Sunday, September 19, 2021

Early Fall Heath Excursion


I'm seeing more leaves like this one lying around. Is it a sign of the seasons changing, or am I simply noticing dying leaves that would be on the forest floor anyway? Let's call it early fall, because it feels that way.

I took Olga to the West Heath yesterday. She's still capable of walking that far and doing a smaller loop than we used to. But it tired her out and she's still in bed as I write (as is Dave, who, as usual, stayed home.) When I got up just now, neither one of them even lifted their heads!


As you can see, the leaves on the trees are still green.


There was plenty of activity on our walk, like back-scratching on an ivy-covered fallen log...


...and rolling in leaves...


...and rolling in mud. (She's about to bark at me for taking her picture.) When we got home she definitely needed a bath.

Otherwise, there's been no real excitement around here. Somehow I frittered away the day yesterday without cracking the cover of my latest Newbery book ("Roller Skates," by Ruth Sawyer), which I really need to sit down and just plow through. There's no reason I shouldn't be able to read these books in a few days, and instead it often takes me at least a week. Too many other distractions! At this rate I'm not going to finish this project until well into 2022. I still have about 20 books to go.

And I wasn't online, either. I am trying to limit my computer time, though I spent several hours in the morning organizing and archiving photos. Today I'm hoping to tackle some garden projects and YES I am going to READ THAT BOOK.

39 comments:

Moving with Mitchell said...

That final photo of Olga pre-bark is a winner.

Sarah said...

I'm glad Olga found some mud! Lovely photos of your walk. Happy reading!

Anonymous said...

Lockdown malaise perhaps, but I am struggling to continue reading an eBook I am half way through.

I love the Olga photos. What a gal.

Mary said...

Olga makes me smile. Glad she got you out for a walk. :)

As for finishing books in a timely manner, I seem to have that problem these days. Start quite a few (currently shifting between six library books), but find myself either distracted or just not that interested in the character or plot at the time, so keep flip flopping back and forth between them. Not enjoyable reading, but more my issue than the books.

Ms. Moon said...

Olga is just in heaven, isn't she? I am constantly amazed at how much beautiful nature you have there in London. It's just something I never truly imagined.

Bob said...

That last photo of Olga looking skyward wearing that smile.
I live for that kind of joy!

crafty cat corner said...

I have just started reading 'American Dirt' by Jeanine Cummins. Both my Son and Daughter in law have raced through it as it is so good. Have you read it Steve?
Briony
x

Anonymous said...

I love seeing Olga rolling around at the Heath. It makes me happy to see her happy.
We're starting to see the leaves change here, some falling already. It seems early, but we're just three days away from equinox.

Debby said...

That dog always looks so happy with life.

Ellen D. said...

So what if you take a while to read through all of those books! Better to be out and about and enjoying life! There is no deadline on your reading list, right? You can space it out for as long as you want! Save that reading project for crummy days! :)

Edna B said...

I love love the photos of Olga enjoying herself. Especially the one in the mud! Don't rush your reading. Just enjoy it. You have a super day, hugs, Edna B.

Linda Sue said...

Olga the dirty girl! LOVE that photo. SO OLGA!

ellen abbott said...

wonderful pictures of Olga. dogs are such a gift.

Margaret said...

Olga looks very blissful in that last photo. I would never have guessed she was pre-bark. I need to limit my computer time since reading the news these days is depressing and scary.

Kelly said...

Dogs take pleasure in such simple things. We have one that loves to scratch her back by rubbing under a shrub beneath my office window. I often hear her moaning with pleasure. These are delightful photos of Olga!

Yorkshire Pudding said...

Neither Dave nor Olga bothered to look up when you came in the room? Perhaps you could learn to be more interesting with a self-help book. Wearing smarter outfits over the weekend would surely help to grab their attention.

Sharon said...

It's funny the different ways that fall arrives around the world. Here I feel fall in the air when the night time temps fall below 80. Olga looks so cute in the last photo. I think she enjoyed that walk even if it was tiring.

Janie Junebug said...

Olga looks delightfully dirty and happy in the last shot. Has Olga's thyroid ever been checked by the vet? I ask because Franklin had low thyroid and has been on medication for it for a month. He's perked up and no longer acts as if he's an old man.

Love,
Janie

Allison said...

Olga always looks so happy in the mud. What a good girl.

Steve Reed said...

I have not read it! I should give it a try!

Steve Reed said...

That's a lot of books at once! I'm not sure I could manage that. I am a one-book-at-a-time kind of reader. :)

Steve Reed said...

They call Hampstead Heath the "green lung of London."

Steve Reed said...

Yeah, it's true! Fall is basically here, isn't it?!

Steve Reed said...

There's no official deadline, but I want to finish by the end of this school year, if not before. That sounds like a long way off but it's really not!

Steve Reed said...

I don't want to rush it, but I do want to "apply myself," as my teachers used to suggest that I do in class. :)

Steve Reed said...

She's a mess!

Steve Reed said...

You gotta love their enthusiasm.

Steve Reed said...

I think it's healthy for all of us to impose some limits!

Steve Reed said...

That's part of what makes owning a dog so great. They always remind us of simple pleasures!

Steve Reed said...

I could wear cellophane and sparklers and I still wouldn't grab their attention when they're asleep!

Steve Reed said...

I don't think our nighttime temperatures are EVER that high, even in summer!

Steve Reed said...

That's an interesting question. I'm not sure she's been specifically checked for that, but she hasn't gained weight, which is usually another sign of thyroid issues. Did Franklin gain weight?

Steve Reed said...

She loves the mud, no question about that!

Steve Reed said...

She looks mischievous, doesn't she?!

Steve Reed said...

She's got a nose for it, definitely!

Steve Reed said...

Maybe you need another book, one that's more compelling! What book are you reading?

Steve Reed said...

Me too! I often experience it vicariously through her. :)

Steve Reed said...

As I've said before, we call her "100 percent dog," because no matter what she's doing, she's all in!

e said...

She is always adorable, even in mud!