Sophie discovers birds. She sits on the lawn , her head slowly turning , as flocks of pigeons and blackbirds streak across the sky. The raucous comings and goings from the magpie nest in the oak tree by the stream a source of particular fascination. '' How angelic " says ' the font '.
The angelic part is soon put to rest when she joins her brother in the barn. He discovers snails ( tossed in the air, crunched and then swallowed ) , voles ( a solitary example swallowed whole ) and field mice ( chased but too fast or canny to be caught ). Sophie discovers frogs ( swallowed ). She also discovers something unknown that we can't stop her eating but causes her to look particularly pleased with herself. Dog delight, human disgust.
This morning at the bakers the woman behind the counter comes out and gives each of them a small sliver of warm croissant. The concept of food being warm a surprise but very much to their liking. Bob smacks his lips and does his orphan dog routine. He has a near ecstatic look on his face that seems to say " Tomorrow do your worst for I have lived today ". His first PONder.
Bob adds the woman behind the counter at the bakers to his ever growing list of people he loves.
