Tuesday 16 February 2010

Sun Shiny Day


It has been such a lovely sunny day here today
that I just had to share some photos with you.


They are taken from and of the vineyards up above our house
where we walk the hounds most mornings.


I'm fascinated by the patterns
the vines make.
So I am always stopping to take a different shot or two.


Lovely for a picnic perhaps?
Maybe another day.


This is the road we often walk back down.
It looks a long way but it isn't.
It's quite icy tho'.
The views are of the other side of the river.


Here's a closer view.

Ohh and here's Jewel.


I stopped to take a few photos
and that's all she needs for an excuse to lie down,
and eat snow!


Back home this is the view from the house
looking down our little street
across the river.

The sun must have thawed the ground.
Mike has been hammering in fence posts
in order to put up a fence for the hounds.
It will give them a little area to run around and play outside.
Supervised of course.
Did I ever tell you of the time Jewel and Rufus ran off?
No?

It happened one night the first week we had moved to Germany,
so everything was all a bit new to us.
We had just come in from the nightime walk,
which meant we would be going upstairs to bed.
But on getting upstairs,
only Paddy was there.
Jewel and Rufus were no where to be seen!
We went back downstairs
and unable to find them,
we came to the conclusion
that they had escaped!
We didn't know how.
We just knew that they weren't
anywhere inside.
Mike got in the car to
cover more ground.
Well greyhounds can move fast!
And I stayed close to home in case they showed up.
I also looked in the allotments/vineyards close by,
but it was very dark.
It was frightening to think
about how we would get them back.
Did they know their own way home?

After 45 minutes or so
Mike spotted Rufus trotting back through the vineyards towards him.
He was in fact heading back in the direction of the house!
We like to think that Rufus knew which way was home
and he'd had enough freedom and it was time for bed.

Mike got him into the car and travelled a bit further afield in search of Jewel.
She's always been a little minx.
He was nearly in the neighbouring village when he happened to see her nosing around along the edges of the gardens.
When he called to her she was very happy to see him and came over straight away and got in the car.
But I also think she would not have known her way home and would have carried on going further and further away until she eventually stopped and wondered where we were.

And how did they get out?
A certain someone hadn't shut the workshop door properly,
and Jewel being Jewel,
was the first one to go through and find it.
Rufus followed.
It was very fortunate to get them back safe.
Since then we have been very careful to check that doors are closed.

After this mornings walk
the hounds spent time on the balcony
chewing bones,
and relaxing in the sunshine.
Who was out there the longest?
Jewel.

Hope your day has been a sunny one.







14 comments:

Connie said...

Lovely pictures, Lynne. I think it is so neat to see the neat rows of the vineyards in the snow. That must have given you quite a scare when the dogs escaped. So glad to hear you got them back safely.

Anonymous said...

I love the intricate rows in the vineyards too. It's pretty now but I can imagine that Spring time will just be heavenly!!! My husband and I were watching about dogs last night on tv, and saw hounds alongside a wire-haired dachshund and thought of your 4 babies and our one - we laughed about how dachshunds really got cheated on legs! ha
It is so frightening when animals get away from us. I am so thankful that Mike got your two back, especially since you were all in new surroundings. Nice to hear from you and I can't wait for spring flowers to start popping thru the soil for you. That picnic table would be the perfect place for some cheese and fruit.

Kath said...

They say Hounds are born wanderers! It must have been scary tho.

Heidi said...

I'm glad the dogs are okay!

What a gorgeous view you've got.

Jen said...

Lynne
Your morning walks must be delightful-those views sure are.

It is scary not finding your dog. That happened to me once. After an hour and a half of searching, and car searching for Amy....I find her in the closet in the basement. (She rarely barks) Someone shut the door after she wandered in with them. ahemm.
yep, that would have been me.

Sandi said...

I love the look of the snow dusted vineyards, very pretty. It is raining (149mm overnight)and foggy here today.
Glad that you found the dogs - you must have been quite worried for them.

frayed at the edge said...

Fabulous photos - some of them would be great on Shadow Shot Sunday!! We used to have a spaniel who would run away if a door was left open - and our poodle would get out of our car and into someone else's in a car park!!

Zuzana said...

Beautiful images. The sky is incredible, in the contrast the snow.
How scary that must have been when your dogs run away. That is a fear of every cat owner as well, as cats are let out every day. One has to trust they are happy enough with you so that they will return.;))
xo
Zuzana

BadPenny said...

beautiful photos. Glad you found the dogs safely - Sam used to run of all the time & was alwas found swimming at the harbour ! It is a worry when they do wonder off Dillon has never strayed ..too stoopid !

G - O - S said...

Just think of the texture you could make if you quilted some plain white in the patterns of the vines! You must have been worried sick about the hounds. An hour is a very long time when you are on your own and waiting! Poor you. alisonb2

noelle said...

great pictures lynn! love Jewels coat x x

Maggie May said...

I love the pictures of the vines and it seems unusual to see them in snow. They make lovely patterns.
Terrible when you lose a dog.

Nuts in May

Steve Gravano said...

Beautiful photos, I love the vineyard photo you posted on Monday also. Isabel wandered once. We live next door to my sister-in-law's and Isabel wandered into her house and helped herself to a soft spot on a pillow. She wasn't gone too long, but it was a miserable feeling.

...Nina Nixon... said...

Amazing pictures and the vineyards are so mesmerising - all thise perfect lines.