Portrait of a Lady

Millie settled into our household earlier this summer filling it with her baggage of love and feisty spirit. This fine portrait of her by John Gustard was a gift from my dear godparents, Richard and Katrina Burnett for my birthday at the end of the summer.

Although Millie here is still a puppy of only five months, already her innate beauty and inner radiance shine through. The day that Nick and I collected her from her breeders at Tenderella Bolognese, she immediately decided that these cushions were her domain.

They are in what we call our Sacred Space, where we practise kundalini yoga and meditate each morning in the amrit vela, those sweet hours earlier than the first light before sunrise. I'm sure that one reason she loves living here is the sound of our morning meditations. Millie has not missed getting up early for it yet. She normally curls up on these cushions while we exercise before sitting on my lotus-crossed legs when we chant Long Ek Ong Kars to Guru Singh's wonderful recording. I recently mentioned to Guru Singh that having Millie living with us was like being blessed with an angel in the house. "Of course, dog spelt backwards is God."

Millie has a very graceful personality, adoringly loving and kind backed by the courage of a trooper. There's nothing faint-hearted about her. It's not mischief, it's grit, determination and steel that keeps her going. She arrived with us from her breeders, Ian and Mary, pre-loaded with love, and her breed is also one renowned for their delight in bringing happiness to the world they share. When Nick, my husband, got back from his latest photographic trip to Kashmir, Millie was over the moon. She had sat vigil each evening in our window looking out for him. Millie and I go on our afternoon walks together everyday. It's a time where we can be girls together. I am extremely grateful that she encourages me to go out walking every day. She simply doesn't accept British Weather as an excuse for hibernation.

As Millie grows into the graceful lady she is, we ever continue to learn from her and be blessed by her presence.