Hunting ducks

 All work and no play...so Claire and I went off to Kuraki Park for a late afternoon walk. I haven't been back for a while because there are so many cats and Claire goes wild on the leash, and I don't always feel like running berserk and untangling her leash over and over. But today she seems less overexcited about chasing things, smoother on her paces,
and she has discovered duck hunting, as oppose to just pigeons. As always at the entrance to the park she uses the natural cover of the tree trunks to take in the situation while hiding her presence.

What makes the walks so fantastic lately is the golden autumn sunshine, at its most glorious from three to four in the afternoon before it fades to evening. All the tints of the park are highlighted in the light.  I'm a really proud parent, Claire stands so straight and sprightly, full of bundled energy but very grounded. She was wagging her tail for most of the walk, enjoying herself to the utmost. Here she is below, startled at some scent or movement in the bushes.

It was all i could do to stop her diving straight into the lake to go after the ducks, and when we got to a shallow area with no fence she did make her way in up to her belly...but dried out soon with the good walk and exercise. It's hard to get her to stand still and face the camera, she's so intent on what's going on in the woods around.

 Paths where i completely lost control of her in the summer are now less verdant, and she is more willing to stay with me and not jump off the beaten tracks in such wild abandon. I really love these tiny tracks between water meadows, with all the reeds and rushes fading into autumn shades.

 When we got to the open space and the baseball diamond at the top we discovered they were doing construction work in one half of the park, and our usual route was closed off. Even in the wide space, Claire is intent on all that goes on around us.

 Time to go home, as the trees turns orange above the shaded hillside. I've got work and a dance class waiting, and Claire will warm the sofa waiting for me to come home and take her out for a teeny night walk before bedtime. Dreaming of duck hunting some more, I bet.