RHS Wisley

We had a thick mist this morning that almost enticed me to go out early and get some misty morning photos, but as I had already planned to go out later, I ignored it and got on with my day. I had some things to do at home first thing this morning and so it was quite late by the time I eventually got to RHS Wisley.

I went to see the autumn colours. They were rather pretty, with a few liquid amber trees that were quite striking. As it was now lunchtime, I decided to have lunch there and had a very delicious soup called colcannon - I had no idea what it was, other than checking that there was no gluten or dairy in it, and that it was made from leeks, cabbage, kale and potatoes. When I got home I googled the recipe so I will try and make it some time as it was very tasty.

Murdoch gave me such a scare today - much later I let him out in to the garden and then I noticed he had not barked to come back in, so I went looking for him. Somehow he had got out of the property and I could not find him. I ran up and down the street calling his name and eventually I heard him barking some distance away - he had somehow managed to get into someone else's property, and could not get out. The properties here all have fences, high hedges and gates, but sometimes there are gaps in the hedges where he must have got through. He was now sitting inside at their gate and could not get out. I rang their bell but they were not home. I managed to coax him along their fence to the lowest part but he could not jump over and I could not lift him up. We tried but eventually he turned around and ran back into their garden and I lost him again. I ran home and checked the properties on google maps to see where he could have run to, as the properties all back on to each other, often with only a hedge separating them. I then ran up and down the roads calling him but no luck. Eventually it was getting dark and so I came home. He is a very clever dog and has found his way home before (at the other house) and he wears a dog tag with all my details on it so I hoped someone would notice him in their property and phone me. I went out again, I thought I would try one more time, running up and down the roads like a crazy woman calling him when suddenly he popped out from the hedge of someone's property. I was so relieved to find him - he looked very guilty and slunk home with his tail between his legs. As we got home two cars pulled up,  neighbours who had noticed him earlier and were trying to get hold of him to read his tag - they were very relieved he had been reunited with me! Naughty Murdoch, he knew he had done wrong by getting out of our property (he must have found a gap in our new fence). We will have to check the fence this weekend.