Tag Archives: falling

Snowwwwww!!!!

21 Jan
Brrr

Brrr

Well after all the rain..we have now had snow!!! Rudy and Rio love it and are keen to get out in it at every opportunity so I get wrapped up in so many layers I look like a Mummy and off we go!!!

I walked with some neighbours friday around some local fields that before the snow were under water but are now a real winter wonderland!!! We had quite a few Vicar of Dibley moments..when you confidently take a step forward and plunge knee deep into a hole, thus losing your balance and pitching forward head first into said snow drift!! Cue much hilarity from your “friends” and much concern from Rio who rushes back to see you are still breathing whilst Rudy has heard his favourite sound..a pheasant screeching and had taken off in hot pursuit!!!

That being said we had a lovely walk and the surrounding landscape looked beautiful so we stayed  out til it was dark and all went home wetter and colder than when we started  out but all agreed it had been fab!!!

I dried the dogs when we got home and was surprised to see the amount of snowballs stuck to them!! Rio’s back legs were festooned with them bless him and I did feel sorry for them both when I saw that between each claw was more snow!! However they were not bothered and they soon got dry and warm. The exertion of snow jumping obviously took it out of all of us and we all crashed out on the sofa that evening!!

Rio intent on finding something!!

Rio intent on finding something!!

Saturday I walked with my good friend Cath and Fern over Gretton Hill. Again quite hard going as the snow was so deep in places where it had drifted and also your foot plunged down through the snow , hit ice, crashed through that and ended up filling your boots with freezing cold muddy water!! Oh the joy!!

At the top of the hill we bumped into 2 guys running (must be crazy) and offered to close the gate for them. The one guy looked like he was going to cry at the offer as he was planning to use the gate as a support before he collapsed!!! So we left him to it and were just inspecting some strange hoof prints in the snow when we looked up and saw 2 beautiful full grown deer run along the track behind us!!

Needless to say all 3 dogs had missed them as they had put a pheasant up from the bushes and were all going after that!! All in all it was a lovely long walk, the type that when you get home you feel you can relax and enjoy a snooze!!! So we did!!

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Pleased to meet you!!!

14 Jan

Rudy, Rio and I have had some lovely sociable walks over the last couple of weeks!!! It made me realise yet again what social creatures us humans and our dogs are!!! Whether I walk with friends or alone it’s very rare for me to come home not having spoken to someone. All random strangers with one thing in common…a love of dogs of course!!!

I walked with my friends Fi and Jan last weekend and I don’t think we stopped talking for the entire walk, all 3 hours of it!!! You may remember Fi and her husband Dave have Digs their young Cocker spaniel so the 3 dogs had almost as much fun as us 3 humans!!! Jan is a seasoned Springer spaniel owner although she is currently “between” dogs due to work commitments so she dog shares with  whenever she can.

Rio, Rudy and Digs

Rio, Rudy and Digs

We slipped and slid our way round Cleeve Hill and ended up screaming with laughter at the weird , wacky walks we have attempted in the past!!! Jan recounted a horror story of a walk she once took with her long suffering hubby and their dog Rolls. She recalled they had undertaken a hilly walk and had been on the go for several hours when the terrain suddenly became almost unmanageable!! So steep and rocky that they both ended up crawling up the bank gripping the sliding rocks with their bare hands, nails breaking and much blaspheming colouring the air!!

They finally reached the summit but before they could make the last scramble to safety they heard hushed voices and Jan looked up to see a family walking along the top of the hill, on the proper path, on the level, no stony crags to scale, no sweaty brows, all walking sedately along and wondering , whispering, why these 2 crazy people had chosen to climb the hill almost vertically without mountaineering gear and safety ropes and hadn’t just taken the clearly marked footpath like everyone else!!!!!

I'm sure the sign pointed this way!!

I’m sure the sign pointed this way!!

We all had a good laugh at Jan’s expense and to this day she still doesn’t have a decent explanation!!! Obviousy I can’t say anything as I am a frequent faller!! It doesn’t matter what the terrain, weather or anything else I can fall over / trip / slide down banks / catch my foot on a fence…the list is endless and can be extremely embarrassing but hey I’m hoping no one recognises me in my DWU!!!!

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Slip sliding away..

28 Nov

Slippery slope!!

We have had so much rain lately, both in Britain generally and closer to home that walking Rudy and Rio has become like a Boot Camp Survival challenge every day!!!  Everywhere you try to walk is so wet and slippery that I am often found poleaxed and prone on the ground after yet another Olympic standard fall / slip/trip/slide while Rudy and Rio are as athletic and graceful as ever, completely sure footed and steady.

The dogs are able to run at the same speed ( flat out ) whether they are going up hill, down hill or on the flat!! How do they manage that and still stay standing? Some of the hills they sprint down are so steep I expect them to end up rolling down instead but they never do.

On one walk on Cleeve Hill I remember a lady rushing up to me quite upset because she had seen 2 dogs racing to the edge of the hill and disappearing!!  I calmed her down as I explained that yes they had gone over the edge but that they did it regularly as part of their walk and that in a few minutes they would reappear tails wagging furiously happy as could be!!

Rudy

I must admit that when you see the inclines they tackle it does make me wonder why I have such trouble staying upright just crossing a flat wooden bridge? This triumph of human (in) stability happened not so long ago when I took Rudy and Rio to Cheltenham Racecourse fields for a walk. It is a very popular place for local dog walkers and you usually bump into someone you know to have a chat to.

Anyway the ground was quite wet as always and we approached the wide wooden bridge from an adjoining field. The dogs were happily off exploring and I walked down a slope to the bridge thinking to myself that it was probably quite slippery so I should be careful.

Hmm as I reached the edge of the bridge I decided I should jump onto the bridge to avoid a huge puddle. As soon as my first wellie clad foot touched the bridge it skidded straight back off and then I found myself literally flying through the air both legs higher than my head ( no mean feat ) before landing with a massive thud on my backside!!!

Of course my first thought was that I hoped the people I knew were walking behind me hadn’t seen as I tried to get up!! Rudy must have heard so he came rushing back to see what was going on, saw me laying on my back, figured I must be ok as I was gesticulating wildly and promptly ran back off to scour the hedgerow again!! Rio didn’t even bother pretending to be concerned!!

I struggled to my feet and soldiered on tears springing to my eyes and limping madly so we could continue the walk. I whistled the dogs as by now I had no idea where they were and they both came crashing out of the hedge greeted me gleefully and headed off again, apparently not noticing that I was now walking with a stoop and slightly off centre!!

The bruises from that walk lasted a few weeks but I must admit if I had seen someone else do it I would have found it hysterical!!

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