Today's Walk

[Kara 1]

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It was hot here in hampshire today...i walk mine in our local woods at 430am every morning so i know we have a lovely peaceful 90 min walk ....the rest of the day the dogs spend lounging around on coolmats if it gets too hot ...even the guniea pigs! !!

 

[Mad Murphy]

Walking in the forest Murphy could smell something when he found it he was OMG !!!!!

 

[JudyN]

You're not going to tell us they were stuffed too, are you, @Mad Murphy ?

We took Jasper down to Poole Park this morning, and went down to the sea to give him a dip.

We also popped into a small garden centre right by the park that is run by and for people with mental disabilities. Had a narrow escape as we didn't notice the resident cat by the checkout till we were very close and I wondered why Jasper had suddenly froze He was a good lad though, and I managed to move him away, aided by plenty of sausage, to a safe distance and let OH go in to pay.

 

[Mad Murphy]

@JudyN .. these were very much alive and mooing! We were quick to move away and leave them in peace...

 

[JudyN]

We're lucky that a few cattle are grazed on areas of heathland round here to maintain the habitat, and they were selected partly for their placidity. Therefore I've had plenty of opportunity to work on Jasper with them, which makes life a lot easier

 

[leashedForLife]

QUOTE, Mad Murphy:

Walking in the forest, Murphy could smell something... when he found it, he was, "OMG !!!!!..."

____________________________________________
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AUROCHS!... holy cow, call "Extinct or Alive", quick!
Dr Forrest Galante will be thrilled.

.

 

[JudyN]

Another day, another pond...

 

[Violet Turner]

Well at the moment we are in the middle of a moorland fire. We aren't too close but we are still affected by the smoke. We are still being told not to go outdoors still though. This is a picture taken by the MEN (Manchester evening news) -

 

[Mad Murphy]

@Violet Turner I saw that on the news this morning .. What an awful thing to happen, do they know yet if it was arson or a natural cause? If I lived in that area I would feel devestated at the loss of such wonderful countryside.

 

[Violet Turner]

No, still unknown: some people saying about a barbeque that was too hot for someone to take back down the hill so just left it but also some people are saying it is natural. It is devastating because the countryside around their is amazing to walk the dogs on and just to look out of the window.

 

[JudyN]

It's terrible, isn't it? There was a major fire on Upton Heath, a out a mile from us, back in 2011. It's pretty well recovered but it's estimated that it can take 25 years for the wildlife numbers to fully recover. That one was suspected arson

 

[Mad Murphy]

I dont understand people who do that, I cannot see what satisfaction they get from destroying something. I can only think that they are sad and angry inside themselves and need a way to express that anger. Not that I condone it its mindless wanton destruction.
I heard reports that some of the places now burning are of scientific importance and with rare wildlife,, that really makes me sad.

 

[Violet Turner]

 

[leashedForLife]

.

oh, MY!.... sorry to see that.
We had several terrible, long-lasting, slow-burning wildfires while i lived in tidewater Va, one was mostly in N.C. but the smoke blew all the way into Va Beach for weeks on end, the smell was omnipresent, thank Goddess for my Ultrete HEPA filters, which at least kept the stink out of the house by catching it in the filter.
However, as soon as U opened the door to exit the apt or go onto the balcony, it seemed to slowly strangle U - horrible oily odor, made my nose burn after a few hours.

One of the fires destroyed large parts of the Dismal Swamp, another burned around the southern margin of Ches Bay, & a 3rd was pine savanna in NC. // All 3 burned for weeks, 2 burned for months on end, down in the duff under the trees, actually burning SOIL as well as composted leaf & needle litter.
It seemed like forever until the horizon was no longer foggy grey with ash & smoke, & the stink of it wasn't in yer nose. I cannot imagine what it would be like to have such fires in my neighborhood, the smell would be so much stronger - how would go to work, sleep at night, walk the dog, with throat & sinuses dried & harsh, wheezing with the smoke?
How would HORSES, with their enormous lungs, live with & recover from weeks or months of smoke? - I don't know.

Walking my own dog was hard enuf, with that smell in the air & my sinuses shrinking. I have no idea how the dogs felt, they didn't seem as enthused about long walks, but neither were we [myself & neighbor Becca often walked together with our dogs].
Not happy memories - i feel for ya, & thinking of wildlife is haunting.

- terry

.

 

[JudyN]

Another side-effect of heath fires - after the Upton Heath fire, Jasper came back from every walk for weeks looking like a brindle from all the charred wood!

There's a marshy bit in the woods where no one else goes - J and I do like exploring the bits we have to fight our way into, which is why I often end up coming home with twigs in my hair and dirt on my face. It feels primordial, with lots of fallen rotting trees. But it's dried out a bit, and I've been able to explore even further than usual:

I need to go back again to try to id the white flowers.

 

[Whippylove]

@JudyN gorgeous pic! What a beautiful place to walk

 

[Flobo]

One of today's walks was with Bones, we bimbled to the park around the corner, he did his business, played with the ball a little and then we sat under a tree, thought we'd go a bit punk while sitting! Then he did a quick bit of head banging/shaking, and he was back to normal.. Reckon he rocks a mohican!

 

[Mad Murphy]

We met a very curious young man this morning...We had a bit of a stand off who was going to blink first,

which gave me time to take a couple of nice shots.

 

[JudyN]

Today we went to explore the picturesquely named (and very picturesque) Puddletown. There were some rough steps down into the River Piddle (I know...) and though Jasper really wanted a drink and a dip it was all a bit scary being, as you can see, so deep ... so I had to get in to encourage him in.

You know when you were young and you could happily paddle in pebbly rivers and sea with no problem? The combination of the cold and the stones ruddy hurt and the soles of my feet are aching now!

 

[Mad Murphy]

@JudyN great picture but are you really tiny or is Jasper really so big? He looks like a small pony in that picture!