In praise of pooches

You know that saying of sorts, “you don’t know what you’re missing until it’s gone”? Well, sitting in London traffic this week, I can honestly say that twiddling my thumbs and looking at red lights in front of me won’t be one of the above. And yet, weaving down the back streets of Kensington and Chelsea just to avoid the red light syndrome, it occurred to me how well I’ve come to know this little old town. Almost quarter of a century of pootling over potholes and cursing at the lack of car parking space has worn over me like a suffocating blanket and I won’t miss it. At least I hope not. I’ll miss the dogs and their owners though, I worked out the other day that in virtually every street on ‘my patch’ lived or had once lived, a dog I had trained. Memories of the halcyon days of running 14 or so dogs over Hyde Park (there was a time when we didn’t need a license kids!), Dog Hollow’s legendary lunchtime ‘meetings’, watching puppies grow into well-mannered members of society and holding an owner’s hand when that short life ended. I might not miss the traffic but I will miss the people.

In these ‘in between’ days as I like to call them, the bit after the house offer and before you can actually start moving, I am suffering from a severe case of boredom. I started packing books away but ran out of boxes. talking to a friend about this dilemma, she pointed out that removal companies generally provide boxes. Another job put aside then. I would go into town and do the museum and gallery thing but have you looked outside today? I don’t know which storm we are on now but frankly You Upthere we’ve had enough and promise never to complain about heatwaves ever again. So I’m here twiddling my thumbs instead of sitting in traffic doing the same.

Thank heavens for my woofers, as much as I hate getting up in the morning (I’m convinced you revert back to teenage bed love as you get older), they need to stretch their legs and occasional brain cells over the park. Even though this daily routine is somewhat mundane, same time same place sort of thing, the dogs never see life that way. It may be lashing a gale out there but they will always find something to make you smile or swear at. As my search for a better work/life balance is reaching it’s end, I will always be thankful for the memories that all those dogs have given me to tuck away and the boredom breakers that share my little world. I’m glad they have no idea about the future, one of us with itchy pants is quite enough.

“Dogs, like horses, are quadrupeds. That is to say, they have four rupeds, one at each corner” (Frank Muir)