Gullane towards Eyebroughy, 2 August

Well, it’s been a minute since my last post - almost two months, with the whole of August having passed by without a word here. There’s been a lot going on, some good, some average, some things I could really do without. The latter is energy-sapping, the average is just frustrating and also pretty energy-sapping, but the good is good. I was saving this until the news was ‘official’ and it isn’t yet, but our family has evolved again with the arrival of Oakley, Raf’s niece, almost six weeks ago. I’ll save the story of Oakley for another post, once she’s officially a Reid, but here are a few highlights.

One: we were not planning to expand our family right now, and I was convinced that we wouldn’t be up until the day we picked Oakley up for a trial to see whether or not a female companion might have a positive impact on Raf’s reactivity. Indeed, the previous day we’d had a fantastic walk from Gullane towards Eyebroughy - the same route as this one, from a week earlier - and as we were walking back along the shore, watching Raf sprinting ahead into the wind, I thought: this can’t be the last walk we have as a three. This feels right. Just the three of us… feels right.

Two: from the day Oakley arrived, on that Sunday in August, I thought: okay, we might be in trouble here. Because this lass arrived with an instant… connection.

Three: regardless of all the ‘head over heart’ things that we were considering around timing and financial implications, and not expanding our family when living in the wrong place, Raf and Oakley’s bond changed everything. They made the decision for us. Raf is completely smitten with Oak, and contented at home in a way he hadn’t been on his own. Oak adores Raf. And when we go for our coastal walks, Oak exudes pure joy. Just joy, like she was waiting to run along these shores with a fast and occasionally shouty companion.

And we can’t deny this.

So here we are. Life has evolved, and sometimes you just have to lean into that, regardless of the other issues. Three has become four - or, to be more reflective of how we feel, five has become six.

Driftwood and rock textures along the East Lothian shoreline.

Driftwood and rock textures along the shore.

Miniature wirehaired dachshund Rafferty on the beach East Lothian.

So here we are, from the weekend before Oakley joined us, on this familiar walk with some beautiful evening light. Raf was loving this adventure, particularly as this route was free from people once we’d passed the first section nearest Gullane (where you’ll always encounter other walkers - and campers over the summer months), so he could run free and explore.

As it was low tide, I lingered along this stretch of beach to take some photos of rocks. The light was just right to enjoy these textures and golden hues - without any harsh shadows to work around - and I was enjoying the patterns and layers when viewed close up. I’m going to print a couple of these as I’d like to have a few rock prints at home, but I’m wondering: would anyone else be interested in a print? Or cards? This is something I’d like to explore.

For now, I’ll leave you with some rocks, and will share more about Oakley’s arrival soon.