"The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live."
- Flora Whittemore

"Life is the sum of all your choices." - Albert Camus


(This lovely old door belongs to a house in our village.)

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March made such a glorious entrance yesterday, decked with blue sky, white fluffy clouds and bird song. A beautiful day, just drenched in sunshine. It was as welcome as water to a thirsty soul.

"The longer I live, the more my mind dwells upon the beauty and the wonder of the world." - John Burroughs

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My old dog Harvey 1986 - 2004.

Harvey was a special dog, all dogs are in their own way, but he had definitely had quite a life! He travelled extensively and joined in on lots of adventures. He went from a nervous defensive young dog to a wise, chilled out old dog. The time I want to tell you about is when he and I escaped a busy noisy party, full of family and their respective dogs at my Mothers house.

He saw me from the corner of his eye about to leave the room and by the time I was halfway up the stairs he was there with me, I reached down and grabbed his ear and gave it a gentle squeeze and he nudged my leg in our familiar routine. When he was a tiny puppy he had the hugest ears and paws, he was such an adorable little thing, over the many years since that time, he had grown into both his ears and paws but still had the same look in his big expressive eyes.

We reached the top of the stairs and I settled myself on the single step on the turn to the next part of the landing. I could hear the music and laughter from downstairs and was glad of this moment of quiet. I felt Harvey sit down next to me on the step and lean into me, I put my arm around him, we had certainly been through a lot together him and I. On the wall opposite was a huge full length mirror, it was quite disconcerting seeing myself in such detail! I looked at my dress which had seemed a good idea when I had got ready earlier in the day but now looked incongruous with me squatting on a step, as the party raged downstairs.

I was staring at my reflection in that big mirror, when I took my eyes from my own face and looked at dear Harvey sitting next to me. And then it happened...a shared moment that sent shivers down my spine and gave me a tingly feeling all over.

As I caught his eye in the reflection, I smiled at him and watched as he instantly wagged his tail in response, then I watched, as he 'saw' his own tail wagging and as he looked at it, I saw a flicker of something in his eyes as he stared back up at himself in the mirror. In that moment of dawning recognition, something changed and I saw the new realisation in his eyes. He had actually 'recognised' himself in the mirror. He knew it was him!

He then looked at me and back at himself, then at me again, as I burst out laughing and hugged him while getting my ear well and truly licked.

Dogs have 'aha' moments too.


(A memory triggered by things talked about in the comments of my previous post.)

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