hot days in autumn

It has been hot the last few days, so we're walking early in the morning. The ground at Rosanna Parklands is dry and dusty. You can see in this photo that only the run-off from the doggy drinking bowl enables some grass to grow in one especially dry patch of soil.

Penny is a fussy drinker. Here we are trying to convince her she needs water. Look, we've emptied out the dirty old water and it's nice and fresh now.

No thanks. I don't do public drinking bowls.

Oh okay, if you insist. I'll drink from the running tap.

Pretty dry and hot here these days

Penny has her walks at the crack of dawn these days. (Well, we try to get back home before 9 am, which is the time we have to slop some sun protection on the humans.)

Yesterday we went to Rosanna, and walked in the cool of the morning, but it was still nice to have a drink to rehydrate ourselves. I was struck by the difference between the 'landscape' around the tap, where dogs spill water (messy drinkers, all of them!) and the surrounds where the poor soil gets no water.

It's a great example of the difference sufficient water makes to the plants.

coffee or chocolate destination when walking the dog

We have a new stopping place on our local walks, because there's a teensy little coffee shop at a local railway station.

I guess we'll have to walk further so I can exercise off the extra fat from the drink, haha.

Penny didn't take any notice of the bookshelf outside the little shop, but I did, because they have a swap going on - you just leave a book and take one. Should be fun.

walking on a warm but not hot day

Penny and her two humans didn't have to walk at the crack of dawn today, because it's a warm day, not as fiendishly hot as it's been lately.

But a dog still needs to have a drink when she's taking her humans for a brisk walk.

It's best if you can instruct your humans to turn the tap on, so you can drink from running water.

The great thing about this drinking bowl is the hole in the bottom, because once a dog has had her fill, the water empties out along a clever little drain, presumably to be directed to the nearby Yarra River.

We're so lucky that someone had the foresight to create this beautiful bush setting just a few kilometres from the centre of a huge modern city.