A young lady and her curly brown Goldendoodle set the pace ahead of me until I reached the recreation ground. Rounding the playing field, a feathered congregation was hard at work on the turf: a lone herring gull, a couple of common gulls, ten wood pigeons, and a flock of roughly thirty corvids. Nearby, that ‘friendly’ Pitbull Terrier was up to his usual antics—standing tall on his garden trampoline and barking loudly for the whole world to hear.

    Inside the cemetery, six wood pigeons took flight towards the top field, while a pair of crows commandeered an oak tree. As I neared, another startled pigeon bolted into a neighbouring pine. Heading down Cemetery Drive, the invisible trampoline Pitbull continued his noisy commentary, while two pairs of wood pigeons navigated the gusty winds whipping through the Holm Oaks. Down by the leisure centre, a row of eight feral pigeons sat neatly lined up along the rooftop. A familiar face—a young lady out with her small white cockapoo—offered a warm smile and a nod as we crossed paths.

    Then came the true comedy of the day. A couple strolled ahead with a magnificent, off-lead Icelandic Sheepdog trotting casually in tow. Out of nowhere, a tiny German Shepherd puppy—also off-lead—came charging in like a canine warrior, barking aggressively at the giant. The sheepdog didn’t even blink, carrying on with supreme indifference while an out-of-breath owner sprinted past to retrieve her brave little pup.

    The sheepdog’s wake of chaos wasn’t over, though. As he trotted past another house, a massive white Great Pyrenees appeared at the window, barking frantically and practically trying to burst through the glass. Unfazed, the cool-headed sheepdog sauntered on by without giving any of the local audience a second glance.
Daily Stats
Distance: 2.41 miles
Duration: 52 minutes
Google Fit: 21 Heart Points

Copyright ©️ Text, photographs and videos Written by John Yeo – All rights reserved.