Monday

The Dog Rambler E-diary

top 26
March 2012
Walk Dogs on walk

Saltoun Wood, near East Saltoun

Length

6 miles

Dylan, Jolie, Lucas, Maggie, Tim, Struan, Talaidh

A lovely welcome back from my weeks holiday from both the weather and the dogs. Glorious sunshine warmed the air and it was still early in the day. Eager dogs greeted me as I travelled around. Eager dogs greeted each other after at least nine days without seeing each other. They just managed to contain themselves in the car but their excitement was palpable. Dashing from the car they shot off in all directions like the fast retreating ripples from a stone dropped into water, the car and me at the centre. I gathered them back together in the car park and we set off in the right direction along a dry, dusty track into the trees. Jolie quick to latch onto Lucas. Him chasing her along the track. Tim a little slow on the uptake as he had been hovering around Dylan and Struan. He soon saw where the action was and caught them up. Maggie leapt about beside the track, her tongue soon beginning to drop from her mouth. Revealing her white teeth and soft pink mouth. It was not long before the heat hit the rest. Six more lolling tongues joined Maggies. The heat reducing the speed of the dogs, stifling their excitement at being back together.

On the warm air the trill and song of birdcalls floated around the wood. Calling to each other from tree to tree a natural Twitter abounding with Tweets promising romance or protecting territory. Their calls drifting unfettered between the cleared trees as work continues cutting wood in forest. From deep in the trees to our right the sound of chainsaws cut through the birdcall as we reached the edge of the woods, ready to wander around the lush fields of fast growing crops. In the full glare of the sun the dogs tongues hung further from their mouths like inverted sundials casting long shadows between their legs. Jolie finding enough energy to pounce once more on Lucas with Tim in turn pouncing on her. Maggie having to run from time to time to catch us up as she sniffed and snuffled in the warm grass beside the track. Dylan stretched us out as he ran by to take up the lead on our geometrical paths around the patchwork of fields. A hazy vista toward the Lammermuir Hills and across fields edged by tress back toward the woods. Thankful of its partial shade Jolie, Lucas and Tim managed a little run about. But our arrival at some recently created ponds did the job. After a dip and a swim, Maggie, Talaidh and Tim all bobbing about they were rejuvenated. Even Dylan was more than knee deep and Lucas found himself almost swimming as Jolie hugged the bank giving him nowhere to go but into the water. Revived they all raced off in what was almost a seven dog chase until they began to dry and the heat of the sun cast its toiling spell on them. But not for too long as after another quick round of a field we descend into the dimness of the wood where it dropped to a river. Another chance to swim and a chance to play with some other dogs as we met up with Carole and her bunch of happy dogs already in the river. We left Carole and her brood and continued along the well shaded river bank until the narrow path climbed away back up the bank and onto the main paths of the wood meandering us back toward the car park.

Nick

Photo slideshow from the walk

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