Walking on the edge

Now that the days are sunny and warm it gets harder to stay indoors to write and read. The brilliant day screams to be enjoyed - outside. The pull is a strong magnetic force. Freddie bounds around madly as I put my shoes on ready for our daily walk up to Booyembarra Park. Out of the gate and he instantly pulls hard on the lead, desperate to sniff around the letter box and pick up the scent of other dogs visits. After the obligatory pee we head up Watkins past White Gum Valley Primary. It's recess and the kids are screaming around on the grass in their red and black uniforms. Fred's pulling my arm off in his eagerness to get ahead. Heel Boy. No response. The phone box on the corner is surrounded by broken glass. I pull him onto the verge to protect his paws. Up the hill to the park. Uh ho, from a street away I can hear the penetrating drone of the park-keepers favourite toy - the dreaded leaf blower. He seems to spend hours blowing the paths free of the every concievable speck of detritus. I noticed that they have also given one of these loathsome tools to the groundsman at the school and ever since he wields it from morning to night. Paths have never been cleaner or clearer. These men seem to lay in wait for a leaf to fall and pounce on it straight away, and then blow to the farthest point of park or school. Fred and I take a route to avoid the noise and enter the haven of 'boo park'. The council in a moment of rare foresight have created the most beautiful public space on the site of an old limestone quarry. In the centre is a big lake that hosts a variety of birds; ducks, swans, coots and herons. On Sundays blokes drive up to the park and play at racing remote control sailboats. The lake is surrounded by lawns and used for picnics and kids parties.

It's a bit dangerous to let Fred off the lead too soon. He has a tendancy to bark at and chase anything on wheels - skateboards, bikes, rollerblades, he can even take offence to pushchairs and prams - but during the week the park is often quiet so I let him have a run. Paved paths circle the park then we take a bush track that takes off up the hill beside the golf course. Right now this track is like walking in heaven. On either side is regenerated bush with wattle trees dripping with yellow pom-poms. Under the trees and stretching across the edge of the golf course is a meadow full of lupins, yellow sour sop, mallows, and three different coloured wild radish - all flowering like mad. This morning I was able to just gaze at this wonderous site, watching bees softly land on the flowers and butterflies dance around amongst them. I could almost imagine that I was walking along a country lane in England on one of those rare perfect summer days.

We come down the track and onto another large grassy area. Here we meet a young man who is hitting golf balls for his dog, Zulu, to run after. Fred has a great run around with Zulu but soon tires of running after balls and goes back to sniffing. I put him back on the lead and head home for breakfast.