After work dog ride

An hour late off my shift, I race home. I need a ride and The Dog Child needs walking. Two hours of light left in which to do both. Solution: sling Matilda in my courier bag, jump astride my bike and sprint for Hidden Valley. (Tills rests her head on my shoulder and noses the smells rushing past, one ear cocked high in the wind.) Release the hound from my bag; she knows to run alongside, especially past sheep (of which there are many today). The post-stormfront sky is big and dramatic up there. I stop often and snap at it while Tills takes this as her cue to go chase after bunnies and pheasant in the gorse nearby. She returns to my side and we move on until the light and cloud change again and I have to stop and watch. A 45 minute ride turns into a two hour one. We run/ride till the light fades completely, Tills goes back in the bag and we roll back down the hill and get the kettle on. Jobs done.