Stargazer4moon's blog: "It depends on what occurs on the way."

There is nothing you can say about the weather now except that if the forecast is right then we are in for another long winter.  When I say nothing I mean nothing nice except that we are not going have hosepipe bans for the foreseeable future.

It is absolutely chucking down here, no longer can the local golf course be seen or the houses along the Knoll.  It is I sight I look at every day and it is de ja vue.  Our skyline is almost identical to that which I looked at when I was a child growing up in Kent.  The view is almost the same down there now but the quality of the people living there has altered and not for the better it seems.  Still that is not my problem as I don't live there now.  I just have the same view although the outlook today is rather obscured.

The other day the most that happened was that we came across a dead badger in the road, it had obviously been hit by someone driving far too fast as usual along a country lane.  I got two doggy bags out of my pocket, put them on my hands then picked it out of the gutter and put it into the hedgrow.  It was only young and rather scarred from fighting but it was heavy enough which is why I was unable to put it any further away, like over the hedge.

Hector was going bezzerk, just like he does when he sees one or a fox at night, he got up on his hind legs and tried to get to the poor thing.  As it is still there I have to drag him by its resting place which is not as easy as it sounds because, although Hector is not a large dog, he is incredibly stong and wilful.  On the badger finding day I was fortunate to have been walking with a couple so the lady kindly held Hector whilst I did the decent thing.

I am eating like a horse to stop me from losing weight as I have to walk Hector three times a day, he will not use the garden for doggy doo's as he was trained not to before we got him.  The Man with the Limp is now the Bionic Hobbit, he has a titanium knee and has lost two inches in stature since he reached adolescence.  I do believe I have lost height as there are things I can no longer reach around the house.  It was quite amazing how fast he was in and out of hospital.  He went in on Friday and was out on Sunday.  The nurse came on Tuesday to look at the dressing and generally replace it so that it almost fell off again five minutes after she had gone.  The wound looks very clean and knitting well.

It has to be said that you need stimuli to stay inspired and at present the weather has been so unstimulating, we have been drowned so many times since last Friday and look set to get drowned again.  A dog walker told me that the forecast was for snow to start in November and go on until March.  Well, that is all we need as it is not far away and so I hope Bionic Hobbit will be walking around without crutches before the snows come.

We were having an Indian Summer here, the flowers were all blooming and still are even though it has turned colder.  The grape hyacinth bulbs have been sprouting for two months now and still look like they wish to attempt a second bloom.  There are laurel bushes with fruit on that look like huge black olives or grapes, I have never seen one in fruit before but we have had an amazing summer here this year, long enough for us to get a nice tan before going away on holiday as we did.

Since we got back from Sri Lanka on 3rd October we have had about six inches of rain and that has soaked away nicely.  I was going to cut the grass after walking Hector this morning but he dawdled so much that it started to spit just at the end of the walk up by the dead badger.  Would he go fast?  No he stood his ground so we got a little wet but not as much as if we had been out ten minutes later when the skies opened and the views around closed in.

We walked about seven miles over two hours and that is only because he stpos to sniff every blade of grass to mark it up if he desires.  I don't mind walking when it is nice as there is a lot to see with the gardens in bloom and everyone has taken up topiary here for some reason.  So there are some inspiring bits of work to see and some amazing garden make overs for low maintenance.  Ah, all I need is a man to do the work and one with money to pay for it.  I don't mind walking in the rain either providing I am dressed for it but I did not put a mac on, just a wind and waterproof jacket.  We live in the dales of Derbyshire so there is no such thing as a flat piece of path or road.  Some of our walks take us up and down some very sceninc routes which would look great in a photo but for the housing estate they stuck in the way!  Still, people need homes.

My grumpy amigo, I have come to the conclusion has ourlived a friendship going back over 20 years.  She has trouble with her memory so no doubt has forgotten that Frodo is not mobile.  The other day she went to visit Bionic Hobbit with her partner on their way to go shopping.  Well thanks a bundle for asking whether I needed anything.  I should not moan she does look after Hector when we go away but that it no hardship as it gets her out of the  house walking, it is the only time she does go walking.  Anyway, she was coming up last week-end to walk Hector with me, which is the last thing I needed.  Luckily it poured from Friday right round until Tuesday so I never saw her as she is a fair weather walker unless really pushed.  I actually like my own company and space quite a lot, it is just a little tiring because Hector and I don't walk slowly, unless of course he is on a sniffing walk when it takes ages to walk a mile. 

I have some books to post to people and need to get that done before Christmas post gets underway.  It would be nice to go into town and get a bit of topiary done on me but the weather is not really drawing enough to make me want to go into the mellee of town.  Ah well, there is always the wax pot and strips reclining on the bathroom cabinet covered in dust.  I was having regular treatments and haircuts until we went away in September and the final treatment was not a good one so I thought it time to change beauty parlours.  Iit is, after all,  October and everything changes then.  Even the leaves are turning autumnal now and if the sun was shining the air would be filled with the sound of digital cameras taking treasured pictures of turning leaves framed against blue skies and green fields.  Ah, if only.  All we have is mist, murk and rain as far as the eyes can see.