Morning dog walk. A lone rhododendron bud, encouraged by two days of sunshine, makes a brave attempt to brighten the autumn day. As we pass the bakery the air is full of the promise of today’s pies. A rook appears from behind a garden wall and carries a large bread crust into the sky.

Morning dog walk. A young gull stands alone and bemused in the empty car park, serenaded by a robin in the nearby rowan. A man on a bike stops to talk to me then, realising I’m not who he thought, pedals away full of apologies. The church spire stands proud against the cloudless Sunday sky.

Morning dog walk. A man stands outside the holiday cottage watching the river. He holds a mug of tea & smiles as we pass. I find an ancient bench, now upholstered with moss, & wonder how many people have rested there. The man at the bus stop crouches down to stroke the dog & talks softly to her.

Morning dog walk. An old German Shepherd lies at the feet of her owner outside the baguette shop. My dog wags hopefully at the door and is rewarded with a piece of chicken. Mid river a cormorant sits on a rock, wings outstretched in the sun. A coloured leaf gleams on the bank, a beacon of Autumn.

Morning dog walk. In the peace of a Sunday morning the dog meets a spaniel and they both bounce with joy. A car parked diagonally with one wheel on the verge implies one pint too many last night. The church bells start as we pass and a single robin sings unseen from the depths of the yew.

Morning dog walk. A group of people stand and chat by the library. They chorus “Good morning” as we pass. A man scatters cake from a paper bag onto a piece of waste ground. The birds are so quick to swoop I assume he must do it regularly. I am charmed by a poem I discover in a stone by the river.

My husband, a marine engineer, was asked if he could help a friend of his brother who was marooned on his broken down catamaran. With a combination of online questions, chat and photographs he has diagnosed the fault, instructed him how to mend it and solved his problem. This blows my mind 1/2

Morning dog walk. A buddleia growing from a high chimney is silhouetted against the blue sky. I am briefly dazzled by the sun shining off the river as it races towards the sea. A woman with a bunch of bright yellow flowers stops to fuss the dog while she tells me how much she misses her old boy.

Morning dog walk. The sunshine on last night’s rain causes the town to wake up sparkling. Three fishermen in waders, cheerful at the thought of today’s possible salmon catch, carry bakery bought breakfasts to a 4 x 4 parked by the river. Two robins sing a duet in the trees by the library.

Morning dog walk. I hear the river long before I see it and find it animated by the recent rain. The chef from the visitor centre takes a few minutes to play ball with her dog before the breakfast orders start. Five collared doves sit companionably in the yew tree by the church.

@typejunky.bsky.social Hi Nick. Do you happen to know what this is? Sainsbury’s managed to damage it so I rescued it this morning and have repotted it. Hopefully it will recover. 🤞

Morning dog walk. A single Buddleia stem grows and flowers out of the wall by the river. The fish van pulls up and sets up for the day’s trading just as the rain starts. A stiff breeze causes leaves to fall from the beech tree by the library while sparrows squabble in the hedge.

Kitchen before and after.

Morning dog walk. The neighbourhood cat sits with the lollipop lady as she waits patiently for any new term, back-to-school latecomers. A gull preens himself on a rock in the middle of the shallow river. I breakfast on blackberries as we pass a laden hedgerow.

Morning dog walk. A faulty road sweeping lorry groans as it works its way along the high street then breathes a sigh of relief as it stops to let us cross. The dog dashes to retrieve an abandoned ball in the supermarket car park only to discover it is a lemon. A dove sits alone on the church roof.

Morning dog walk. The third day with no swifts and their absence is palpable. A collared dove investigates an elder bush laden with berries. A taxi driver stands by his vehicle and steals time for a cigarette between fares. A neighbourhood cat stretches in the sun before settling on a public bench.

RIP Terence Stamp. 💔 Priscilla is one of my favourite films.

