.... Kiwi dogs DON'T bark ...

The road down to Glover Park on an absolutely glorious morning!

It doesn't look like the sun was shining .. but it WAS!!

WOW .... what an absolutely glorious morning .... I could have walked and walked and walked some more today  .... but the hound was getting tired .... or was it that she knew there was a rather large bone waiting for her at home ..... hmmmmm....

Days like today leave me feeling enthused ... I arrive home weary .. sweaty .. oh yes .... but on such a high ...  I know that nothing can unhinge my day ..... I’m at peace with my world.

The hound wasn’t at peace with her world today though!  We deviated to the coffee shop to pick up our daily fix and there was a very large .. very vocal .... German Shepherd outside.  We’ve met her on the beach before but I can’t remember her name, but we’ve not met her outside the coffee shop ... and not when my hound’s hindered by a lead.  

The grass at Glover Park has been moved but not the edges ... I love to
lie on the grass and look out at my world ... it's truly an awesome spot!

I don’t know if the hound was trying to establish her dominance or just having a chin-wag about the summer beach times ... but she was unbelievably vocal ... just as vocal as the German Shepherd in fact!!  The chaps at the building site and the girls and patrons in the coffee shop must have wondered what was going on .... the dogs made such a din!!  It’s so unlike Chocolat .... she’s seldom vocal ..... she knows that Kiwi dogs DON’T bark ... she’s been told this ad infinitum by one of the significant ‘others’ in my life.  She had the grace to look suitably contrite on our way back to the beach .... until her friend at the building site said hello .... then all semblance of trying to appease me was forgotten .... the whole body wagged and waddled as she gave him his very own wet and enthusiastic greeting.  Fortunately he understands Labradors ... he has two of his own ... a wheaten one and a chocolate one ... and his chocolate one is just as crazy as mine!!

This letterbox always attracts me eye ...

Sebastion and his human were heading down for their daily fix too so we stopped to catch up with them .... well I stopped to catch-up ..... the hound buried her ball on the beach.  We chatted for so long that she eventually gave up waiting for me to kick the ball.  She’d already buried it several times .... and dug it up again .... rolled and rolled in the sand until she resembled a sandy-coloured Labrador instead of a Chocolate one .... and finally, in despair of ever getting my attention again, picked up the ball and ambled off to the waves to take the ball for a swim by herself.
Sebastion ... dear old soul that he is .... just lies on the boardwalk and watches her antics .... I’m sure he’s remembering back to the days when he was as enthusiastic and playful as she is.

As our weather improves and summer approaches there are more and more people out in the morning .... some locals ... some tourists ... but all enjoying the abundant opportunities there are here to walk.  There was a group of 4 tourists at the view-site .... European .... and they wanted to take photos of the hound and her ball.  They’d driven past me on their way up to the view site and had seen her walking along, ball in mouth, so they wanted to know all about her. I’d love to hear the stories that are told when all these tourists return home and develop their photos ... so often I get asked if she can be photographed ..... either with her ball in her mouth or carrying one of her ginormous logs.  I hope that when they look at their pics, they remember with a smile the large chocolate brown Labrador that exudes happiness from every pore!


Chocolat is my reminder, on a daily basis, that we create our own happiness.  Our daily rambles and her extreme enthusiasm and exuberance for life rock my world.  I’ve met so many new friends - and yes, most of them have hounds  .... I see so much beauty in the little things that I might have missed if I hadn’t been walking with her ... and ... best of all .... I’m rediscovering myself and quite liking what I see!

Being happy doesn’t mean that everything in my life is perfect .... far from it  ... but it does mean that I’m choosing to look beyond the imperfections.