Leo, a walk, and a parcel

This is Leo.

Leo is my neighbour's daughter's dog. My neighbour is looking after Leo while her daughter and family are on holiday, but yesterday she had to go into London, so I got to look after Leo. In the late morning, I suddenly realised that if we were going to go out while it was dry we'd better get moving. As you can see, Leo had the same idea. I think the eyes say it all.

Yesterday started and ended as a really lovely day. When we set off, the sun was shining and it was nice and warm outside. At this time of year the hedgerows are just dripping with fruits ripe for the picking, and they're just there on the side of the road for anyone to pick. These particular plums are quite delicious, but I don't think they taste much like plums. To me they taste like rhubarb and custard.

The bramble bushes are ripening and some of the blackberries are ready to be picked. I fancy making some sloe gin this year, and I've found a recipe on the internet which had me chuckling, because it starts with "get a bottle of gin and drink half of it...." Apparently you should wait till after the first frost before you pick the sloes. They look like blueberries in the picture.

I tried to get Leo to pose for a picture with this footpath in the background, but he was very uncooperative.

To the side of the path is a field, and it was empty except for this mother piggie and her little piglets. They all seem to be little minimees of their mother.

Next to the ivy leaves, you can see how small Leo really is. He is such an adorable little thing, and probably won't get any bigger. I would have expected him to have a yappy bark, but no! I discovered that Leo has a big-dog bark which is about 10 times as big as he is when a horse and rider had the temerity to cross his path. I think Leo doesn't like horses. He got so cross that I had to pick him up and hold him so that he wouldn't attack the horse. Sometimes big hearts come in small packages.

And talking of packages........

My daughter Natalie (see the link in the margin for Nick and Nats seeing the world) sent me and my son a present from India. This is what it looked like when it arrived (I've blocked out names and addresses for security). It took them absolutely hours to mail their parcels because they had to be wrapped in paper and string, and then in (what looks to me like) muslin and all sewn up. Apparently there are people in the street outside the post office who will provide a sewing up of parcels service for a small consideration.

I thought you might like to see a closeup of the stitching....

I haven't opened it yet. My son, whose name is also on the parcel, is in Belgium at a pop festival and won't be home until tomorrow afternoon. I just couldn't rob him of the pleasure of picking up this wonderful parcel and feeling it and shaking it, and trying to guess what's inside. So I'm waiting. And to be honest, I can hardly bear to wait, because I'm so curious about what's inside the parcel, but I also love the packaging so much I can't bear the thought of cutting through those stitches.

p.s. I almost forgot. On the way home from the walk with Leo I stopped at the Post Office to post a letter, and while I was in there the heavens suddenly opened and the celestial power shower got turned on. Leo and I were both thoroughly soaked! But after we'd been home a while, it all stopped, the sun came out, and it was all lovely after that.