Rusty's Journal 8

Other Journals

Rusty: The Filey Facial

You will be well acquainted with my favourite places, if you have read my previous journals, and top of my list is Filey and the BEACH. I cannot recommend it enough for all dogs and their human companions. Miles of golden sand, a blue inviting sea and the café with the best bacon sandwiches on the North East Coast, but perhaps not in January!!!!

I shouldn’t complain as we stay in a very cosy and comfortable cottage with heated floors, essential for warming cold toes after long walks. Also useful for when the female human has to sleep in the lounge when I had an upset tummy, as happened last New Year.

What I hadn’t expected were the blizzard conditions and the ice everywhere. One minute we were strolling in glorious sunshine enjoying the view towards Flamborough, the next struggling through arctic winds, driving snow and visibility of about a paw in front of your nose. The walk back to the cobble landing seemed to take for ever and when we finally sat down at the café my female human did have a veritable glow to her cheeks. I reckon the skin peel must have made her look “ten years younger” forever to be known as the “Filey Facial”.

Why do they insist on throwing things into the sea, don’t they know it’s cold!! You wouldn’t catch them swimming in the “German sea” in January, or any other time for that matter. I love running on the sand, I will fetch a ball (usually someone else’s) I will dig and bury stones but I DO NOT want to swim in sub zero temperatures no matter how good a photo opportunity my humans might consider it to be. I am putting my paw down very firmly in future, no more New Year swims.

My pal TJ was going to come over and visit but the snow put paid to that. Her human has a very “racy” car and it does not do ice. I haven’t seen her since I got home but I am sure she will be impressed with my more streamlined physique, a result of all that beach walking I’m sure. Still it meant I did not have to share my treats or toys, I don’t mind you understand…….

This year us dogs (and humans) had to share our beach with some very large animals, apparently known as horses. I have seen these before, not the exact ones you understand, as my female human keeps one. A single “horse” is quite an imposing sight when you look up from hound level but three or four abreast running at speed across the sand is a daunting prospect even to a seasoned equestrian associate like myself. Long before you can see them, you can feel the ground shaking as their hooves strike down in a rhythmic thud. Then they come into view snorting and steaming in the wintry cold. Strange thing though their humans don’t make them fetch things out of the sea and every one of them had a nice warm blanket on. I wonder if their stable floors are heated??

I don’t think I will ever feel truly comfortable in their presence they are just a bit too big and clumsy looking for my liking, a stray hoof could do a lot of damage in my opinion. The female human spends a lot of time with hers, at least I think that is where she goes in tight trousers and long boots, she certainly smells horsey when she comes home. It might not be too bad an aroma in the open air but in a warm kitchen, well even us dogs have limits!!!

Since returning from my holidays I have bumped in to most of my pals at the river, Teddy the springy spaniel with ice balls attached to his ears and feet,a new arrival a Labradoodle and Max the Golden Retriever who strangely has not been as attracted to the water (maybe he too feels the cold). Mind you it is just as well as his female human I have discovered has quite a way with words. Last time Max decided to go for a protracted dunk she was shouted at by some builders working at a very posh house on the riverbank, with some helpful suggestions as to how to cure him of the problem. Max’s human replied in a very refined voice “excuse me t….t” I think it something to do with pregnant fish??

And best of all we still have SNOW the crispy, roll in, bury your head in, skifter about in type of snow. I love it. My humans keep producing different boots and coats and talking with other humans about how many inches deep it is and if there is going to be some more. It is a constant topic of programmes on the television and apparently lots of things are closed because of it. Bring it on I say. I have never had so much fun and then after a long walk, being rubbed down with a soft fluffy towel and lying on a heated floor on a posh bed. I have landed in doggy heaven…….now when are we off to Filey again I think the female could do with another facial!!!!!