A little bit of magic

Yesterday I met Joe and Georgie at my favourite spot on the island. It’s a place we’ve never been for a walk, because it’s a provincial park, dogs are supposed to be leashed and ball play (or similar) is forbidden, so never previously a walk that had a lot in it for Georgie. That was then, before her injury, before her surgery, from which she is still recovering. Which is why I suggested this place for our walk. From one end to the other it’s only about half an hour on fairly level ground on a trail by the water that is half forested, half not. 

It was an absolutely beautiful day.

We decided to do the forested half first, saving the best for last. Part way along we scrambled down to the water’s edge, which is when I realised this was a perfect place to bring Georgie at the moment.

She might not be able to chase balls, may never be able to safely do so again, but there is one thing she can do. (Damn. I was about to insert a video in here, then I was reminded that if I wished to do so I’d have to pay WordPress $5 a month. Argh!!! Will have to make do with a photo.)

Yes, she may not be able to pelt through the woods, performing acrobatic leaps to catch a moving ball mid-air, but she can still swim, which does not put that sort of strain on her leg. She can still have a ball – fetching sticks from the water. Who how long we will still have days warm enough for her to do so, but yesterday was perfect. (There were people in the water, too, although personally I thought they were barking.)

Didn’t matter how small or big the stick (or branch) was.

She loved it.

So, instead of a half hour stroll, we spent an hour and a half there, most of it sitting on a log, throwing things in the water for a very happy Georgie Girl. 

Eventually it was time to get back on the trail and stroll towards the money shot.

I have no idea how many times over the years I (and visiting friends) have taken a photo of this particular view.

Along the way, Georgie got to dry herself off a bit, rolling around in dry grass.

And I got to point out the place Mike and I used to use for our picnic spot and the place where, at low tide, we scattered his ashes all those years ago. (Also got to tell Joe about returning with friends the next day and discovering that the tide had not been strong enough to wash the ashes away. A large part of the pile was still there. It was actually several weeks before it disappeared completely.)

There was definitely a little bit of magic in the afternoon.