little boy blue
On many of our adventures whether on pathless woods or where the waves break on a low sandy shore, Blue and I would settle a while. Blue is my trusty Blue Roan Cocker Spaniel. He would sit on his haunches with a morose appearance watching his master. A watchful sleepy eye would appear and analyse the footsteps, creaks and sounds around him. Blue stood slack but ready, his smooth narrow head flickered as he shifted his gaze, his growls grew more menacing, his eyes becoming fixed in their stare.
Blue suddenly yelped his impatience and flew at the hedge turning a pheasant out from the taloned bramble hedge below. At first she fluttered but at length she springs to smoother flight. He would later lie in the warm noon day sun; he breathed softly and sighed lowly with his legs moving as though he was running. Was Blue chasing pheasants in his dreams, one can only wonder?
In the sweeps of wind and waves I would listen to the sound of the laughing gulls, the sound of which I had in my ears for so long, I could not do without it. Their tossing flight and cries floated higher in the sky above with the sound of their voices being loosed to the eddies of the wind.
During stormy winter weather the gulls travel inland to the areas of flooded farmland which has been under water for many weeks at a time, where they would bathe and preen their oily feathers. On stormy days they stand to face the howling winds so as not to ruffle their fine feathers before they return to their coastal homes, laughing their near-human laugh as they scoot by the slappy shores. A bird will fluff out his feathers when he is cold, tired, angry, and sleepy or when his feelings have been hurt. The way he carries his feathers may be an indication that all is not well. Sometimes we too have to stand strong and face our own challenges head on, just like the gulls. They eyes of the gulls fix on Blue and I with a look of undisguised distain before hearing the sound of ‘quoc, quoc, quoc’ informing all that there is a human approach close by.
All this time Blue’s excitement has been elevating until he could contain himself no more. He rose to his feet and raced towards the gulls on the beach with the sand arose behind him by the kicks of his hind legs, jumping and barking as the gulls took to flight to escape his excited advances. As they landed some way down the beach Blue was not far behind them and before long he was but a spot in the distance. The gulls rose once more and headed out to the water to escape him. He had never been in the sea before and wasn’t too fond of water, however, if the gulls were going in then so was Blue. He would chase another group back up the beach then drop at my feet with his tongue flagging. After his salty bath and fish supper he retired to his basket, Blue would cease to listen to the footfalls and sleep on.
I would soon become aware that life is a great bundle of little things seeing a spirit everywhere, gentle in thought to my eyes beheld. One never tires of seeing the wonders that surround us or their beguiling and impressive charm, but I will endeavour to give them an added charm always striving to be more truthful to write or render a scene with the authentic sunlight of life.
