The Perception

Today began in cloud shrouded darkness and although darkness was a friend to Paul Simon, it is a dubious ally for me and the pack. Humans and pets don't take a chance on the blackness and so our journey is solitary, undisturbed by social niceties and human convention. The only sounds are those of hard breathing and occasional commands. Some of those commands are mine, others belong to the dogs. Mishka acts as the speed governess admonishing Millie for expending her energy too fast. Millie acts as navigator, if my shouted "Gee!" or "Haw!" does not meet an immediate response Millie produces a sound somewhere between growl and yap, which produces the course required from Mishka. The blackness obscures those unforeseen changes in our landscape, branches blown by the wind, rocks moved by walkers and farmers. The solitary handlebar light providing some warning, but far less useful than the body language of the dogs. A check of step, a swerve of the head can all indicate an imminent change in route. My job is to read the signs, as some people have said- "you must be a mentalist to go out at that time", I suppose they are right, although I never considered myself a doggy Derren Brown