Walking with different partners now. Samwise and Ted are the new team. Pippin and Frodo were great. I miss them. They understood me more than I knew, and there was a sense that we had journeyed together. I enjoy walking with Samwise and Ted. It is though sometimes a chore, I think that is inevitable Samwise is 3 and Ted just 1, whereas the other two were older.

I am having to learn about the moods of my new companions and they have to learn about mine.

Then when I think a little more, Frodo and Pippin were new once. We had to learn about each other, and surprised each other until the end. Frodo went first of course, and Pippin later.

As with dogs, so too with people: learning about rhythm and pace, the smell and tastes of seasons enables you to walk together.

It enables silence and stillness.

That will come. For now it is doing together what we think we might enjoy and learning to linger together over different smells and not forcing the past to encroach too much on the present.