Tag: Cornwall

Returning the love.

Wonderful reminders of how so many offer so much love to our animals.

p1160586On Saturday Jean and I spent the day at PetSmart’s store in Medford, OR., supporting another of their wonderful pet adoption events.

There were many dogs and cats available and even more wonderful people coming to find a new dog or a new cat for their homes (the final figures not available at the time of writing this post).

Yes, there are a great deal of people who are unloving and uncaring towards our beautiful animals. But never let that cloud the fact that there are countless people who will put their love for animals way ahead of their own needs.

So when Marg emailed me a link to a recent story on ABC News not only did I want to share it with you good people but it was the perfect story to follow Saturday’s adoption event. Here it is:

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#WalkWithWalnut: Hundreds tread Cornwall beach to mark final walk for 18yo whippet

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http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-11-13/mark-woods-and-walnut-were-joined-by-hundreds-of-dog-walkers/8021246

Before a trip to doggy heaven, 18-year-old whippet Walnut was joined by hundreds of people and their pups for a walk along an English beach.

Walnut’s owner Mark Woods posted details about the dog’s final walk along the beach on Facebook, inviting dog owners to join him on a beach in Newquay, Cornwall to celebrate his pet’s life.

“He has had an incredible life and having reached the grand age of 18 is ready for his final sleep,” Mr Woods wrote.

“I would love it if dog lovers/owners and friends would join us for a celebration of Walnut on his favourite Porth Beach.”

Hundreds of pooches left paw marks on the sand and supporters used the hashtag #WalkWithWalnut on social media to pay tribute to the animal, who also became a media star in his final days.

“If #walkwithwalnut has done something, it’s restored my faith in the compassion of humanity, in a particularly dreary year,” one tweeted.

“Meanwhile, at Porth Beach Newquay, humans demonstrate proper love and solidarity on their #walkwithwalnut and Mark,” tweeted another supporter.

Mr Woods carried Walnut across the beach as his ill health meant he was no longer able to walk.

He told local media Walnut had provided much comfort over the years, seeing him through two marriages and three engagements.

After Walnut was euthanased the evening after the walk, Mr Woods posted a thank you to all who attended.

Photo: "He went very quickly and in my arms," Mark Woods said in a Facebook post on the day they euthanased Walnut. (Facebook: Mark Woods)
Photo: “He went very quickly and in my arms,” Mark Woods said in a Facebook post on the day they euthanased Walnut. (Facebook: Mark Woods)

“Walnut passed away this morning at 11.56am … he went very quickly and in my arms,” Mr Woods wrote on his Facebook page.

“Thank you to the hundreds of people that attended the walk this morning and to all those that had their own walks with their beloved pets around the world.”

The whippet breed originated in England and have an average lifespan of 12 to 15 years.

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There were many videos taken of the walk lots of them being uploaded to YouTube. I chose the following one to share with you. Be warned, this will bring tears to your eyes!

Finally, let me return to the overall theme of today’s post: how much we return the love our dogs give us.

By including the following photograph of this woman, whose name we missed, chatting to Jean at the PetSmart event. Not only had this loving lady taken in many rescue dogs she also fostered other dogs as they awaited their new home. The terrier mix in her arms is her dog and, of course, was one time a homeless dog that she rescued.

p1160612Don’t our wonderful pets bring out the best in us!

Cornwall in lights!

A highly fascinating glimpse of a lightning strike.

As seen on ‘big think‘.

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Forking Amazing: Cornwall-shaped Lightning Hits Cornwall

by FRANK JACOBS AUGUST 2, 2014, 1:53 PM

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“This is a once in a lifetime photo”, says Arron McNally. “There will never be one like it again”. A few evenings ago, the Cornish father of five was watching a spectacular electrical storm with his wife Krista Oflynn from their daughter Kelly’s bedroom window.

No doubt to allay the four-year-old’s fear of the storm, mum and dad started a competition to see who could snap the most spectacular fork of lightning on camera. “When I caught this one I knew I was the winner”, Arron (26) says. Scrolling back to see the picture he had taken of a particularly bright strike nearby, he immediately recognised the outline: “It was exactly the same shape as Cornwall – it was as if someone drew a map of the county in the sky”.

The incident is related in the Plymouth Herald, which covers parts of Cornwall and Devon, in the southwest of England. The paper quotes unnamed ‘experts’ who claim this is “the first time on record that a place has been struck by lightning which looks like the area itself”. While that sounds suspiciously like that old trick in the journalist’s book – faking an ‘anonymous source’ to use an unverifiable quote you came up with yourself – it is true that the resemblance is uncanny.

Cornwall map

Cornwall is England’s southwesternmost county, a wedge-shaped peninsula dividing the Celtic Sea to its west from the English Channel to its east. The peninsula’s tip is known as Land’s End. On the other side of the county, the River Tamar separates Cornwall from Devon, and the rest of England. Some would even say: from England proper – Cornwall, although officially English, has its own Celtic history, culture and language. Some locals promote the separate Cornish identity (reviving the virtually extinct Kernowek language – see also #13) and even strive for larger political autonomy. In April 2014, the Cornish were granted minority status under the European Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.

The bolt of lightning photographed by Arron McNally mirrors the geography of Cornwall in a few crucial areas. The main streak at the bottom and the secondary one on top together suggest the wedge shape of the county. Two protrusions at bottom left of the fiery constellation resemble Land’s End, the neighbouring Lizard peninsula (Britain’s southernmost) and Mount’s Bay between them. In fact, the Lizard is suggested twice, by a second downward stab of lightning to the right; next, a hint of the gentler curve of Falmouth Bay. The fainter, northerly streak of lightning also shows a passing resemblance to the northern Cornish coastline, from St. Ives Bay to where the line fades.

Cornwall 2
The ‘meteorologists’ quoted by the Herald may or may not be right in claiming that the Cornwall-shaped lightning is a ‘world first’ – how could you be sure of either? – this certainly isn’t the first time this blog has reported on weird territorial echoes.

Some time ago, this blog reported on a mysterious Nebraska-shaped field in Nebraska (see #426). And recently, we demonstrated how Belgium possesses a body double in one of its own provinces (see #659). But, most strangely of all: this is not the first time that Cornwall’s shapely contour has been shown to possess a curious double (see #555). And they say lightning never strikes twice…

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Many thanks to Stijn Meuris for sending in this picture. Main info from this page at the Plymouth Herald. Bigger image of the lightning bolt taken here from the Jedi Council Forums.

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You all have a great weekend and don’t stand out in the open if there’s a thunderstorm about!