My quiet field

I think this quarantine is getting to me. As people will know I have some favourite walks and some of them are off limits at the moment. Much as I would love to go and ride the tube into London, I cannot. We can, apparently, jump in the car and go somewhere “for the day as long as we return home before dark”. This sounds to me like something worrying happens once darkness falls upon the land. I already know that Lenny bites me in daylight as well as at night so I am not sure what could happen that is worse. Anyway I am going off track slightly so I shall return to the point in hand. Or point in paw in my case.

We were out on a stroll recently and were being buzzed by cars, cyclists and runners. Every minute or so, Lenny and I were being hauled in as people were approaching us and the lane was fairly narrow. Due to recent restrictions the number of other people out and about has greatly reduced. Do the cyclists and runners not understand that we are supposed to be sniffing the creatures in the hedges and fields. We had been on the outward leg for around 2-3 miles and it was fun despite the regular reining in we had to endure so we weren’t run over by cars, cycles or runners. We had even managed to find the dead rabbit carcass that had lain by the edge of the road for about six weeks. Sadly we were not allowed to play tug with it. Anyway on the return leg we were still getting hauled back, so I decided to take matters into my own paws. I told Lenny to hang a left on a particular corner so we could walk through a field that I know is pretty much always empty. Its bliss usually, and so it proved again. Just the parents, Lenny and I. And the buttercups and daisy flowers.

The horses in the next field looked up half surprised to see anyone wandering through and then continued with their grass eating activities. Lenny saw the rabbits in the hedgerow and became a crazed, wild-eyed, rabbit catching fiend in an instant. I joined in with the pulling on the lead as it seemed like fun, but my favourite prey is deer or squirrel so it was a bit of a muted effort from me, I am afraid. He calmed down eventually.

We strolled on through the next field and out onto the small lane back towards home. Through the little river that is currently running across the road and past the pub we wandered.

When I got back I wondered to myself about the little detour. I hadn’t been in that field for some time and I had almost forgotten how quiet it was. It made a nice change to just do something a bit different. Maybe this quarantine is dulling my senses.

Tomorrow I will look for another detour or, maybe, I will send Lenny to find one. He’ll enjoy that.