The tutor who first marked my assignment this term – I got a First, by the way, did I mention it? – left me a note telling me that she would very much like to read more of a story that I started as a part of a class exercise, and wondering if I had got round to writing any more.
Of course I hadn’t, but worse than that, I couldn’t remember the story at all. I did not have the least idea what I had written, or what I had thought I might write next.
I have been considering this, on and off, for a couple of days.
This morning I hunted it out and read it.
My memory was not in the least refreshed, and indeed, if I had not known that I had written it, I would probably have denied all knowledge.
I thought that I would have a think about it whilst I went for my walk this morning.
I had forgotten that the walk would have an extra element of excitement today, being, of course, the first outing of Rosie the over-excited new piranha poopy.
This was not in the least helped along by the early blossoming of a migraine headache.
I have taken loads of drugs but this is still lurking.
Mark buzzed off to work, with some relief, I thought, leaving me with the dogs and the sunshine. Rosie, who has given him her whole heart, was very sad about this. She sat outside the door and cried when he went into the loo this morning.
Even I don’t do that.
In fact apart from being a first class nuisance, Rosie is doing very well indeed. She has had one accident today, when she could not remember how to find the back door, and had an emergency wee next to the kitchen door instead. Apart from that she has obligingly emptied herself in the Great Outdoors, like the others.
I am very impressed indeed about this.
We have started what might be loosely called her training, but what could simply be summarised as minimising her tiresome tendencies.
She is learning to Walk To Heel. She will do this as long as she can see the cheese in your hand. She also did it after a four mile walk this morning, by which time she was too tired to argue.
I think I walked about three and a half miles. She walked a lot further because of not understanding about energy conservation, and belting around trying to catch up with Roger Poopy, who was hunting squirrels.
It has been funny to see how the dogs have responded to her now that the exciting novelty has worn off.
Roger Poopy has become suddenly and unexpectedly middle-aged. He has a perfect role model in his father for dealing with irritating waggy creatures, and knows what is expected of him. He has taken to subsiding wearily on to his cushion with a sigh, and an occasional bad-tempered growl when his ears are gnawed.
His father, on the other hand, has been determined not to be left out, and whilst I would not exactly say that he has been rejuvenated by the new arrival, we could perhaps say that he has been middle-agenated. He has been seized by a new enthusiasm to listen to what is going on, presumably in order not to miss out on any Good Dog Cheese. He can be a Good Dog when he feels like it, he has remembered, and he was unexpectedly at my side for the entire duration of the walk.
The walk was actually rather splendid. The sun was shining, and the spring birds in full-throated eloquence. We practised Walking To Heel until I got fed up of tripping over dogs, and once we were out on the fell they all charged about to their heart’s content. Rosie fell in the tadpole pond, the tarn and both streams, much to Roger Poopy’s appalled horror, and he stood fastidiously to one side to avoid the muddy splashing.
She ate a dandelion, which made her sneeze, and some sheep poo, which she seemed to relish, and an awful lot of Good Dog Cheese.
She was very good indeed by the end of the walk, except that she had got so tired she kept sitting down in the road, and when we got home she was no trouble whatsoever for the rest of the afternoon, because she was fast asleep.
She lay on the cushion and snored exhausted little snores until it was time to go out again before I went off to work.
On the whole I think that is absolutely my favourite sort of dog.
