A walk with a twist

Today's walk took the usual path down Ithaka Creek. Ibises scavenging, top knot pigeons cooeing and  a couple of ducks in the creek. Dougall was hell bent on having a ball. We ran down the hill to the path at such a pace, he was definitely walking me. He is my neighbour's pup, a boxer full of wonderful energy and enthusiasm. We have a great system. I borrow him when I want to take him for a walk and then give him back. Perfect.

I decided to let him off the leash and he bounded about. There was happiness in each of his jaunts, never too far, running through the long grass and the low lying branches as if playing hide and seek on his very own and delighting when he found me again.

It was an unusually quiet day and we saw no one, which was just as well, as I had him off the leash, until a couple appeared in the distance. I screwed my eyes a bit because I could see there was something on the ground and to my surprise I realised it was a cat. A cat out on a walk ?? That is unusual. So I rushed forward to put Dougall on the lead and as I approached the couple, she said "This is not my cat, but she has been following us. I was just taking my pet snake out for a walk". The snake was draped around her neck and the cat was now in her arms and she feared one might eat the other as we made our way past them with maximum enthusiasm.  

Well I did not want to risk carnage, so I hurried along with him and then looked back - was that for real? Yes it was, the snake, the cat, the tats and all of that !