To insanity and beyond ...: Carol ... yes me ... learning to retrieve the ball.

Sunset on Wednesday evening .... too beautiful.

It’s Full Moon and I can tell. I generally DON’T go around retrieving other hounds balls from the waves
.... my hound’s ball maybe ... but seldom others.

Early morning ferry ... with all it's lights on.

I did on Tuesday though and I blame the Full Moon for it.

Yes ... this Full Moon ... which was setting as I walked down to the beach on Tuesday morning

I’m not sure WHO enjoyed the spectacle of me retrieving the ball more
.... my fellow beach ramblers or the hounds.

Sam thought I was drowning and RACED to rescue me. Trying to swim with a fully grown Labrador trying to mount your back isn’t easy. My hound at least has the wits to swim alongside me .... NOT Sam though.

Sam racing to rescue me!

I think he thought it was best to DROWN me first and then bring my bedraggled body back to shore.
It WOULDN’T be a RESCUE otherwise.

I hadn’t intended swimming when I hit the beach. We’d done our usual saunter in the dark up to the view-site with Indy and Julia and then returned to the beach. A brief sortee with Bandit .... and a large log .... ensued whilst Pete chatted to Bandit’s human about Australian Shepherds. Pete’s been considering getting one but I think Bandit’s behaviour on the beach might have put him off a tad.

Bandit ..... with his different coloured eyes

Australian Shepherds are clever and Bandit knows a thing or two about breaking the rules. For a start Australian Shepherds aren’t meant to bark much but someone forgot to tell Bandit that. He barks at Chocolat endlessly, especially when she’s doing her dig a trench and bury the log in the sand thingy.

Peace was restored when Bandit was dragged off down the beach.

Helicopter collecting water samples .... they hover JUST above the water
and let down a bottle that's dunked in the waves.

The hound wasn’t too happy at Bandit’s departure as it meant her log-thrower had departed too. I tried ... I really did .... but I’m not that good at caber tossing. The log landed on her head so I called an end to the log-throwing and persuaded her to chase the ball.

Yep .... the log that landed on her head ... it's HUGE!

That’s when Bella and Nico and Sam arrived on the beach and the manic fun began. 3 balls between 4 hounds! My hound wanted Nico’s tennis ball, Bella, Sam and Nico tussled over the rugby ball and Bella’s red rubber ball became SURPLUS to requirement.

It just floated there, bobbing up and down in the waves, as the current moved it further and further away from the shore.

We threw the rugby ball next to it but they all ignored the red ball and went for the rugby ball. We threw a small stick next to it as Bella likes retrieving sticks. She swam out, collected the stick and completely ignored the ball. Even my hound couldn’t be persuaded to fetch it.

So I did ....

I packed the camera away first despite the earnest entreaties from Carol to be allowed to capture the candid moment for posterity. I’d forgotten about Brian and HIS camera though .... nothing’s sacred when friends have cameras.

He swims out with me to get the ball, I throw it for him and he leaves it out at sea!!

It’s ok though. Moments like this are necessary. If I can't embrace that inner lunatic that resides somewhere inside of me, then how can I expect anyone else to!