Recent hot days

Tonight is so muggy, hot and sticky after a gorgeous summer's day where all the washing dried beautifully on the line and the sunflowers started to tilt their heads towards the burning rays. The tomatoes are growing bigger and the patio is blooming with all the flowers enjoying the heat, accompanied by my terrier who basks for a while until it gets far too warm and I shout him in.

On days like this we need to keep cool, particularly little ones, so I limit how long Little Bird is in the sun for although he's pretty good at staying out of the sunshine as the bright light can be bothersome for him. The dog however need reminding and I bring him in to cool off. I need a portable fan to help keep him cool whilst he is poorly, for he has cancer so keeping him stress free is important and I don't want to heat to start making him feel ill. I make sure he has fresh water at all times and there is plenty of shaded areas to lounge in. It's important to look out for any signs of sunstroke in pets, lots of panting and flopping down (damp their coat, bring your pet into shade and contact the vet) but making sure it doesn't get to this point by keeping him out of the sun aside from his small spell out by the plants - most of the time he realises himself and comes trotting back into the house. 

Meanwhile our day trips to the beach have helped during the hot weather. Sunscreen slapped on, walks not in the midday sun and plenty of cold drinks - maybe an ice cream too :) We went to North Wales, to Talacre beach, a popular spot for those from Cheshire to escape to for some sandy adventures on a summer's weekend. With feet paddling through the tidal pools, we cooled down along with the dogs. The beach is backed by extensive sand dunes that are designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest due to the flora and fauna found there such as marram grass, natterjack toads and sand lizards. Behind the dunes is the Warren where the succession to scrub land/grassland occurs and you can walk through and explore.

The wide beach here is on the Dee Estuary/Irish Sea and you can see the Rhyl Flats Wind Farm out at sea. Part of the Welsh coastal path, this particular part is a mixture of heritage and industry with a lot of reminders of shipping and mining. The beach road has a few places to eat and drink so you can have a pleasant sunny day spent here. 

Dipping toes into the cool water we had fun just walking along, people watching and looking for shells - cockles and razor shells, drawing in the sand and watching boats come in. Eventually Little Bird was completely saturated and the tide was coming in so it was time for a huge portion of chips to share on the way back to the car. Always a cheerful beach trip from Cheshire on a hot day.
*Collaborative post