Late winter arrival 

Four seasons in one day

This week we had been buffeted by the weather conditions, all day a brooding sky was threatening as the wind drove across the horizon with the weather fronts discharging their load in dramatic style.

 The dogs were super charged with excitement as they darted in and out of the shallow dunes heading up to the “Hundred Footer” while Beanie was scouting the trail returning after her short burst forward driving the other dogs in my direction all zigzagging and running forward with me, then we reached our play zone the sequence of small shallow deans undulating between the tusks of maron grass. This is where the hijinks start all the crew tear around in circles going nuts running about play fighting rolling each other over chasing about, churning up the sand. With a short "Climb-on-Terry bonding break", before we head to the steep climb to the golf course fringe and along the back of the dunes to the ridge that takes us over the top of the “Hundred Footer” sand dune. One moment bathed in the sun light the next blown about with driving rain, promptly clearing back to a bright spring afternoon. The dogs could feel the electricity in the sky adding to their excitement.

I had been keeping an eye on the possibility of signs of my favourite winter visitor to the dunes for a few weeks now as the wind direction had changed and the temperature had dropped, this is the herald for a spectacular day flying owl the Short-eared Owl and as On-Q! the screech of mobbing buzzards driving down on top of a beautiful large winged golden/white owl, performing an aerial display to avoid the aggressive buzzards, a spectacular "David Attenborough moment”.

After the show we continued higher to the summit racing along the ridge to the big drop-off into the sand dune blowout, the crew ran, jumped, tumbled with joy racing back up to the ridge to encourage me to join in. This was their reward for being an amazing group of little pals, not once did they leave my side playing together along the way. The crocodile of dogs followed me as we ran back down the wooded valley to the lowland dunes to take shelter as flakes of snow started to fall. We approached the van time to lead-up bless them they know the routine so well they sit in a circle and wait to be hitched up and happy to walk together quietly back just in time before the heavens opened.