He's a furry 4-legged FEET-seeking missile!

“When beauty touches our lives, the moment becomes luminous.

These grace-moments are gifts that surprise us.” 

~ John O’Donohue

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry this morning ... it’s been that kind of a day.

Some random Border Collie managed to drown the hound’s rugby ball.  

Despite having taken on the appearance of a pancake, it still floated .... until this bolshie Border Collie came barrelling along today. Somehow he managed to sink it, so the hound’s ‘old’ Chiefs rugby ball has gone to wherever dead rugby balls go.

The Border Collie that drowned the rugby ball.

Another one bites the dust.

The hound didn’t mind.  She’d already swopped her ‘OLD’ ball for Sam’s ‘NEW’ ball so it was Sam who was left looking for something else to retrieve. 

The tennis had interfered with his ramble to the beach so he was already jumping out of his skin by the time he arrived.  It’s FRIDAY and he KNOWS the hound and I are on the beach waiting for him.

Carol had been watching the Murray/Wawrinka QF but fast realised that if she didn’t make her way to the beach soon, he was GOING to wreck the house.  There are only so many items of clothing a hound can bring from the dressing room to the lounge before he turns his attentions elsewhere.

He’s definitely NO dumb Aussie.

These hounds have the MOST amazing relationship ... not just with one another ... but with Carol and I too.  They recognise us AND each other on the beach.  

Nothing and NO-ONE, neither hound nor human, stands in Sam’s way when he spots me.  He’s a furry 4-legged feet-seeking missile.  My hound’s the same, only she’s looking for the ‘new’ Chiefs rugby ball, not Carol’s feet. She’d already forsaken her ‘old’ ball for a log this morning, but the log got dropped at Carol’s feet in favour of the ‘new’ ball.

They LOVE routine and they LOVE Friday’s

.... and so do we!

Between Bandit and Sam and the hound they have dug up the beach and chased rugby balls and logs for what feels like eternity.

The whole of St. Heliers must have heard the elation in Carol’s voice when she heard the result of the game she’d been watching.  Andy Murray had been beaten in straight sets by Stan Wawrinka.  It would have made her day if Youzhny had beaten Djokovich!

Rupert, the Westie ... he's so handsome.

Stranger things have happened.

Vinnie

So much sport this weekend and I have TWO markets.  Matchsticks might be a necessary accessory.

Alfie

I NEED a new rugby ball!

“You transform ALL who are TOUCHED by you.” 

~ Rumi

Rumi expresses in words what I feel in my heart.  I’m transformed in one way or another by each and every person I encounter in this journey that’s my life.  

Rumi .... you rock.

I’m having a distracting morning ... all the fault of the US Open. 

 I should be working, putting pen to paper .... figuratively not literally ... but instead I’m watching tennis.  Yes, Nadal’s playing - I could be here for a while.  

I switched on just as Federer lost in straight sets to Robredo.  

When the phone rang I guessed it would be Carol.

Pete hadn’t wanted to listen to her sob story about Federer’s loss so she cried on my shoulder instead.  She’s even more besotted with rugby and tennis than what I am!

If it had been Djokovich who’d been dismissed she would have been cheering, not crying.

Tennis aside, it’s been the MOST magical of mornings.  

Sunshine, clear skies and an abundance of hounds to run amok with on the beach.

Paradise just doesn’t come better than this.

The hound’s rugby ball has finally breathed it’s last.  The innards have dropped out and it now resembles a pancake .... a leathery one.  Kicking it is no longer an option, it HAS to be thrown. Fortunately it still floats or Sam would be out there still searching for the ball .... well, what’s left of it.

A new rugby ball will have to be found.

Between Panda and Bandit, and Bella and Zak and Sam, and of course my hound, I have tossed rugby ball after rugby ball into the waves.  They just never tire of it.  Panda pinches whoever’s ball he can and Bandit tries to herd them all in and out of the waves.  Zak and Bella just race after the ball with our hounds, fully aware that their chances of holding onto the ball are remote.  

