A funny little study of a pug and Hedgehog

without the steemit crop

My little study of the pug and hedgehog has come about when I was on my last walk to our neighbouring villages tea room, the Tadpole tearoom.

I believe I've mentioned a few times now how we are so lucky with our country foot paths round these parts. There is a wonderful ramble that leads from our village through an amazing series of sheep filled fields to the next village's churchyard and then onto the tea room.
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The low set December sun and the quality of light is always amazing here on a morning such as this.

As you round this church yard into the little village center, there is a field at the main sign posts. Yesterday they had let out a few sheep when this cheeky little ram came over to show off.

He rambled up to me and I couldn't help but get many photos of him.

I wasn't sure if he was longing for pets from me or protecting his ladies.

Either way, he really loved showing off his impressive horns. The silhouette of him with the long morning light was really amazing.

If you turn around, behind this little sheep enclosure with the church to your right, you will see this road sign in the center of the road and it just sort of feels very 'of this place'.

There is just something very English to me about these little wooden placards pointing this way and that. Their painted destination might be down the road or a few hundred miles away. Time and distance here in the country seems to be measured quite differently than London.

I have become a creature of tea rooms and coffee houses of late.

Yesterday I was at Tadpole, this morning at the local place, just a few houses down off the High from us.

I've talked of it before, it is very 1940's/50s England and right now the dulcet tones of Ella are wafting from the old speakers in the corner. Just look at all these lovely little delicious treats. (It is hard to stick to my non carb ways, but I am doing it, drinking pots of tea with single cream helps.)

My good friend @barracudadiaries will appreciate the Christmas cake on display, with her favourite a penguin keeping an snowman company.

The sun is filling the tea room this morning.

They are just setting up for Christmas in here so I am like a pig in mud, loving the season so.

Now back to the pug and the hedgehog

I do have a roundabout way of getting to things, don't I? Well, on my walks from tea room to tea room as well as on any daily ramble I encounter endless dogs.

Another affinity I feel with the English is their love of dogs.

You will be hard pressed to find any place round here that is NOT dog friendly. Only once, in a large chain grocery story, were Ivan the dog and I ever asked to leave. In most cases we are simply one of many dogs in the place.

Yesterday, at the tea room (after our sheep encounter) we ended at the tea room and there were three other dogs sitting under tables or on sofas. A darling little pug kept eyeing me up from the tale next me. His funny little expression as he rest his head on his paws and I sipped my tea made me smile no end.

On the ramble back home I chatted with my friend about the lovely local critters:

The fox and hedgehog, various darling field mice, the roe and red deer all call the English shores their home. Now add to this the domesticated farm life of sheep, cow, horses, ponies and of course the endless slew of dogs I see on the daily and I hit upon the idea for a new series:

Dogs and Their Wild English friends of field and pasture.

That title is a bit long, but you get the general idea. I was considering doing a series of pieces in my 'dog in chairs' style. This is a wonderful counterpoint to my more ambitious oils in my Singularity series.

I've always had a sort of dichotomy to my nature.

Wanting often two distinct things that aren't necessarily counter to one another but actually can work quite well in tandem. Even my dual life of New and Old England seems to just suit me. I suppose I like variety but not too much, just enough to keep one interested but also not feel too pulled into too many directions.

Well, I shall close now as I've been a bad girl and not posted these past two days. I can so easily get caught up in my little quite country life here, that it is easy to find two days have gone by without your notice.

I hope all of you find a moment for a good ramble and at the very least a bit of time to stroke a friendly dog or admire a sheep. It can be the balm to a stressful day.

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