This time Amy came too....

We're so lucky to live in the most beautiful countryside, with so many lovely walks to choose from. I'd been feeling a bit guilty about leaving Amy behind last week when Ben and I went to the bluebell woods above Mill Bay, so decided to take her on a more gentle walk closer to home. This is normally an ordinary, everyday walk talking in the woods behind the village, but now the buttercups are in bloom and instead of sheets of blue we walked through sheets of gold. Well, Ben and I walked and Amy ....

... sort of bumbled along for a bit (wandered lonely as a cloud among a field of golden .. BUTTERCUPS?!) ...

then was clearly overcome by the beauty of the flowers!

We couldn't go through the stile and across the fields as Amy's round body doesn't fit through the gap left for dogs. Ben with his slinky and lithe young frame can wriggle through but Amy ... well .. no!

So we cut across the fields above the new houses. The young cattle came out to look

That's Stokenham in the distance, where Elona lives. But Amy can't walk so far so we didn't go visiting today. Instead we turned back towards the buttercup field

Where Ben as always had the last word!

Tiptoe through the bluebells .....

Last week Ben and I walked through the woods above Mill Bay where there are masses of bluebells in the springtime. I'd been meaning to go there for a little while, but there was always something needed doing, and Amy cries most pitifully if we leave her behind although as an old lady she simply can't manage the more energetic walks these days. But ... the butchers found us a most beautiful bone to console her ladyship, and time was running short if I wanted to see the the woods carpeted in blue this year ... so I hardened my heart, loaded Ben into the newf-mobile (aka my car!) and set off on the short drive.

The narrow Devon lanes are at their most beautiful I think at this time of year - Ragged Robin, Cow Parsley, Lords and Ladies, Pennywort, Toadflax - and of course Bluebells - I love the old-fashioned names for our wild flowers.

Up the hill and into the bluebell woods ..... we were only just in time - although the bluebells were past their best, they were still very beautiful.

Hurry up Mum! Lots more to see!

Down towards the lower path. Last time I walked this way was in February. The slope was a sea of mud and I had to hold onto the fence posts to keep from falling. Now they are invisible behind the new young spring growth.

The views open out as we turn onto the lower path, heading back towards Mill Bay in a circle around the edge of the woods. Opposite is North Sands, South Sands and then Salcombe. Deserted now ... but once the school holidays are here it will be quite otherwise!

Ohhhh Mum, my paws are tired and I'm hot!

Now that's more like it!

Let's swim!

It was lovely to have the beach to ourselves - no young children to worry about. Although Ben adores children, those who aren't used to him can (understandably) find him rather alarming as -10 stone of floppily lolloping newf charges happily towards them.

Then home for a nice cup of tea - and for Ben to tell Amy his adventures of the afternoon!