Get orrf my land

Having been away on business recently, I took Blue out for another trek across the local fields yesterday. We went a bit further than before but came to a dead end, so ended up straying from the public right of way, walking alongside some traditional hedgerows trying to navigate in a large square. Blue was being his usual self, carrying large clumps of hey/manure mixture whilst exploring every little thing that caught his eye. Mind you, I don’t think he’d be too good as a coursing dog, a rabbit popped out of the hedgerow pretty close to him and he didn’t even spot it.

Nearing the end of the walk, now obviously not on any kind of assigned path, an ominous looking 4×4 was slowly heading our way across the field. I was pretty sure that this was going to be a ‘get orrf my land’ moment. The window rolled down and I was politely informed that we were trespassing. I knew I was, but there was little I could do, as we were hedgerowed & barb-wired in, so I acted the innocent, apologised and made our way to the nearest exit.

As you can see, Blue is getting a nice shape to him. He’s growing at an astonishing pace, and is unbelievably energetic. He is relentless in his want to play. Even after one lengthy walk this morning he still had boundless energy, so I consulted an old OS map and headed off across the fields again. I returned to the ‘dead end’, but this time I knew where to go without trespassing. We found some great bridleways and footpaths. I think I’m going to invest in a lower scale map & explore the area via the myriad of public footpaths that wind around the countryside. It’s amazing how many of them there are.
Blue definitely needs the exercise to burn off his energy, I need it to burn off the excesses of ten days in the US.

Solana Beach, California

Evening sun at Solana Beach, California.

I’m lucky enough to be out in San Diego on a business trip. An after work trip to see a friends house on Solana Beach presented this beautiful view looking out at the Pacific Ocean. A break in the cloud allowed the early evening sun to dance across the horizon.
Please excuse the quality, all I had was my mobile phone camera.

It’s a truly stunning spot, and I’m extremely jealous of my friends who live in a beautiful place right on the cliff top.

Soft Sandstone Cliffs

View from the clifftop

Field Trip

Well, I’ve just got back from my first ever walk with Blue. His ‘heeling’ skills are a little rough around the edges, he tends to shoot off in any direction, similar to an inflated balloon that is released without tying a knot.

Sporting his new beefier collar I took him over into the local fields, which is all new territory to him. Carrying a huge chunk of manure seemed to please him somewhat, against my objections.

He found it quite amusing that I had to get on my hands and knees to slide under a barbed wire fence to take a short cut. He decided that getting my jacket caught wasn’t enough of a punishment, so he proceeded to jump around on my head with his muddy paws.

At least I now have half an hour of peace as he’s currently crashed out beside me on the sofa.

Domain de Balme / Chamonix, France

View from the top of the Tête de Balme chairlift, 2270m.

The first full day riding in the Balme region of Chamonix produced a stunning view from the top of the Tête de Balme chairlift.

The morning was hindered by low cloud and flat light conditions, but by early afternoon the cloud began to lift and produced an amazing view across the valley. The last remnants of the cloud hung motionless with the sunlight streaming through, producing aqua blue horizontal streams of light across the valley. Skiers and boarders dismounting the chairlift gathered to see this wonderful scene.