Its a misnomer.....

I love my dogs, I really do but Golden? Retriever?  its a total misnomer: for a start Defi doesn't 'retrieve' he steals...socks, tea towels, Izabel's toys, most of the quilt during the night and, with the exception of the quilt, he runs like the wind so you can't catch him.  He doesn't retrieve.

 

As for Golden.  What a fib.

 

I did post this picture the other day of my lanes nothing has changed other than they are actually worse now.  The rain is lashing it down as I type, the fields just can't take anymore water and so are running onto the lane and gushing down them in torrents.

 

 

 

But still my dogs want to go out!  I took this yesterday as we did have a bit of a respite from the howling wind and driving rain but as you can see Defi isn't bothered by a bit of damp!

Izabel can't resist a good puddle....

 



Neither Iz nor Defi can pass up a chance of stick fighting whilst charging through the mud....

This I have never seen before.  The water is coming down the lane in the distance, through the hard standing car park and running like a river through this track, its flows all the way down the big hill and to the river at the bottom of the next field. 

 

I was talking to another dog walker a lovely chap who has lived here all his life - when he wasn't

a Captain of a boat - he says he hasn't seen it this bad since 1963...that was before I was born!

 



 This picture shows the river bank on the opposite side to where we walk in the morning and is the very prestigious golf course, it now has its own stream.  A few days before I took this photo (Monday) the river had burst its bank and the land was flooded all the way back to the line of trees you can see in the middle distance.  We are expecting the river to peak again today and tomorrows forecast of how the River Wye is going to be is not something anyone is looking forward too.

 

 

 

 But still my dogs love it!  I took this once we got home, just before the hose came out and we had the hours fun of hosing off and rubbing dry.  Who needs a gym membership!

They look pretty clean but the camera lies, underneath they are black, see Golden?  no way!

But every cloud has a silver lining, and these beautiful snowdrops are nodding gently...although today they are nodding violently in the wind and relentless rain.