The fun is in the chase!

It’s a ball and water frenzy and whoever’s left holding the ball is the winner.

Carol’s worked out her role in all this morning activity.  Her duty is to bring Sam to the beach - and the Chiefs rugby ball of course.   Once he’s here, she’s superfluous to requirement .... in Sam’s eyes, that is .... and could quite easily go home.

Sam might not mind if she’s on the beach or not, but I do.  I enjoy our morning natters.

I even managed to stalk the heron AND the kingfishers this morning.  Mr. Heron was sourcing his morning tea and quite oblivious to my stealthy approach until he’d caught his fish.  He quite obviously thought I had designs on his tea so he stalked off into the waves.

The Kingfishers on the other hand teased me mercilessly.  Just as I hold my breath and raise the camera to my eye, there’s a flash of iridescent blue and they’re off, flitting up and down to the next rock.  I’m sure they’re secretly laughing at me.  I did get close ... but NOT close enough.

And as for the tennis ..... Nadal won, of course.

Pajama-clad people.

“Don’t let anyone EVER dull your sparkle!” 

~ anon.

Pajama-clad people.  

Yep, that’s what I see a lot of on dark and cloudy mornings!  

Heavy skies, threatening rain clouds and a sun that hadn’t YET raised it’s head.  

Even the morning bird chorus was rather muted.  

It all made me wonder if I shouldn’t rather be in bed.

We rambled the ‘back-street’ route to the view-site.  

It’s fun being an early morning spectator on a world waking up.  

Not many houses have lights on as it’s still far TOO early for most ‘normal’ people.  

Definition of nor-mal: 

adjective: Conforming to a standard; usual; typical or expected

If I was conforming or doing what was expected, I’d still be in bed - sleeping.  It’s WAY too cold out here this morning!  Even the floor level lighting at the view-site was emitting steam.  

I knew it was COLDER than usual when I met up with Sarah and Bandit on the beach.  Sarah had a hoodie on and she SELDOM wears long sleeves!

As for those pajama-clad people.  If they only knew how visible they were from the road when they put their lights on, I think they’d draw their curtains.

I’ve come to realise that slippers and dressing gowns are NOT the most attractive way to adorn a body.  I guess they’re better than a towel wrapped around the waist or, as I’ve espied  before, nothing at all.

It’s a magical time of the day to be out and about though, regardless of the weather and regardless of who or what I meet.  I don’t mind my own company.  I get to talk to myself and express my own point of view without interference or debate!  That DOESN’T happen often at home.

Bandit has become a “wannabee” Labrador.  Not only does he now pick up small sticks when he’s ambling up and down the beach with the hound but he also helped Sam carry the rugby ball today!  He’s NEVER done that before.

Watch this space.  Before you know it, he’ll be racing into the waves retrieving rugby balls too!

These hounds of ours have such odd little quirks.  Sarah was doing such a good job of tossing their rugby balls into the waves that we decided to leave them on the beach with her whilst we went to get our daily caffeine boost.  

Well ... we TRIED to leave them with her.

Sam was fine with Carol going but he WASN’T fine with me going.  As soon as he realised that I was leaving the beach too, he picked up his ball and raced after us ... as did my hound.

It sure made Carol feel loved.

He wouldn’t let me go and photograph the Kingfisher on my own either. Being low tide I headed down to the rock pools to see if the Kingfishers were hunting ... and one was.  My intention had been to leave the hound at the steps digging trenches with all the other hounds and humans.  She was happy to do that BUT Sam and Zak WEREN’T.  BOTH of them accompanied me down to the rock pools.  Needless to say the Kingfishers DIDN’T hang around for a photo shoot.

I had to make do with the hounds instead.

“For things to reveal themselves to us, we need to be ready to abandon our views about them.” 

~ Thich Nhat Hanh