a likely tale . . .

tuesday 2nd october






















everything is still, an eternal blue sky undisturbed by any vaporous trespasser seems to be replicated here on earth in both movement and sound. as if the whole atmosphere has been granted a day of rest, a restraining order imposed on any unholy interference. even when the wagon turns up to deliver next door's new electronic gadget the usual noises of mechanical and human activity are dulled in an instant and at once reabsorbed into the stillness of the day. two raf jets zoom through the glen at low level in quick succession and the immediate ensuing hush belies the fact that they were ever there.

a charming little ditty for your delectation . . .

this morning's cross country pursuit was subsequently recalled as a false start . . .

leeloo and I set off at a good pace up the track as usual confident that meea would follow soon, in her own time, as is her wont. meea, however, has other ideas and continues to leisurely meander around the homestead. these two intrepid pioneers carry on without fluster or indication of impatience for she will soon realise what a joyous enterprise from which she may be excluding herself, I surmise, confidently if mistakenly. arriving at the fork some three or four hundred yards hence and loitering there for several minutes there is still no sign of her. I recall that the our absentee had been sniffing around the path that the strange black beast from rowan cottage would daily follow on his way down to the disused railway track with his master. the day before I had espied the game little thing carrying veritably half a tree down the track though he was not of great proportions, accompanying said master who was returning, laden with basket in hand, from a mission to procure firewood from the brash field beyond. upon my enquiry the lad had reassuringly informed me that his charge had indeed been deprived of his package and was therefore not planning on fatherhood in the carnal sense.
concerned that meea may have decided to explore the track in the other direction, towards the main road, we started to double back along the bottom track in case she had chosen that route. no more than a dozen paces further on that delinquent absconder comes bounding joyously out of the bushes patently oblivious to our concerns.

the previous day's exploits were of a much graver nature . . .

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yesterday it had been my intention to take them on a good walk. at the old and now defunct railway junction I turned the corner with the intention of taking them up into glenogle towards lochearnhead, maybe as far as the viaduct, but they stubbornly sat there on that corner, fixed as statues like beasts of myth and legend standing guard at the portals to some forbidden sanctum, eyeing up a young family group who were picnicking on the old platform. I continued up the track a couple of hundred yards and, with no sign of the dogs, sat on a rock, rolled a cigarette and waited. ten minutes went by with no promise of a happy reunion so I walked briskly back to where I had last seen them. a few yards further down I came across the family who were making their way in my direction. I enquired of them as to whether they might have come across a couple of rather good-looking gold-coloured dogs. a charming young fellow, presumably the father at once informed me that he had indeed seen the said animals and that they had headed off in the same direction from whence we had originally come. though young leeloo must had taken account of the bearing that I had chosen not so many minutes before, my faithful companion had taken it upon herself to follow meea rather than seek out her doting custodian. after half a mile or so, I chanced to hear barking apparently emanating from down the hill to my left in the direction of the main carriageway so I attempted to transmit a signal in the form of a piercing whistle, a trick I had learnt from a rough-looking fellow with a curious stooping gait and cider-breath that I had the misfortune to chance upon on a sojourn through the west country several years previously, and indeed there were to be heard several barks seemingly in reply. assuming that it might be my two darlings, trapped perhaps in some loathsome ditch, I continued to issue that high-pitched communication but soon the barking ceased. I hitched up my britches and made my way down through the brash and over the sodden marsh to the lower track. there was still no response to my summons and I proceeded along that path in some distress.

with no sign, audible or visual, by which to assess their whereabouts or circumstance, I returned to the original route with the intention of collecting my diesel-powered carriage and driving it to the point directly below whence I assumed the barking to have emanated. before reaching the said vehicle I chanced upon a group that comprised a young lady with whom I am well acquainted and three bounding canines whose group included the two objects of my concern. oh happy day! they had apparently returned to the homestead of their own accord and had been relaxing on the patio, without a care.

our blessed union was, once again, complete and there was cause for celebration

so they were each treated to a pig's ear and I smoked a roll-up

so endeth this sorry tale


author's note

the pic at the bottom of the page was, in fact, taken the day after when it was pissing down but I like it anyway