Earth laughs in flowers.

We've lived with the shutters closed for two days ; candles ready should the power go off. The forecast storm of the century never arrives. The gale force winds must have blown themselves out somewhere over the Atlantic .

Bob walks ahead as I go from room to room opening up the shutters . For some reason he finds this mundane task to be the most exciting thing ever. He does his daft dance, throwing a tennis ball in the air, catching it, then trotting around like a miniature Lipizzaner horse. We start upstairs then move downstairs. Wherever we go his tail goes 'thwack thwack thwack' against the furniture. Bob's tail is a thing of constantly waving wonder. 

At the garden centre Bob christens the tyres of the cars in the parking lot. His attention then turns to a large, and very venerable, olive tree. Finished, he clambers up into the back of the little Skoda with an unmistakable '' this boy done good " look on his face. Do all dog owners live with a sense of deja vu ?

Sophie has been a little too enthusiastic on her morning walk to the stream. She's toppled head over heels into it. That fishing technique requires work. While 'the font' works in the kitchen Sophie lies in the downstairs hallway attempting to dry out.