The only joy in the world is to begin.

A morning spent on the phone to the British driving license office in Swansea. After being passed from one department to another a man informs us that we're ineligible for a British license and will need to obtain a French one. '' You live there so you need one of theirs. It's the regulations. They're part of the EU so just ask them for a new one ". Why do I have the feeling that this isn't going to be as easy as it sounds ?

Sophie spends her afternoon in the kitchen with 'the font'. The most attentive sous chef on the planet. She sits head craned upwards, watching every movement. From time to time she lets a out a squeak of hungry frustration. Bob joins me in the garden lagging the taps and stop cock against the onset of winter. He finds that a roll of bubble wrap makes a satisfying 'pop' sound when chewed. This discovery keeps him happily occupied for half an hour. 

In the evening they have lamb with their kibbles for the first time. Their bowls licked until they shine. No steam cleaner could make the bowls sparkle like this. That stage in a dogs story when life is quite simply wonderful.