Fabuous walk this morning, in fact for the last week or so. I was up on the hill and field behind our house by 8.30 just as the sun was starting to climb up and the dew was steaming up in clouds. If only I had had my camera. All this to the lovely background song of the countryside in Winter …….. gunshots !!!! Hunters. Now I hate the hunting ethic of around here, I have absolutely no idea why anyone would want/like to shoot a beautiful deer, or even a less beautiful sanglier – though I am sure their Mums love them. However, I do not hate hunters, I don’t pretend to understand them, but ……. Hunters go everywhere around the countryside and see a lot, the stray dogs, the lost dogs and the dumped dogs. Quite a few times they have found dogs for me who have gone awal and they always agree to look out for any missing. Many of their dogs have a far better life with regular runs in the countryside, than some domesticated pets who are left in houses for hours on their own, or worse, tied up outside with no possibility of moving beyond a certain distance, or even worse, in a cage. The Americans do this a lot – why ?! Discuss !
1st December so it is legal now to talk about Christmas ! I love it. I love the decorations, the atmosphere, the terrible Christmas films, the present buying, the mini butter stollen from Lidl and the chocolate a go go. I am a bit of a chocolate pleb, not for me the expensive luxury chocolates, give me Cadbury Twirl Bites or Milka milk chocolate anyday, or anything white chocolate,white chocolate lovers seem to be a selective group. KitKat brought out white chocolate KitKat balls which were divine, but poof, disappeared seemingly for ever.
Anyhow just to say I love Christmas, which is not easy living with a German Grinch !
The very best Christmas gift this year for Danielle and me, would be a lovely new home for Takar who has now been waiting over a year, watching all his playmates go off and wondering why no one ever chooses him.
I wish you all the type of Christmas you love and a brilliant 2025.
Sue x
PS If you are looking for good Christmas reads, I can heartily recommend ‘A Redbird Christmas’ by Fannie Flagg (author of Fried Green Tomatoes …..’) and ‘Skipping Christmas’ by John Grisham. The best book he ever wrote and nothing at all to do with crime. My brother gave it to me one Christmas many, many years ago. I read it every year and it makes me laugh out loud still. (Don’t be fooled by the film of the book – Christmas with the Kranks – utter rubbish.)