HOPE

Today i took Fergus, our remarkable being of a dog, part spinone, part viszla & part labrador, to Firemore beach.

He’s nearly 12 now, so every nuance, every slight imagined difference is noticed and feared.

He is used to his freedom and sits at a distance on the top of the promontory which beckons fingerlike to the Atlantic, attentive still to me.

We engage in our repetitive play. I stalk him, he knows how it goes, i get near and then he tears around in joyful, playful mini circles.

How can i love him more?

We both walk through clouds of pink thrift and bog cotton, sprinkled with yellow peas. Campanula bells still to arrive.

We skirt down the softest pale sand, hover by small pools, abstracted water of light rhythm, sea weed swaying, here and everywhere.

We see a tiny silver fish, beached on the sand, flexing and wriggling. i pick it up. Fergus stood still, watching as i put it back in the sea. Let’s hope for the best.

Is this paradise?

It is more. More than everything i cannot capture, more than i can ever hold, more than all the moments i can ever feel this blessing with the most beautiful doggie friend.

He is more popular in all the cafes than any human.

What will we do without him?

Let’s hope for the best.