Tell

Highstakes card players know about looking for the 'tell' - and having to develop a pokerface.

Hares: when we spotted them they were about 120metres away. They probably spotted us first, we were just ambling along with F trying to teach me the words to The Kinks song "We are the village green preservation society", but we saw them because they started to move. Well of course I had to give chase.

F here… Scully has a remarkable turn of speed but she was never going to catch a hare with a 120m head start uphill. Still, as she raced up the first rise, a dip between her and the hares probably hid her from their view and they stopped moving away. She got within 20m before topping that rise and, realizing their mistake, they zoomed off. Scully didn't stop, never even slowed down and disappeared over the hill in hot pursuit of hares. They probably dashed into the scrub and one must have circled back because as I ambled up the hill after them a hare shot out of the bush in front of me - we both paused for a microsecond to assess each other - and it loped off into the long grass on the other side of the track. Scully reappeared later, behind me, about where the hare had exited the bush so I guess she'd tracked it back that far.

I bet they were scared. They cheated and dashed into the scrub, and after tracking them through the undergrowth for a while I figured I'd better rescue F who might get lost without me running ahead to show the way.

Back down by the sea I spotted another quarry lurking in the scrub but F was onto me.  She says I have a tell - I start 4-legged bouncing and she has learned that means a bird. It was quails. I'm allowed to chase those. They cheat too though - they fly.

She stopped me from chasing these guys 

Really?

F says I'm getting better behaved but truth is I'm clever - I know when and with whom to behave. She says I've got a memory like an elephant.  Not sure about elephants' memories but I always know where I have left things (my ball for instance). I know where important stuff gets stored (like the bag of dog biscuits under the bunk) and I know how far F tilts her mug for the last slurk of tea which means we'll go for a walk next. Tea, boots, walk, then coffee and then I get a bit bored supervising but I always know when its time for afternoon walk and hassle her to down tools.

F said winter afternoon walks were 1530 OK, but at this time of year it has to be later.

I don't see why.

Oh yeah and there's a line in that song about "God save strawberry jam and all the different varieties".

I think it had something to do with a pause during our walk yesterday to inspect the space that has been reserved as our 'village green'. It's not an English village green - it slopes, is really uneven, is pockmarked with rabbit holes, and gorse keeps trying to grow there but I love it.

Yours

Scully

(The Kinks - https://youtu.be/lc7dmu4G8oc?si=hnYXu7hOqxNMB3vc)