Blow the wind southerly

May is nearly upon us and at last the wind has finally changed. After over a week in which Winter dug its claws firmly into us all again, all springtime activity has resumed in the bustling households of our sparrows, jackdaws and blue tits. However, this change for the better was not before we were attacked, on two consecutive days, by an aggressive Weimaraner unknown to us. He went for Barnaby first, and then me! I suppose we should be relieved that Kemo Sabe’s authoritative shouts of ‘No!’ as he barrelled into us and dug in to Barnaby’s back were insistent enough to weaken his resolve. Discipline and someone who knows what’s what are obviously unknown to him, whatever his problem is. Unfortunately, as has always been the case in such unfortunate circumstances, even after the first incident the owner made no attempt to prevent the second run-in, let alone intervene to stop her dog (and its companion) troubling us by putting it on the lead.

Our dear friend Bailey, pictured with us only this morning, has herself been seriously attacked on a number of occasions, mostly by the visiting dogs who are under-exercised at home and over-excited about being given free rein on the beach, by owners who care little about the consequences of both.  The family of other good doggy friends of ours put it well this week when they spoke of local dogs being under a lot of pressure from the tourist dogs. This week’s unprovoked attacks have certainly put me on my guard and I know for a fact that Barnaby is always on edge, watching for possible ambush from the dunes. We are, as a result, finding out more about an organisation called FIDO, ‘Fighting Irresponsible Dog Owners’ which gives advice – legal and otherwise – on how to deal with such people and their dogs; people who seem incapable (because obviously so unwilling) of securing their dogs to a lead, or considering the safety of others, let alone their own well being, should they find themselves investigated for having a dog dangerously out of control.

Still, the return of the first two pairs of house-martins greeted us at the end of yesterday afternoon’s walk and additional sand-martins were visible as well. Things are definitely on the up, nature-wise. As for me, I had my teeth professionally cleaned and polished this week – my third veterinary intervention this year. What have I done to deserve this, as someone famous once said? To finish, a silly bit of verse. Each morning, there comes a moment when Kemo Sabe is simply unable to get Newman to move. He is utterly transfixed, whether by a leaf, or a smell (which he so often is), and he digs his considerable heels into whatever surface he’s on with the strength of a steam roller. I imagine these to be his thoughts: ‘O blade of grass so green and bright/ I cannot see you in the night/ But now the sun is in the sky/ I cannot merely pass you by.’

Finally, we’ve been listening at every available opportunity to An Ancient Observer, the new CD from the wonderful Armenian jazz pianist, Tigran Hamasayan. Have a listen, and listen to it all – again and again! It helps to put things in perspective, as does Newman, of course.