Well, it's been a momentous day. Andrew had been scheduled to go to a meeting in Birmingham today but the company wisely cancelled it. As he was home, we decided to venture out for a walk and went over to Tredegar House with the dogs. Our estate was icy but passable with care, but once we hit the main roads they were clear. So,we went over on very quiet roads and when we arrived, there were hardly any cars in the car park. The little shops (like Busy Bees, my quilting shop) that are based in the stables were all closed, and no sign of the gardening project either.

All wrapped up, we walked up the drive and into the open area, with the long avenues of trees, and there wasn't a soul to be seen. The dogs were loving the snow, which was quite deep in the grassy areas, so we decided to let the dogs off the leads and have some free play. This may not sound very major to most people but this was the first time we have ever done this in a public park. Andy and Booty both have what is called a high prey drive - this means that they view any passing small dog such as a Yorkshire Terrier as a thoughtfully provided mobile snack - food on the go, if you like. They don't "see" small dogs as dogs - just as something to chase, like a squirrel or a rabbit. Some greyhounds quickly make the connection when they come off the track - others, like Andy and Booty don't. This is why they always also wear muzzles and of course why we walk them on the lead. It also explains why we go all the way over to England for off-lead play on a regular basis.

So we had the most magical time with all three hounds frolicking and prancing and rushing round in circles at high speed, and sniffing trees, and sniffing molehills and generally having a blissful time. As we walked back toward the house, we reattached the leads and not long after some other dogs appeared so we timed it well. But it was a really memorable session and a big landmark for us.

This afternoon, I have been continuing quilting and finished making up a pretty little table runner for the guest bedroom - if you read this and come and stay with us regularly, as I know several of you do, you'll see it on your next visit. A couple of pics attached. You can read more about the table runner over at Silver Nutmeg my craft blog. I had let it lapse a bit over the autumn, but have decided to keep it running and there's lots more details and pics over there. While I was finishing that, Andrew went over to our friend Paula's and walked her dogs for her (greyhounds Jim and Blue). She's now completed her radiotherapy which is great news. It's now dark and getting colder, and we are wondering if we'll have more snow tonight.