Sunday, April 30, 2023

Best Day Ever: Heath, Martini


I wrote yesterday that everyone's been complaining about the chilly, rainy weather. Well, never mind! Yesterday we had the most PERFECT day of the year so far. The temperatures were in the mid-60s F (or about 19ยบ C), the sun was shining, the birds were singing, winged unicorns were galloping through the sky and all of humankind put away our grumpy tendencies. Or so it seemed. (Maybe I just put away my grumpy tendencies.)

I did get the lawn mowed for the first time this year (above) and did some minor trimming and neatening. Then Olga and I settled down on the grass and I read "American Dirt" until around lunchtime. Dave and I had a package of bacon in the fridge that we needed to eat, so we made bacon sandwiches -- and although I wouldn't normally opt for a bacon sandwich, they were darn good.

Afterwards, I took Olga for a walk. I just couldn't face going to the cemetery again, and the sunshine was inviting us to do something bolder, so we set off for Hampstead Heath. I wanted to see if the coltsfoot was blooming on Sandy Heath.


As you can see, Olga -- despite being 75 or 80 in dog years -- was up for the challenge! Here's a video of our Heath activities, distilled to an essential five minutes. Have you ever seen a happier dog? She's a little stiff toward the end but she did well, and once we got home and she had a paracetamol with her dinner she was right as rain. Sorry about the loud airplane in the bit where she's rolling in the dry leaves -- I lowered the volume on that segment of video so you wouldn't get slammed with it.

We did indeed find the coltsfoot, but the flowers were past their prime. (We're about a month past when I've seen it in previous years.) It was still great to revisit an area we hadn't been to in ages. I briefly sat on the crack pipe bench to give the dog a rest. (No crack pipe this time.)

We also lounged on the grass in Golder's Hill Park, which you can see at the end of the video above. And we detoured past the Lulu trees -- so called because someone has carved "Lulu" into the trunk of one of them. The huge beeches (I think?) are leafing out colorfully.


Now there's a selfie I could never have taken with my big camera!

We made our way back home very slowly, as is an old dog's prerogative. There was lots of leisurely sniffing. After we finally arrived and Olga had a bath, we settled ourselves back onto the new-mown lawn:


As you can see, I had an evening refreshment. (I know, I know -- I shouldn't set a drink on my computer. But I was careful!) I pulled up my iTunes and played an array of old '60s music as the sun slowly diminished. As I recall, "Rainy Day Mushroom Pillow" by Strawberry Alarm Clock was playing at the moment I took that photo.

What a fantastic day!

28 comments:

  1. Hah! We have 19C here in Adelaide today and I'm wearing a hoodie, fingerless gloves AND I have the airconditioner warming up the room.
    About three hours from now I could probably take off the fingerless gloves...maybe even the hoodie.

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  2. I loved watching Olga have fun, I have the biggest smile on my face now.

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  3. What a brilliant day, indeed. Your smile almost matched Olga's.
    Amazing how a bit of warmth and sunshine makes the unicorns fly.

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  4. Your photos and video show how fantastic the day was. I love that selfie. Seeing Olga so happy made me happy this morning. Her love for mud puddles would make me crazy. I was relieved to see her rinse herself off (somewhat) a bit later. I've never had a heath martini.

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  5. A beautiful day..sent to keep us going!

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  6. What a wonderful time the two of you had, and such a beautiful day. Lovely to see Olga enjoying herself so much, not surprised she had a bath after the mud puddle! What is it about mud puddles that are so attractive to some dogs. All except one of my Labs used to be able to sniff them out, and before I could shout "NO" they were in wallowing!

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  7. As John Sebastian might have remarked, "What a day for a daydream!" Great selfie picture with the beautiful canopy above.

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  8. Never had a bacon sandwich without the lettuce and tomato but I imagine it to be quite tasty.

    I wondered why on earth you gave a bath to Olga after a walk. Did she get that dirty? Then I watched the video!

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  9. I would say, you had a walk-about! Beautiful Olga had a Spa day on the Heath! A good roll in the grass, a mud bath, then a dip in the pool and, finally, a roll in the dry leaves! LOL
    She needed that at-home bath and pill ... maybe a sip of your martini!
    Thanks for the walk to the Heath!

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  10. I love days like this, nothing huge or special, just everything nice.

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  11. Great day. This was fun to read, especially Olga letting her inner puppy fly! What a great life she has.

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  12. That is a happy dog dragging herself through the mud hole. it was a lovely day here too.

