The Seasons Turn

Last week the first touch of Autumn made itself felt, the nights suddenly had a nip in the air, the chill causing the dogs to steam from their exertions.

Despite being short haired the mutts prefer the cold - they can run around expending crazy amounts of energy and not overheat. When conditions get to barely mild they huff, puff and pant - unwillingly to rein in their exertions, but paying the price of getting too hot.

The nights too have suddenly drawn close, over the course of a couple of weeks darkness has begun to settle much earlier. We are now leaving for walks at anything from 8pm onwards, either in the twilight or a little later it being fully dark.

Today however was another midnight walk with stars and moon both bright in the sky, the night mild and dry. The dogs for once were not crazy energetic and settled for some running around but mostly a good deal of sniffery. Perhaps their activity levels reflect myself - I ventured out suffering under a late summer cold and was not in any mood for foolishness or over exertion. I even debated not bothering with a walk for the day I felt that bad, but I always feel a responsibility to my goof balls that rain or shine, good or bad, we get out for at least one walk. I have only skipped a single day in a years worth of walks - not a bad record I think.

Hitting the woods with a stuffy head I let the dogs roam free and after a short walk found a clearing with a patch of grass to sit upon. Flicking my hood up I dozed in the night shrouded woods whilst the dogs explored around me. Occasionally one or the other would trot over and check up on me, a cold nose or a wet tongue investigating that I was still there and still ok whilst I for my part ignored my surroundings entirely, trusting to the mutts to keep one eye open and half an ear perked.

Sounds of the wild things rustled around us - a snapped twig, a shifting of undergrowth, but I barely noticed and instead thought feverishly on matters of work. A cool breeze spiralled over the grass and with it a faint whistle. Strange. Perhaps it had caught on the wind from somewhere else, sometimes the night does that.

A few minutes later an odd note of a whistle floated through the woods again. Someone was out there ? Whistling . . almost nervously. I pulled myself from my doze and called the mutts to me. I didn't want them hassling someone if they had a dog. Doing a good impression of extremely well trained dogs the pair instantly dropped what they were doing and trotted over to me.

Oddly the forest was quiet. No foot steps, no whistles, nada. Not a person then. After a few minutes I let the mutts wander again and returned to my doze and thought nothing more of the whistles. Just the usual odd night goings on.