What I do for pleasure, or I think I like the rainy days and mud better.

Went for a walk with the dog, and quite a walk it was.  I took my friend's dog Nonna again as her daughter is quite ill again and had to go in for another bout of emergency surgery today.

It was an adventure.

First we met up with a large St Bernard/pit cross who escaped from his farm and followed us at length to the overwhelming excitement (read hysteria) of Nonna.  Somewhat to the delight of Chuck though as she was a she.

That done, motos went storming by repeatedly.  Those BMX ones that make the most outrageous noise.  Truly.  Outrageous. Chuck hates them.  He hates them a lot.  He chases them quite rabidly.

After a few of these came a fat guy on a vespa.  We were on a badly rutted dirt road.  Chuck normally doesn't mind Vespas at all, but by now he's just a little worked up.  So he chases it.  The problem is that fat guys on Vespas on steep dirt roads are slower than Chuck, so he was barking like a wild beast right at the guys leg.  A miracle no one was hurt.  Then came a bike.  Normally no big deal but his chuckmeisterness was a wee bit worked up, so I hung onto him.  Then the Vespa guy came BACK!  Then he stopped his bike and I let go of Chuck and apologised.  No problem.

Not done yet.

Then came the motos again, then a gang of them.

This was not quite the tranquil walk I had envisioned.

I went a little further and got to a less used part of the road.  As I turned a corner I realised that, all at once, a bike was coming up behind me, a horse being walked by it's rider was coming down towards me and the local shepherd with all his goats and 6 dogs was at the next corner.

Oh JOY!

Chuck knows all about the shepherd and it usually isn't a big deal, but he is pretty worked up, and has his woman with him to boot.....so he gets into a fight with the shepherds dogs.....the shepherd and I called them off, no damage done.

We finally make it past them, only to discover that the biggest of the shepherd's dogs is showing an interest in Nonna.  An unwelcome interest and is following me up the hill.  The shepherd keeps telling me to be careful.

I think going to the gym is not quite as stressful.

We get on a little further in peace, and then come across a beautiful little female beagle.  She's a hunting dog.  Chuck is excited (again). I am not, because that reminds me that today was hunting day and I am dressed in 'See me here!  Don't shoot me' colours.  Not.  I am wearing a grey shirt and jeans. Ho hum.

Leash goes on the Chuckster, so now I am walking down the mountain giving my best imitation of a man being drawn by four horses, because the dogs would NEVER want to sniff the same side of the road at the same time.

Good lord.

I did manage two paintings today, more than I had planned, but fun.  Glad I am giving this a whirl.  Lesson learned from today's painting?  I am rusty.