A Walk. And a win!

Laura came this morning to take Archie out for a walk. She has another dog she takes out, so can't come every week. Archie is happy to see her whenever she can make it.

We then decided to take a stroll in Braidburn Valley Park for a change. Easy parking on a Sunday, and there are always plenty of dogs and owners to meet, so we're all happy. We met a lovely working cocker that had a stent put in because of heart problems! She was racing around like a mad thing and left Archie miles behind.

We were upset to see that many of the cherry trees have been cut down, and many more have white crosses or spots on them. They are diseased and/or dangerous in high winds. The 'Friends of the Park' are applying for a grant to replace them all. I will miss the blossom this spring. All the trees behind me in this shot have been chopped down. It looks really stark and wintery. The expanses of daffs aren't out yet.

Today there was even more activity than usual - they were setting up for a Duck Race in the burn. One chap suggested we stay and participate by buying a duck, but I told him that the rugby was on, and we had to rush home. 'Tell me about it...' he said wistfully.

And what a game it was. We won!! What would we do without Hoggy, though.

Poor Archie, who doesn't bat an eyelid at my noisy cough/sneeze combos (yes, still hanging on) gets quite perturbed when I get overexcited at, say, a Scotland try. But then he hasn't had so much practice at the latter.