Walking in the woods with Topaz and inspiration

A tree in The University where I walked Pearl yesterday.

A bit of sunshine.

Dog walking is my exercise cum a bit of socialisation cum inspiration cum a sheer joy to be part of the nature. We live close to the University ground where I often take our dogs to. There are several familiar dogs and their walkers, and I know them by the dogs' name not by owner's names. We also live near to the Blean woods where I could walk a couple of hours without seeing anybody even in the height of summer. It is very mysterious and magical in the woods. I used to take Topaz twice a day by a car. When you hear nothing but birds' calls, and your own steps, I started feeling if there were any goblins, they must live here. Once I saw a large crow chick on a low branch of chestnut tree, just above my head. He looked clumsy and a bit helpless, still magnificent. I saw a fox in the middle of foot path. She was on a higher ground than I was. So, I could see her, but she didn't see Topaz and me.

Topaz now

While walking in the deep woods, my mind becomes very full with all things I see and hear. I feel some kinds of quiet excitement from very deep in my body. Very often these feeling is the source of my inspiration when I make DoGoo. This only comes to me when I was walking without any human companion. When I am with somebody, my mind doesn't submerge under my consciousness, I think.

Puppy Topaz, Mike and I used to argue who's turn to hold her.

If I walk without Topaz, I could see more birds, as I walk very quietly. But I feel unsafe without her although I have not heard any crimes in the woods. We call her whippet+ (plus). Her grandparents are whippet, greyhound, border collie and bedlington terrier. Although her size and shape is almost whippet, but apparently her colour comes from border collies. So when she was tiny, some people asked us if she were Doberman puppy.

My imaginary animal living in the Blean woods