Sunday walk with snowdrops

There are basically two ways to start the day as far as Ty is concerned. The first is that the alarm goes off, I get out of bed, shower, dress and take him down the Coombe. After that I have a cup of coffee and do things with keyboards before changing my clothes, combing my hair and going out. Somewhere around the hair combing stage he goes to bed and lies there, sulking, knowing he's going to be leftat home. This happens three or four days a week.
The second plan is that I get up when I wake up, sit about in a dressing gown drinking coffee and staring at a computer screen (sometimes for hours), before eventually showering, dressing and taking him out. I don't think he's all that bothered which we do, as a general rule.
Today was different, though. With the first ring of the alarm he jumped on the bed and pointed at it, wound up tight waiting for me to switch it off. Usual routine, dress, drink of water, off down the Coombe. Back again. Make a cup of coffee, sit down at keyboard. Instead of lying down quietly somewhere as usual, though, Ty took up station by my right elbow, sitting and staring, poised and ready... Coffee finished, I started gathering bags and stuff together as usual. Picked up my comb. Instead of going to bed for a sulk, he ran to the front door. I sat back down at the computer, he started with the nose under the elbow 'get up, get up, I want something...'
Eventually the phone rang, our lift was outside, and off we went for a day's adventure. But how had he known that today he was going with me? The routine was absolutely normal. I was careful not to say anything about walks. I didn't even put my big boots on, but still he knew.
It was a good morning's walk, too. From Pentewan, halfway between St Austell and Mevagissey, we took a valley trail along an old railway track (this one carried iron ore, I believe) by the side of the White River, so called presumably because its bed is mostly china clay. From there we took a diversion uphill through and round the King's Wood, a bit of ancient woodland now well looked after by the Woodland Trust with maps, waymarks and boards with bits of history, see http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/en/our-woods/Pages/wood-details.aspx?wood=4357 then back along the riverbank to an excellent carvery lunch at the Ship Inn.
We saw lots of snowdrops and winter heliotrope in flower. The heliotrope had been starting to flower before the big freeze at the beginning of January blighted and shrivelled the leaves, but it's grown new smaller ones and is filling the banks with odour of cherry pie. Here in the Coombe the wild garlic is well grown, but there have been very few celandines this year - the freeze caught them too.
In spite of the greyness of the sky today and a chilly wind I do feel that spring is on its way - I'm just not sure when!

Winter Sunshine Walking

It is so much nicer to go walking when the sky is blue and the sun is shining. Even if it is a little on the cool side. Not quite freezing in the morning, but a slight touch of frost on the grass at the side of the coombe. In truth, the weather has been clear and bright for a few days and I've been actually enjoying dog walking, just locally around the creek and Churchtown, instead of dutifully carrying out the miserable obligatory chore it is when it rains and rains and rains...

A proper walk had been scheduled for today; the fine weather was a very welcome bonus. From the small coastal village of Pentewan, half way between St Austell and Mevagissey, up and over inland round the edge of the lost gardens of Heligan, down through the woods to Mevagissey itself and back along the coastpath for lunch at the Ship Inn. Five and a half miles or so, some very steep bits with which I struggled a bit, but managed better than I had expected. I'm lucky to have companions to walk with who at least pretend to be happy to amble along at my slowish pace, taking photographs and playing with the dogs.

Inland it was quite sheltered and even warm while walking so that the strong northeast wind blowing along the coast took us a little by surprise when we dropped down into Mevagissey before climbing back up along the coastpath. No surfers, far too rough for them, and just one solitary inflatable bobbing about in the waves.

After a very enjoyable lunch (carvery, but they knew we were going to be lateish so saved some for us special) with even more enjoyable draught pear Rattler at the Ship we resisted the temptation to sit and listen to the jazz band for the afternoon and took the dogs on to the beach, as the sun was still shining and the surf still running. Ty swam for sticks, although I was careful only to allow him where it seemed fairly safe away from the rocks and the biggest waves.

On the east side of the 'harbour' (now landlocked) there's a vertical cliff about 100ft high covered in dense and mostly thorny vegetation. A terrier, Boris, had run up there after a rabbit and got himself stuck half way up in a gorse bush. His family of Mum, Dad, two small girls and another dog were standing below calling him, but for all his panicked scrabbling and whimpering he could not seem to get free. He even attracted the attention of a buzzard who came in and alighted about twenty feet up from where the dog was caught, before deciding that either the thorns were too thick or the dog wasn't weak enough to make a meal.

It was odd; there was absolutely nothing we could do, but one still feels somehow committed to stand around and wait for an outcome. We had to leave eventually after twenty minutes or so, but I still need to know. Did he eventually manage to escape? Did they call out the Coastguard? There's been nothing on the news yet...