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Sketch a day - Day 53/365

Tucker and I went for a long training walk today. Usually we go to pup training class but today Janey had a work thing to attend. And Tucker has become very frightened of public transport so I can't get him to class when we can't go by car. (Tucker and I used to be able to go on trains and buses together (I can't drive, 3 years of trying to learn didn't work. My brand of dyspraxia does not mix with roundabouts, sadly) but he's too scared to get to the station at the moment.

So, instead of pup class we had training at home (he’s got a step further on with his Boom trick training and we practiced him taking a hanky out of my pocket when I go ‘atishu’, then he hands me the hanky. It's super cute. Thou I would not blow my nose on anything that has been in Tuckers mouth.

After that we went on a walk mixed in with some pup parkour (jumping bike parking posts, paws up and jumping and sitting on some high walls). We also did some threshold training. Practicing going near the dreaded train station. He's getting closer. But it's very slow progress.

Amongst all of that we walked up the hill behind Micklethwaite. To have a big old sniff and rummage. Because he loves a job but likes some fun time too.

There are some sweet teenage oaks I love to visit up on the hillside. Such plucky dudes. They get hammered by the weather but they just don't give up. And when I am feeling blue or worried I think about them. They inspire me. Any way, we said hello to them and then we stood for a while and looked at the view.

I love seeing Micklethwaite down below looking like it has been tucked in a fold of a blanket. And beyond there's east Morton and then Keighley and then hills and trees and sky.

I felt very lucky to be up there with our Tucker.

This evening I decided to draw the Micklethwaite view. I found a pack of felttips and played around with them on a wet page. I love how the blue felttip has so much violet in it. And the brown has lots of pink. That all spilled out everywhere. Then I played around with India ink and watercolour crayon.

Later still my sister rang to say that her dear dog Lily had died. It's awful. And my heart really breaks for her because dogs are family. And she feels that way too. And it made me think about my day with Tucker in a whole new light. Just feeling so much gratitude for him. He is a lot. But how lovely was it to spend that time, looking at the view, with him. If you have a pet give them a special cuddle tonight.

And that's the news.