The day I almost lost Basil

Brilliantly bright sunny winter's day but bitter. Ice had formed on puddles in the shade and frost persisted all day in the lee of hedges. Nevertheless, Basil and I ventured out with Cecily proceeding first to the postbox on the corner of Fairway Road where a new topper has replaced the Christmas one. 

The new topper has a Springtime theme featuring primulas and daffodils, cherry blossom and various garden birds. There's a robin and blackbird along with two bluetits and a goldfinch. We haven't seen goldfinches in our garden for over two years now.

Magpies and wood pigeons are missing.

Then we walked down to Garendon Estate. Once past the motorway bridge, I let Basil off his lead so that he was free to roam. So free to roam that I lost him. I don't know whether he turned round right away or whether he entered the wood to sniff and do his ablutions. I got as far as the fork to White Lodge and realised he wasn't with me. I turned back, calling his name. A white van approached driven by an estate worker. He kindly drove back the way he'd come for a short distance to look in the wood.

Fifteen minutes went by easily when my phone rang. As I suspected, it was someone reporting that he'd been found. Carol had been out with Bob and come across him being tended by two girls near the entrance to Trueway Drive where she recognised him. She kindly took Basil in charge and walked down the road to meet me.

Apparently he was crying when found but was quite cocksure when I met him with Carol. She'd tried carrying him, at 8 kgs, he's not that light so she ended up tying her scarf round his collar. I was so relieved. I've told him that his right to roam has been revoked.

I think Basil was trying to head home because he walks the estate a lot, but Fairway Road is a busy road and Basil is only little.