It’s a common misconception that picking up a lead and shouting walkies will bring your dog to paroxysms of excitement.  When the leads get picked up in our house the bassets high tail to the nearest soft place to lie flat and engage their gravity inducing powers that make it impossible to move them.  I can’t help but wonder what has happened in their upbringing that creates such a daily drama to leaving the house to do something they both love.

To take a walk, or rather a ramble, through the undergrowth sniffing every scent and leaving their mark just to make sure that every other dog knows that this is their territory is basset heaven.  Basset walks are rather more for mental health than physical although the vet declared them fit animals for lazy hounds at their recent annual check-up. Although the luxury of walks that take as long as they take are gone now I’m back to work, we still walk every day I’m at home and it’s a morning pleasure as long as I give over the time to the bassets who love nothing more than roaming on their own at their own pace doing their own thing.

It makes me laugh to watch them wander completely oblivious of me and the camera and then suddenly they’ll look up – first startled and then more inquisitive before quickly feeling secure enough to completely ignore me again.  I really wish they could talk although I think their expressions say enough.

The days seem packed to the gunnels with work, rest and play.  I am loving the studying even if it’s testing my mental agility to its limits and my curiosity means I spend too much time researching and not knuckling down to write the essays.  Thankfully the tutor averted a potential stress point on the horizon by granting us all a week’s extension on a large essay due at the same time as two other pieces of assessed work.  Can’t help but think some planning and co-ordination might have helped.  We’ve had an exceedingly dry spell making gardening hard work although the weeds are enjoying being cemented in the ground.  After weeks of baking disasters (how I yearned for some wheat flour) I’ve had some cake and cookie breakthroughs so hope to get back with some food blogging in the next couple of weeks.  Summer looks like it might linger for a while which is a wonderful thought.