mothered by a large speckled hen. I don’t know what happened to the mother duck – you miss those sort of details when you can’t keep up with the language. Lolita put up her nose to nuzzle the ducklings soft yellow fluffy coat. Border collies are like that – protective rather than menacing.

Lolita obviously loves him and the chickens and the ducklings and her little terrier friend. So, sigh of relief, she is a happy dog!
And all around the swifts were swooping and swirling and screaming and streaming