The door into Summer

Many years ago I read  a science fiction story by Robert Heinlein called “The Door into Summer”. I was reminded of this today when I came across this gate which looked up at the perfect blue sky that made walking today such a perfect Lake District experience.

The door into summer

Somehow it seemed to promise something so positive after all of the stormy and freezing days of Winter.

(Yes, I know it’s a gate not a door but cut me a little slack here )

Today really felt like the first day of spring and the snowdrops,  those diffident heralds of the new green, were nodding everywhere as I walked with Suki past Dubbs and round back to Limefitt Park. It was a magical walk – silence broken only by birdsong, the sun on my face and a cooling breeze. Today was Suki’s 5th birthday and so I was especially appreciative of her company on this walk. She is my first ever dog and the 5 years of companionship that she has given me have been so special. Linda jokes that she is my “other woman” – a failing that I happily admit to. Here she is doing what flatcoats do best – retrieving a stick from some water.

Happy Birthday Suki!

It’s hard to explain the effect of a walk in the sunshine after months of Winter, but you’d have to have the imagination of  a stone not to have your spirits lifted by the sights, sounds and smells of a walk around Troutbeck on a day like today!  Doing it with a flatcoat was just too sinfully lovely to be fair

We saw another, older, flatcoat in The Mortal Man last night – there were so many dogs in there it was like Crufts but Suki had a special moment or two with the 8 year old “boy”. If you don’t know the breed then you are really missing out – they are the most amazing dogs you will ever meet.

So to my best friend Suki – thanks and I hope we have another 5 years like the last!