Camber Sands

A rare treat for us, and a first for me. Mum and Dad are off to Hastings to visit the Pud-Lady (steak and Kidney pud, every Saturday for the last 50 years or so!), so they decide to leave early and walk us all at the River Rother end of Camber sands. What an excellent place! The tide was miles out so there was loads of space to run around in. It was thundery hot.

Dad swears that this is as good a place as any to get your dogs groomed "au naturel" for free. The sea water washes them a treat, the run back across miles of beach and the climb over the sand dunes dries and bleaches them. Then the marram grass and the rabbit-running sea buckthorn behind the dunes combs and strips everybody till they could be at Crufts. Well... maybe it works for young dogs who have the energy to chase through the buckthorn, and Dad says that he'd often walk that way when Meg and H were in their prime. They'd walk East from the mouth of the Rother for half an hour or more, then head inland and fight their way back west through the thorn bushes chasing dozens of young bunnies. But now, poor Meggie is an old girl, and even with her efficient rolling gait she's still hot and panting by the time we reach the sea.

More for her a stroll down the beach, then a wade (as you can see) to cool off the belly and the feet. Then in her case a roll in the sand to "clean and dry" herself (ha!) before we stroll back to the car. Dad says one day he'll take Meggie a short walk, then bring Haggis and I out to Camber on a proper one. Can't wait

My photo's today are of (in no particular order)

• sniffing and old dead skate on the beach, me on the right
• cooling off - me on the right again
• Meggie rolling on the sand luxuriously
• The buckthorn scrub
• Me at the top of the old stairs in Hastings

Enjoy the weekend

Deefer