Blogtober 2021 : Day 19

It was raining again today.  I suggested to the dog that we give this morning’s walk a miss and sit by the fire with a brew instead but he said, “Just put your wellies on and you’ll be fine” so that’s what I did.  We went to the Nine Arches because I thought that might be a quicker walk for those of us who don’t have double-layered hairy waterproof coats, and was surprised to see how different it looked.

The grass has been cut down since we were last there.

Can you see that yellow stretch of ground?  Only a week or so ago that was grass and wildflower stalks as tall as me, as you can see from the next photo that was taken 10 days ago (back when the sun still shone).  Another dog walker told me that up until yesterday, there were huge round bales of the cut grass which have obviously now been removed, but I like the idea that some animals will get to eat the grass later in the year.

I didn’t deliberately plan to stand in the same place but I have – and I like the comparison!  And just like last time, a train went past about 30 seconds after I’d taken the photo.  I waved, of course, because I always wave at trains.  Who knows, somebody might wave back! 🙂

It’s funny how different a place can look on a day when the weather changes, isn’t it?  It seems like a lot longer than 10 days ago that it looked like this!

Sunshine on the bricks and a skein of geese in the sky …

There was no blue sky today, though.  Instead, there was a much higher and fuller brook that I was really quite keen for the dog not to explore too closely!

You can see how much lower the water level is here – there’s a definite line between the water and the top of the bank.  I didn’t go to look for the fallen tree today to see what had happened to it as I was more concerned about keeping my daft dog moving so that he didn’t get distracted by wanting to go for a swim!  (He did, though – there’s a shallower bit further up where he could get in and out without too much risk of being carried away.  He’s more of an extreme paddler than a swimmer so I have to keep my eye on him!)

There weren’t many fishermen around today – we only saw one – whereas last time (and the reason we haven’t been back since my last photos) there were a lot of them and on this side of the brook too instead of next to the canal where I can see them.  I need to have a good view of fishermen up ahead so that I can put the dog on his lead in good time otherwise he likes to help out with eating the bait, and if they’re hidden in the bushes next to the brook then it can become a bit of a stressful walk!  Yes, you’re right, the answer would be to walk the dog on his lead but I don’t like to do that at a place like this where there should be room for everyone.  He loves to run and explore and it means that I have to constantly watch what’s coming up ahead – it’s the way it’s always been with my boy and I’m used to it now.  There are certain places that we just avoid during fishing season so that there is no offence caused but I think because the weather has been so mild this year there are still plenty of fish around and the fishermen are still out.  (I know that women fish too but I have never seen anyone but men at this canal.)

As we headed home, the rain started to get heavier and I was glad that we were on our way back to the car.  You can still see the reflections in the water along with the raindrops, and look how the leaves are finally starting to change colour!  At last!  The forecast is for the weather to get colder towards the end of this week so that may well affect the colours too – you can be sure I’ll be taking photos to check! 🙂

Ten days earlier, this was the reflection on a bright, sunny morning without rain distorting the surface of the water.  (I’m actually standing in pretty much the same place but have taken the photo of the other end of the canal length.)

I do love mornings like this … and actually, I enjoyed the walk this morning too, much more than I expected to when I looked out of the window at the pouring rain.  The dog was right – “Just put your wellies on and you’ll be fine”.  Perhaps I need to listen to his wise words more often! 🙂