On Poirot and the pup

This past weekend Howard, Victoria, and I decided to take Tilly off to the sea -- but instead of heading up to our favorite dog-friendly beaches on the north coast of Devon, we drove south this time: to Burgh Island, on the southern coast near Bigbury-on-Sea.

We're big Agatha Christie fans in our house, and Burgh Island, with its gorgeous Art Deco hotel, inspired the setting of the Poirot mystery Evil Under the Sun. It is also where the ITV television version (starring David Suchet as Poirot) was filmed. Christie, who was born in Torquay, Devon, has many connections to this part of England, and she mainained a country house here, Greenway, that is now open to the public.

But Tilly had no interest in literary connections. With wet sand below, blue sky above, and shrieking sea gulls to chase, who needs Belgian detectives? While we were day-dreaming of the 1930s, Tilly was completely content with the present. The day was cold, but that didn't stop her from plunging fearlessly into the waves. She loves the ocean. She's meant to be a springador (half springer spaniel and half labrador retriever), but we think there must be a bit of seal in there too, for she's never happier than when she is covered in sand, salt water, and sea foam....

"I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow; but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing." - Agatha Christie