I did a lot of walking today. It was time to walk the girls up to Kate for a shave and haircut. Then leave them there to walk home again. I then had to repeat later in the day when they were ready. This meant I was trudging across the squelchy park for six miles all told. Fortunately, the rain held off and the cold almost cooled me down.
Kate has moved. She no longer lives on the awful Hale Road. I have written so many times about how much I despise Hale Road that I’m not going to repeat it. Apart from that bit. But, because I wasn’t sure where I was going, I took the path all the way round for the initial trip.
I found her exit from the park without any difficulty and then found her new house without any traffic. Well, except for a very helpful DPD driver who, answering a faint but angry call from an old lady, helped move an Otto bin through a gate for her. She was angry at the rubbish collectors for leaving it on her drive.
The DPD guy didn’t have to, she wasn’t his customer or anything to do with him. He was just a nice, friendly fellow. It made me think that DPD has changed a lot over the years. I’ve often complained on this blog about how bad they were. But, since the plague at least, they have been excellent. That’s my experience, anyway.
Once at Kate’s new house, we chatted for an age. This is mostly because we haven’t seen each other for over a year and she wanted me to fill her in on everything about Sweden. And, of course, I wanted to know all about her Covid tests and general well being.
She told me about the awfulness that is losing her senses of taste and smell. She made roast chicken one night and didn’t smell a thing. Then, when they sat down to eat it, again, nothing. She related how, when cutting up an onion, rather than smelling and tasting the acid juice, she merely cried. I was tempted to say that she must have saved a fortune on air freshener but didn’t think it was appropriate.
While we were chatting, the girls sat shivering and looking away. This always happens when we visit Kate. But then, after I’d gone and they went inside, they were fine. In fact, Kate said that they walked reluctantly into the cutting room and stopped.
They looked at the table then at Kate then, it was as if a switch of recognition had gone off in their heads. They started jumping up and saying hello, licking and wiggling. They both leapt onto the table and sat, patiently waiting for their ‘dos’. Kate said it was bizarre, as if they hadn’t recognised her.
So, I walked back, following the all weather path again but cutting corners where I could. Squelching through swampy grass and trying to avoid muddy patches, given I was only wearing my runners. Back at home I had a coffee and waited for an hour before heading off again.
This time, I was smart. I wore my boots. And a little while later, I realised that, heading through the park meant it was almost a straight line to Kate’s exit off the path. Of course it involved a lot of mud, but my boots sorted that out and it’s important to know the park well enough to cut across various copses, fields and streams.
Arriving back at Kate’s, I picked up two beautifully transformed cockerpoos. Obviously they were overjoyed to see me. Though I made them wait a bit as Kate and I continued our conversation from earlier. We also booked our next visit.
Then we headed back home. Of course, the girls managed to get quite muddy paws, but it was nothing compared to how bad they would have been before their cuts.
I think they enjoyed the romp across the park. Emma racing ahead and Freya chasing squirrels. It was a lovely walk home. Mind you, the minute I got in (and had washed their feet) I collapsed in a chair with a coffee, resting my aching knees.
Before I go, I have an update regarding the reason why the British PM had to fly back to London after the first day at COP26 where he’d delivered his usual bumbling style speech about having to cut emissions and devote more time and energy into sorting out the climate. It was because he was having a male only and no doubt expensive, dinner with a climate change denying Tory party donor.
