Brilliance

Up at 6.40am and already I could see that the sky was clear. Walked with the dogs by the river in crystalline light and as I was coming home a boy of about 11 came out of the woods with his border terrier desperate to pat the dogs. Luna, who adores children, obliged and looked up at him with those guileless eyes, but Frank was more difficult (probably because of the randy border terrier who was far too uppity for his own good). "I'm trying to get my mum to get me one of those dogs," he said, "they're lush". I remembered exactly how much pressure we were put under from Rosh to get Luna, and sympathised with his mum. She had, I knew already, lost the battle.

In the late afternoon I went around Tunstall. The lagoon was flooded after days and days of heavy rain, but the ducks, geese and the heron were delighted. I heard a buzzard, and saw a kestrel hovering overhead. I watched the sun set over the reservoir and mentally braced myself for what I know is going to be the next bout of wet and stormy weather.