Shanti reports…

I’m not sure what Covid, lockdown or virus mean - but it sure has Mum in a worried spin. Anyway, we woke up to snow on Mt Oxford today and Mum decided that (since Mt Oxford was a local track and well-known to us, and we weren’t in lockdown yet…) we needed one last hill walk - and Mum said she needed a mental health break from all the news.

So up we went. We made reasonable time to the light snowfalls, and then popped up above the treeline. I was all ready to stop for a rest at our usual sheltered spot, but Mum said we were going a bit further.

Mum found the wind off the snow very cold. It had been quite warm at home and she’d only packed a light wind and rainproof jacket, so we climbed up to the snow stripes on the scree that we can see from our garden before heading back down. The views were great and it was nice to be out in the hills.

When we got down I had one last swim in the river. Mum didn’t have my river balls and was throwing stones into the water. I don’t find that amusing at all.

Since then I’ve been a very good emotional support dog. I try not to be too demanding, but also make sure Mum gets out for local walks around the block.