Nature Diary... Riverside

A day of sunshine and heavy showers when sitting beside the river was risky but also enjoyable. The tidal river was high anyway today and the recent heavy rainfall had deepened it significantly. There have been times when this river has burst its banks and flooded surrounding fields and some properties beside the river, especially during the floods of 2012. Today though was calm between the drenching showers and extremely pleasant when the sun broke through the heavy rain clouds.

For entertainment a man and his very splendid dog were also enjoying the day as the dog swam backwards and forwards holding tightly on to a loose buoy while the man watched, and then attempted to call his dog in to shore, but the dog was having none of it! Round and round he swam, and up and down he swam. Trying to maintain his dignity and his authority the man continued to call to his dog, and his dog continued to ignore him. The dog, a huge German Shepherd with a coat like a very thick rug, was the boss in that relationship, which I doubt Cesar Millan (aka The Dog Whisperer) would have found acceptable especially given the size of the dog, but I just watched and then quietly moved away along the bank. Looking back after a few minutes I saw the dog eventually climb out of the water, drop the buoy, and shake his massive coat to rid it of water, drenching his owner in so doing. I was pleased to have made the move when I did as it saved me from a potential soaking on two counts: a) by the shaking of the very big dog’s very thick and very wet coat and b) because within minutes of my moving the heavens opened and rain pelted down and I was able to shelter in a cosy little cafe nearby.