Playtime

I got up early and went to Woolley Wood to see the bluebells one more time before they finish.
I also wanted to repeat a little experiment, doing a double exposure with tree bark in the background and the flowers superimposed on it.  I was aiming to capture something of the 'feel' of the woods in spring, but in a different way from the ways I've tried before.  I like the way that the flowers almost look as if they're printed on the tree trunk.  There's a second attempt in the first extra, and then another image that's a single exposure. Very therapeutic photographic playtime.
It nearly ended in a far-from-therapeutic way when I became aware of a man looking for his dog, a few dozen yards away.  Eventually the dog reaappeared and he bent to attach a lead. As they emerged from the undergrowth I realised that the dog was enormous: either a Rottweiler or something similar, probably weighing more than I do. And beginning to bark in some agitation, pulling hard on the lead, heading towards me.
There was no reassuring word from the man; only a rather chilly look, as he struggled to keep the dog in hand. We had dogs for years - lurchers - although none since the last one died a few years ago. So I'm not easily unnerved by dogs. But this didn't look good. I turned and walked away purposefully, still hearing the dog approaching but resisting the urge to run.
It was OK. I got back to the car park and stood some distance away, where I watched man and dog get into a large white van.  What a set of cliches I'm depicting here - but I guess some cliches have roots in daily life.
What was he doing, having this dog off the lead in those woods, where there are always people walking...? I realise I was lucky not to meet the dog when it was loose.  I understand why photographers crouching in the undergrowth sometimes unsettle dogs. But this one should never have been off the lead anywhere near people.
Anyway, all was well. I spent the rest of the day having a binge in the garden, enjoying wonderful warm sunshine.