a winter walk

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas? We sure did, the six of us and my mum (and of course our four legged friends).

On Christmas Eve, Jack and I went for a walk along the canal and river and I thought I'd share a few photos with you. It was unusually misty and quite cold, too.  There were not many walkers out, just a few intrepid dog owners. I thought it was quite pleasant actually, I was wearing my long and warm bright yellow winter jacket and a big fat wooly hat. I rather enjoy a solitary walk with Jack. It is always a good opportunity to listen to an audiobook, on this day book 3 of the Denzel Meyrick DCI Daley crime series. I loved listening to this series, it is set in the West of Scotland, probably on the Kintyre peninsula that is the home of Campbeltown. The fictional town is called Kinloch, which means a place at the end of a Loch. There is not actually a Kinloch on Kintyre. Anyway, the characters are so well drawn that I couldd imagine exchanging pleasantries in the corner shop with any of them. DCI Daley is Glaswegian, as is his sidekick, DI Scott. How they end up on Kintyre is for you to find out. The narration is superb and very authentic and effortlessly switches between the Glasgwegian dialect and that of the Western Isles, and a more neutral Scottish accent for descriptive passages.

I was also entertained by Jack of course, who is always fun to watch. I watch him like a hawk these days, he has the habit of making a runner whenever he gets a whiff of fox, real or imaginary. On a more recent walk, he sauntered down the steep riverbank and disappeared. I eventually followed followed in his tracks, with little elegance of course, particularly when climbing over the rickety fencing that separates the footpath from the river. Jack had disappeared into an animal den. I could do nothing but wait and call out to him, trying to convince him that my imaginary dog treats were far more attractive than the creature living in the den. I was so worried he might get into a fight with said creature, or worse, that he might get stuck. He reappeared after nearly 20 minutes, black like a coal miner after a long shift and completely hyper. By then I was overcome by mild hysteria (although I think I hid this well enough from my two youngest and a friend). I caught him just as he was turning around, heading back into the den. The Jack Russell instinct is strong in our favourite dog.

Jack's adventure was probably the most stressful moment of the entire Christmas period.

Christmas was peaceful with the exception of the annual present opening frenzy and the odd sibling bickering. On Christmas Day, we had a late breakfast and enjoyed a longish dog walk with half of our children. The other half preferred a pj day and stayed at home with my mum, who was visiting. Christmas dinner was tender roast beef with roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, broccoli and peas. It more or less cooked itself. I made a lemon meringue pie for dessert. I had forgotten how much I love to make lemon curd! The following few days were variations on that same theme: good company, good food, captivating books,  fun games, dog walks, garden bird watching, some sewing. I couldn't wish for more. I enjoyed myself although I am finding it difficult to remember exactly what we did and when. I am ready for Hogmanay now and look forward to having lots of friends visiting, for a few minutes or the entire evening.

Have a lovely Sunday. Thanks for stopping by and saying hello. Happy New Year! I'll be back in 2019.

Christina xx