The new William Morris dog beds seem to meet with their approval. 😁

Morning dog walk. Swifts swoop and wheel overhead but are curiously silent. A workman pressure washes the moss off the roof of the newly sold bungalow. The river flows calmly and silently until gravity upsets it at the weir. A single tiny rosebud promises a bright spot amongst the ivy.

And on the subject of the memorial garden . . . I love this.

Someone has put sun hats on the statues in the memorial garden 🤣

Morning dog walk. We are greeted with a cheery “Good morning” by a man in shorts, shirt and a multi-coloured scarf. Rooks argue over discarded bread crusts by the supermarket trolleys. At the bus stop a young woman sits and reads a novel. Diamonds sparkle in the dew on the bowling green.

Legs 🤷‍♀️

Morning dog walk. A man strides across the zebra crossing. He holds a can of cider in one hand & a banana in the other. Outside the flats an elderly gentleman brushes the path while a hand washes the inside of a window. Someone inside the church unlocks the main door and opens it with a clatter.

Last night’s full moon.

Morning dog walk after the storm. The sun wins its struggle to break through the overcast sky. Blackberries, still wet from the recent rain, gleam invitingly. Branches from the large willow are strewn across the car park where the wind left them. A fly fisherman braves the cascading river.

@aim2gtc.bsky.social Talking of adverts - did you know the old Hovis advert with the boy on the bike was directed by Ridley Scott? That’s today’s bit of useless information 😂😂

Waiting for Mr B to come out of the library.

There is an apple tree in our new garden. It’s pretty old but I think it’s safe to say it is still fairly prolific.

Morning dog walk. A delivery driver unloads cages from his truck behind the Co-op while swifts scream overhead. In the car park a family with a dog spill out of the door of their motorhome. Two men pause by the church to take photographs. The river dances along its course behind the high street.

Hanging baskets outside the fire station in town. Firefighter’s helmets!

His favourite occupation.

Bird table update. It’s been there for about 72 hours and so far visitors have included Sparrows Bluetit Great Tit Coal Tit Blackbird Unidentified bird which may ( or may not) have been a willow warbler.

Just been to the new vets we’ve registered with, just for intros, weights and flea drops. Everyone there was lovely but what amazes me is that it’s an independent practice. I was beginning to think there were none left!

@andreatromans.bsky.social My apologies. I missed your birthday yesterday. I’m so sorry. Hope you had a lovely day and spoilt yourself. x

This is the A75 in Dumfries & Galloway at 9.45 on a Monday morning. 😊

My bird table has been up and running for 24 hours. So far I’ve seen one little bluetit. But it’s a start. BooDog is keeping an eye on proceedings.

Artists with the most albums in my collection. Jackson Browne John Martyn Van Morrison Leonard Cohen Paul Simon Joni Mitchell Tom Waits Joan Armatrading Christine Collister & Clive Gregson

Came across this in the woods today.

Before and after.

Driving down a road today following the satnav. All of a sudden it said “In one mile navigate off road” 😳

Well this isn’t going the way I wanted it to. #WimbledonFinal

The Woodster. Dignified as always.

Tommy Lee Royce appears to be in the Royal Box at Wimbledon. Do you think we should inform somebody?

My friend went into a care home a while ago because she developed dementia. I’ve just had word she’s now receiving end of life care. Life can be such a bitch sometimes. She didn’t deserve any of this.

Out with the dog this morning she suddenly shot into the baguette shop where she received quality fuss and a piece of chicken. I’m never going to be able to get her past that shop again am I?

This is the view from the patio doors in our new house. I’m not in the least bit religious but I love being able to see this church spire and I find the clock bongs very comforting.

This story about Moth and Raynor Winn (or is it Sally and Tim Walker?) has really saddened me. I loved the Salt Path and was totally taken in by it. Now I feel duped. What I don’t understand though is if it was fiction why not just publish it as a novel? Why lie to everyone?

I opened the trunk to get some curtains out and when I came back there was a dog in it 😁

@cmhardy.bsky.social Happy Independence Day!