The forest at the top of London. We were in a meadow high on the Heath and my daughter and my dog seemed giddy with all the sunlight, fresh air and freedom. All around us were trees that still clung to the last of the red and gold leaves of autumn. Beyond them you could see the city from Canary Wharf to the BT Tower. It felt like it all belonged to us.We should do this more often, I thought. We should do this all the time.The field we were in looked perfectly flat until Stan began racing across it. With him in top gear I suddenly became aware of all the dips and bumps and rabbit holes. As he came to one sudden drop in the ground he extended his front legs before him and his hind legs behind to dramatically bound across. He looked like he was flying.Scout shouted with delight. ‘Superdog!’Stan raced towards me, his large ears streaming behind him, bright eyes shining and mouth open, panting, going flat out. It was his first time off lead and he was almost hysterical with excitement. And so were we.I got down on my knees, my back moaning in protest, and held my arms wide to greet him.Then he was on me, breathing hard and snuffling for the chicken treats I held in my fists.
