Tim and 10,000 steps

All the health pundits say we should walk 10,000 steps every day. Today we're only halfway through the day and Tim and I have walked  6,337.  By the end of the day we might have cracked it. Yesterday was 7,000 or so and the day before I forgot to wear the pedometer. One day I inadvertently set it to record kilometres rather than footsteps, and we did something like 6 k. It takes time to walk so many steps, but I have the time. Whether I have the stamina in this long hot summer of ours is another matter. I find I'm now thinking rather fondly of the autumn to come. Already the blackberries are ripening, and what a bumper crop we have in our hedgerows this year. Think of all those blackberry and apple crumbles we can have in the winter!

This morning we set off early, and walked across the river and up the hill towards the Roman Wall. After an hour, I phoned home and got dh to come and pick us up so we didn't have to face the long drag back uphill on the other side of the river when Tim and I were tired. Cheating, perhaps, but it makes it so pleasurable. The only other people we passed were two cyclists and for most of the route Tim ran off-lead, which he loves. We have lots of walks around here, and pretty countryside to do it is. (Cocks a snook at Lord Howells and his desolate north-east!) At puppy school I was told Tim should walk five minutes for every month of age, so right now he can do forty minutes. Given that the breed is noted for stamina, I've added in another third to that, otherwise after a couple of hours he'll be up and raring t go again.

In our early days together I walked him too far, remembering the long walks I used to do with my other Dalmatian so long ago. Tim began refusing to go out. He would sit on his backside on the lawn and just not go.  I was puzzled. Who knew of a dog that didn't want to go walkies? So I mentioned it at puppy school, which was where I learned that he'd walked too far and made his joints ache - associated the walks with pain. I felt so guilty! So now I'm more careful with him.

As a sideline of all this walking, I'm much fitter, but I wouldn't claim I've lost any weight. Possibly if I gave up the red wine, that would do more good! On the other hand, I can get into all my clothes - or nearly all of them. One pair of grey jeans to go and I'm home dry.

Sorry for the delay

DH and I were both out of action yesterday. The mystery bug finally caught up with me and gave me a miserable day. Hopefully today will be better for both of us. One good thing, if I look for positives, is that I could afford to lose a pound of two around my middle. Sitting around in a chair playing with words all day does tend to increase one's seating area.

I've got very little writing done these last few days since Tim arrived. In another few hours he'll have been here a week. Just a week. Amazing. I've had more exercise running around the garden with him, than I've had for ages. Getting up at two or three in the morning for a trip down through the darkened house so he can go into the garden and pee hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be. Thank the Lord that Spring has brought warmer temperatures. The thought of doing 3am toilet trips in the dead of winter makes me shudder. Thankfully his bladder will soon be strong enough to make it through the night.

Tim doesn't like wind. He tends to bolt back into the house on windy days, but he follows the sun through the big windows and flops down on the carpet for a snooze. Now, once he stops using everything in sight as something to chew, we'll be making progress. The cardboard rolls from the centre of kitchen paper are so very much more chewable than the two rubber toys I've bought for him.

The pic is St Mary's Chare in Corbridge. It always gives me a feel for what medieveal streets were probably like.

A Big Day Tomorrow

Short entry today as we're driving down to Carmarthen area to visit puppy and hoping to bring him home. Don't ask me why puppies for sale much closer to home didn't appeal and this one did, for I don't know. I saw his picture and couldn't get him out of my thoughts. We've spent the day wondering where he'll fit in (though we've got a fairly large house for two people, there seems no corner that jumps up and down and shouts put dog basket Here!) DH is more panicked about puppy peeing in car on 320 mile journey home. Does he already answer to Timmie? (Puppy, not DH) Seems a bit girlish for a dog, but Tim sounds better. Then there's vaccinations and boosters and puppy food - no wonder the other people cried off. I'm wondering if I should rush to pet shop and buy collar and lead - we'll be nervous wrecks soon.

I've forgotten how big (or small) three-month-old puppies are. Will he manage the back door step? the stairs should be out of bounds. I've swept the kitchen floor so there are no intriguing bits for him to eat. At least our garden is enclosed and he won't be able to get out unless he digs a tunnel under the fence. Will I still be smiling when he cries in the night, or wakes me up at five in the morning? Of course I will. I've waited a long time for this.