Mid-November is a pretty depressing time of the year. The leaves have fallen off the trees, it gets dark by half past four, it’s generally grey, overcast and cold. When the temperature hovers around zero the moist cold creeps all the way into you bone marrow. The best place to be is curled up in the couch by the fire.

Unless, of course, you’re a labradoodle. Then the best place to be is out in the forest, running free, following scents from deer and elk, getting mud and pine needles stuck in your fur, and keeping an eye on mum and dad so they don’t get lost, or forget you.

This was Coopers weekend. The cold and dark doesn’t seem to bother him much. He loves it out here on Orust, whether chasing tennis balls around the yard, or leaping through the pine forest. This weekend we took the long walk along the forest road, past the old farms and empty summer houses. I stop to photograph the caravan and the tractor, as usual.

Ronja, the neighbours dog, came along but was not as keen as Cooper to explore and stayed close to us. Cooper covers ten times the distance we do on our walk. He picks up a scent and tracks it for a while, but he always comes back, thanks probably to the treats Anna has on offer.

After a walk it’s nice to come inside and warm your bones by the fire, let the dark consume you, light some candles, eat some good food, and settle down to a movie before having a nice long sleep. A weekend in mid-November… Cooper’s weekend…