Well that was a quick year!

I can't believe where the time has gone, it has been over 3 months since I last posted and now the new year is upon us and we can look forward to the slow crawl towards Summer. I really do hate the Winter nights.

I'm not sure where to start in order to cover all that has happened in the last 3 months so I will keep it brief and mostly update with some photos, as they speak louder than words.

What I will say is that my move here to Innerleithen has definitely been the best decision I have made in a very long time.

Bodhi has settled well into my life and he keeps me amused every single day with his antics. He is such a loving dog and will try his very best to please you at all times. His training continues though, as he still is not trusted off the lead. His nose and ears can seek out any living creature at 100 paces and would disappear into the forrest at the first whiff of a squirrel or mouse. I am currently working on his recall with a whistle and voice commands and it seems to be working.

In order that he can run fast and be "more dog" he is running along side me in his trail harness when I go jogging, although his looks of disgust at my slow pace can be a tad disheartening.

His trail doggyness does not end there though, just recently he has been with me on my bike. His pulling power for a relatively small dog is immense. The hope is that he will learn to run next to the bikes on the trails eventually, but in the mean time he makes a great training aid both on foot and on the bike.

First day of trail dog training.

Bodhi is not the only special boy in my life these days though, call it fate but like Bodhi I have met my forever match. Nuff said, I'm happy and that's good in my book. :-)

Ok now some photos, hopefully some exciting plans for this year so will continue with my ramblings throughout 2015.

Christmas day selfies.

Happy beaches.

I'm so handsome.

A very wet new years day walk in the Pentlands.

So, so tired!

Will never tire of this view.

Do I have to Mummy?

Where to?

No more selfies, I smell rabbits.

Snowy bike days.

Peace x

All photos by Caroline Harvey

30 Days Later.

Incredibly it is only 4 weeks since I moved house and it feels like I have been here forever.

Admittedly life has not been very normal as I am still off work with my broken wrist. It is healing and I am thankfully out of the stookie, but need to wear one of the velcro splint things for a while longer. I think there is quite a lot of tendon damage which can often take longer to mend than the bones.

To pass the time I have been doing small jobs around the house that can be done mainly with one hand and getting out to explore my new surroundings on foot. As much as I love the outdoors and fresh air, walking can sometimes be rather dull. I am too used to running or cycling on trails and although I'm no speed merchant at either sport, walking just takes ages. It can also feel, at least to me, a tad lonesome. This feeling was compounded one evening when out for a wee saunter along the river. Being in the country people actually say hello as they pass, sometimes pleasantries about the weather are even exchanged. On this particular evening however, I passed a man and his wife out walking their dogs. This was probably about the 3rd consecutive evening I had passed them but on this occasion rather than just say hello the man said "Hey Hen, you need tae get a dug, you look affy lonely!"

So I did look silly walking on my own, I knew it! It's similar to having a meal for one in a restaurant, people judge and put on that pity face or are just generally suspicious.

However I suppressed my "you'll die alone thoughts" as it was too nice an evening for that and got back to worrying about whether the cows would be out of their field and on the riverbank again. Although not a particular "feardy", I do draw the line at having to walk through a herd of cows. The only thing that could make that scenario worse is if each of the cows were being ridden by a clown. Clowns and cows *shudder* it's what nightmares are made of.

Anyway I digress, my phobias can wait for another day.

Not long after the throw away statement by the stranger, my good friend Beth happened to post a photo of a very handsome dog on my Facebook page, saying that he was in urgent need of a permanent home. As tempted as I was I thought I can't have a dog, I have to work etc, but those big brown puppy dog eyes had burned a hole in my soul.

We could meet at least, what's the harm in that. I presumed it would be similar to internet dating, the profile ticked all the boxes, handsome, likes the outdoors, not too young, not too old, toilet trained. In fact it read better than some human profiles I've had the misfortune to read. If we don't have a connection I will know soon enough, dogs don't lie.

So to cut the story short, we met, I fell in love and my heart ruled my head as it always does and I am now the very proud owner of a big hearted mutt that is slightly nervous and has some abandonment issues but is truly adorable.

He came with the name of Rufus but I have changed it to Bodhi as I think it suits him better. Bodhi in Buddhism is the understanding possessed by a Buddha regarding the true nature of things and literally translates into English as enlightenment or awakening but on a deeper level it was also the name of Patrick Swayze's character in the totally rad film that is Point Break.

We have been human and dog companions for under 2 weeks, but he is great company and I can now go for walks with my head held high and proudly displaying my "Young (not so), Free (mostly) and Single (but I have a dog) " badge.

I know at times it will be tricky to do everything I want, as I will have to make sure that his needs come first, but it will be worth it.

So Handsome.

Radar lugs.

I love my ball.

So tired.

I am the King of all I survey.

Peace x

All Photos by Caroline Harvey