13 September 2023 (Wednesday) - Tree's Gone

As I scoffed toast I peered into the Internet.  After yesterday’s episode with the puppies, last night I’d posted on-line asking about people’s experience with dog tracking technology. The general consensus was that the stuff doesn’t live up to the adverts (which are at best misleading). Dog tracking needs internet connection to work, and the only suggestions were to either keep them on the leads (which defeats the object of taking them to the woods) or having bells on their collars.

 

Seeing the weather forecast had completely changed overnight and a dry morning was on the cards I got the dogs onto their leads and took them up to Kings Wood. As the drizzle started so the pundits on the radio were talking about how it was a bright morning in the south-east.

They were also talking about how the Ukrainians have launched a massive attack at the Russians’ navy. To me the big surprise here is how anyone is surprised.

 

We got to the woods. I let the dogs off their leads. After yesterday’s episode I wasn’t so much worried as interested to see what they would do. But they were as good as gold. They had a good run, they played with other dogs, and came back when called. Today we walked round the top end of the woods and saw far more people than we usually do, but the top end of the woods is usually where the less adventurous people go for short walks.

As we walked I replaced two of my geocaches that had been reported as missing… I say “missing”; someone who’s been caching for years couldn’t find them so I replaced them. I didn’t really have a good look myself so there could be two caches at each of those spots. Still, better two than none.

As we got back to the car we did “boot dogs” and with the dogs in the car’s boot I blew the whistle and gave them a treat. A passing normal person came up to me at this point. She’d seen me blowing the whistle in the woods (when the dogs were setting off to bother some other dogs) and had been really impressed with their recall. I smiled and didn’t tell her about yesterday’s debacle. She then oh-so-politely asked why I was blowing the whistle when the dogs were all captured and in the car’s boot. I explained the principle of whistle training; they associate the sound with a treat and come to the whistle in the hope of food. The look on this woman’s face was a picture; she had wondered why her dog totally ignored her whistle.

 

We came home for a bath; the dogs had got rather grubby. I hung out washing in the hope that it might stay dry, then popped up the road to the corner shop for pastries. I spent a little while trying to connect my Facebook and Instagram accounts, then wrote up some CPD. A couple of days ago I mentioned a competition on one of the work-based groups I follow: No more than fifty words on ‘How will Artificial Intelligence transform healthcare over the next 10 years?’ Here’s my entry:

 

It won’t - AI cannot compete with human recalcitrance.

How long does someone endure that irritating symptom before seeking medical advice?

How many people drink and smoke rather than exercise?

How many healthcare managers will see AI as a threat to their own little empire and fight against it?

 

Forty-nine words. I wonder if I will win?

In between writing up some incredibly dull CPD stuff I charged out to the garden to get the washing in. The rain which had not been forecast was hossing down.

 

I went to bed for the afternoon; Bailey came up and slept on the bottom of the bed. I got three hours asleep before the sound of her being sick woke me. I hurried her into the garden… to see the tree at the end of the garden had gone. Vanished. I must admit I’m glad to see it gone; it used to drop so much rubbish on the gravel. I had mentioned to the bloke at the end of the drive about getting rid of it; he’s done it. That was good of him.

 

I’m off to the night shift in a bit…