Knees and Other Crummy Joints

Now that Easter is over the weather has improved. And the little dog continues to astonish me. I have no idea what time he wakes up, being such a heavy sleeper myself, but when I open my bedroom door just after 7 he's ready to throw himself rapturously at me. What a greeting! Then we go downstairs, I make myself a cup of tea, he gets back into his bed, now returned to the kitchen, I read the papers for a bit then, at around 8am, I feed him. He gollops it all up, goes back for an extra lick, and then is back in his bed again for more snoozing. At this point he hasn't been out yet, not for the loo even. When I've finished my breakfast I'll ablute and then consider a walk. It's one of the highlights of my day, regardless of the weather, though on a morning like this one it is sheer magic. I say to him, "We live here. Aren't we lucky." And he looks at me with his soulful eyes and winks ever so slightly in agreement. He just couldn't be easier to live with. What a good boy. Good boy!!

We encountered a pair of hares down Boundary Lane this morning, and despite my efforts to turn the other way so he couldn't see them, they were soon spotted. They played in the field, did a little boxing, some chasing each other, and I felt his power, his strength, shoulders hunched, flanks lowered slightly. If he decided to go I don't think I'd be able to stop him. Thank heavens he's been so well trained. I took him to the vet yesterday just for a general check-up, and he weighs 18 kilos, that's nearly 3 stone. Nearly as much as me. No wonder I can barely pick him up. At the vets we also bought a toothbrush that fits over my finger, and some poultry-flavoured toothpaste. It seems he already has a bit of plaque, but regular brushing will sort that out. I don't mind probing gently around his gums, but squeezing his balls to make sure they're soft and spongy is really a step too far, and I'm never going to cut his nails. I still remember the spurt of blood when I tried doing that before.

On our evening walk he was absolutely alert walking past the fields where he's seen hares. It was completely still, and warm after an afternoon of sunshine. I love this time of the day, when the damp is rising from the earth and it smells so good. But bugger me if my knee, already painful, began to really hurt. I've avoided the hilly walk for a few days to give it a chance to settle down but it hasn't got the message. I suppose I've been going at it a bit, harder and more purposefully than usual, but I have a little chap to exercise. Don't fail me now knees.