Frosty (mainly) food-free Sunday

I couldn't believe that Shelagh actually wanted to go swimming! It was freezing but she looked really let down when we called her away! Daft mutt.

A beautiful, feisty horse in the sunshine. He had just been let out of his horsebox as we walked past and went into a little routine of bucking and cantering around the field to celebrate. I'm afraid I wasn't quick enough with the camera to catching that bit but he was still worth a shot.

It's been a lovely lazy day. I woke up to a gorgeous, frosty, sunny morning and dragged D out of bed so that we could go for a walk along the river before the sun got to the frost. He didn't quite understand the urgency but we made it out. It was magnificent....blue sky, a cold cold day and shimmering frost everywhere. Minty loved it - she can't have experienced the feeling of crispy frozen fields under her paws many times as she just went berserk racing round in circles and annoying the hell out of her ma.

She's still a bad dog and I'm afraid to have to report a sheep chasing incident which cut down her freedom considerably but, in the sheep free areas, she was cute and I think we'll get there on the obedience front with time and patience.

Aftter the walk, just chores and then I stopped into an "Open Studio" held by an artist who lives in my village. Normally, I find her stuff a bit florid - all swirly bright colours and rather weird landscapes but she had a triptych of 3 oils depicting one of the local gritstone edges with abandoned millstones below in an autumn storm. All moody browns and purples and just very atmospheric. So, that's what D has bought me for Christmas. He was very pleased when I told him!!

I got chatting to the artist about the paintings before I decided to go for them and told her what I liked about them and what happy memories they triggered in me (my nephew and the dogs clambering around on the rocks of Bamford Edge in the pouring rain last summer) . Afterwards, when I'd paid for them, we got chatting.

I don't really know her other than to nod to but she seems to be having a really bad year and she said how those 3 painting were pretty much all she had been able to get done since spring and how they reflected a pretty bad time for her (hence the dark colours and stormy mood). She then went on to say how me seeing really positive pictures in the paintings and saring them with her had lifted her and she seemed genuinely touched. Strange isn't it how short encounters and just opening up to random peolple can sometimes make ..a big difference...it was just a little story on my part but it obviously had a big effect on her for her own personal reasons.

I love them. They're already hung in our living room and they're just perfect there.

As you can probably tell, I'm having a good day. Food has not been a problem; our walk was very energetic - hilly and nearly 3 hours long; and since then a relaxing afternoon watching a truly terrible film (10,000 BC - don't do it!!) in front of the fire with a dog each on our laps. What's not to like? I'm off out to the inter-pub quiz league match again this evening too which will keep me busy and away from temptation.

D is off to work tomorrow and won't be back until 30 December but at least we've finally managed to enjoy each other's company and have a nice time, just before it was too late!! Phew!