On dog ownership…

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On dog ownership…

Going back a few years, I used to include a lot more non-wine-related material in my blog. Truly unprofessional, I admit. But I think it’s important.

As a reader, I want to know where a writer is coming from. What is their context?

If I am going to follow their recommendations, it is almost like developing a sort of relationship with the writer. The writers I most enjoy reading are those who are disclosing. Who, without necessarily meaning to, allow themselves to be known through their words.

So maybe I need to be a little more unprofessional and blog about stuff other than just wine – at least from time to time?

A bit of dog talk. Our dogs form quite an important part of my life, because I am the primary dog walker. It’s a daily duty that can seem like a chore, but which is actually pretty enriching. It forces you to get outside every day, whatever the weather, and this provides a valuable punctuation mark in the routine of work.

A dog walk is a reflective time. It’s a time where you can’t do any work. As a freelancer I always have a lot of things left undone – work that needs to be attended to. Without forced down-time, although I might get more work done, the quality would suffer. There’s a healthy ratio of writing to living, I reckon. Writing without living is a disaster. It’s for this reason that I’ve considered setting aside a day a week just for reading. Am I brave enough to implement this?

I took the dogs for a longer walk today, to Crane Park, which is a lovely stretch of the river Crane running from Twickenham to Hanworth. It was still pretty cold: spring here in the UK has stalled, with temperatures only just nudging over freezing even though we are almost in April. When spring finally arrives, we’ll make the most of it.

Life would be easier without dogs, for sure. But poorer, too.

6 Comments on On dog ownership…
wine journalist and flavour obsessive

6 thoughts on “On dog ownership…

  1. Not for me. all pets are a pain in the ass . dogs near us never stop barking and cats eat the birds. get rid of the lot 🙂

  2. Agreed on all fronts, Jamie : (a) the reader does appreciate the writings of an author more if a little bit of his/her private world is known,(b) switch-off time is crucial and reading is one way to do it, and (c) dogs/pets are a chore but they do deliver something special to families.

  3. I have a 12.5 year old Boerbul,( Bullmastiff-Ridgeback cross), he is a true character but coming to the end now, sadly. Last night he kept us awake with his wandering around the house, his sighing and snoring, he woke me up 4 times to go for a pee. He costs me a small fortune in food and vet bills, but he is worth every penny,every nights disturbed sleep. He was my companion and protector when I came out of hospital 10 year ago, and now its my turn to pay him back. Just a dog, yes, but a true friend.

  4. Agreed, too, Jamie! My gym was closed today due to the holiday, so I took it as a cue to take the pup out for a good long walk through the city of Boston. The people (and dog) watching was superb, the air brisk & clean – and now I am enjoying an Easter bottle of Chateau d’Oupia rosé!

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