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  13. Olga got to do ALL of the stuff she loves! What a beautiful day for the both of you.

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  14. Such a fantastic day! I loved the video. Olga was really enjoying herself but I see why she had a bath when she got home. The day looked perfect.

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  15. What a beautiful blue-sky day you and Olga had there. Olga is so adorable. She does love to roll around. Great selfie of the two of you, love the tree and colors in that photo.

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  16. Neil beat me to it: "What a day for a daydream!"
    Your selfie is fabulous!

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  17. wow olga, crop circles and mud puddles...

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  18. What wonderful photos of your glorious day! I'll admit I cringed a tiny bit as Olga army-crawled through the mud. You allow her to have such a good life!

    Thanks for sharing the Perry Mason link. I've passed it on!

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  19. Some days are just perfect and it looks like you found one. I love the selfie! And I adore Olga. She really is doing very well, isn't she? (But I bet her dog bed felt good to her!) Yes, a day like that should be topped off with a libation and you found a good one. Ah, when spring is good, it is very, very good!

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  20. It wasn't simply a perfect day but you made excellent use of it. That selfie with the tree in it is delightful. I love days when the weather, the activities and the music all fall into place. They are rare and precious.

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  21. Watching Olga living her life rolling in the grass and getting in the mud makes me very happy. She really did hit the dog lottery when she went home with you.

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  22. Great day for both of you! What more could an elderly lady want, rolling in the grass, a mud bath, a dip in the pool, and finally rolling in leaves? Doesn't get any better than that! And you were living dangerously with that martini on your laptop! :)

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  23. That does look like a glorious day! My favorite is your selfie with Olga :)

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  24. I love your garden and the fact you love a dirty martini
    Next time in London let’s have one

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  25. Best dog day for a very long time! Olga did all of the things, I did laugh loudly seeing her crawl thought the muddy pool and drink...she would like to have tall soft grass always by the look of ecstasy on her face. That is the best of the best of your Olga videos yet! Such a perfect day. Have some gin with your olives?

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  26. I just love that selfie! And the video, too. It was a Very Good Day for Olga and you, one for the memory bank.

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  27. River: Ha! Well, it's all relative, I guess. Here, 19ยบ C feels positively tropical! Glad you got a kick out of Olga.

    Caro: Especially after a long dark winter. I never realize how much I miss sunlight until it returns in the spring.

    Mitchell: Ha! I still wince when she crawls into a mud puddle, but it's a minor enough task to give her a bath.

    GZ: Exactly! We all needed the boost.

    Coppa: Maybe their ancestors were drawn to mud because it helped repel or kill fleas and other pests? Or maybe it's just the coolness.

    YP: Yeah, that's a song I didn't play! And why not?!

    Ed: Actually, I did have raw spinach on my sandwich, as well as cheese. I know, a little weird, but that's what we had to use up!

    Marcia: No martini for Olga! She has to content herself with Dentastix. :)

    Pixie: Exactly. The "little things" make up the bulk of our life. We need to celebrate them!

    Boud: It's amazing how much inner puppy she still has!

    Ellen: Yeah, she loved it, though I think she was perplexed why I was once again pointing my phone at her.

    Ms Moon: It WAS a beautiful day all around!

    Sharon: Yeah, a bath was definitely required, although it's amazing how much dirt Olga can shed on her own. We call her "teflon dog" because nothing sticks to her long-term.

    Robin: The light beneath those trees is such a striking color, coming through those reddish-green leaves.

    Ellen D: That really IS the perfect theme song for the day.

    Gidget: "Crop circles"! LOL!

    Kelly: Glad you liked the link. I scrutinized that web site while we watched the series and it became a mission for me to spot the courtroom observers in every episode. The same people ("Miss Carmody") show up over and over again.

    Jeanie: I know she had a great time but she slept most of the next day!

    Margaret: Those days are especially rare where you and I live, in places where it's often rainy and dark!

    Allison: And we hit the dog lottery too, getting her!

    Jim: It was quite a spa day! I knew people would give me grief for putting my drink there. :)

    Bug: My favorite too. I was so happy that she looked down at the camera.

    John: I'm in! Let me know when you're coming!

    Linda Sue: I do love a surplus of olives in my martinis! Five is my usual number.

    Jenny-O: Absolutely. Thank goodness I have a blog to help me remember days like this.

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  28. Your selfie with Olga might be my favorite picture ever!

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