Post Birthday Diplomacy

Many thanks to all of you for your good wishes. In fact it turned out to be the best birthday I’ve ever had – and all because I hadn’t planned anything.

I saw all my nearest and dearest friends (the ones that live locally) and had phone calls and flowers and presents so I feel very spoilt. And one of my best presents was a large Roget’s Thesaurus from my oldest brother which he and the whole family each wrote a personal message in. As I will use this every day for the rest of my life, I couldn’t have a better present. And I will think of them every time I use it.

But back to everyday matters. This morning we picked Annie the sheepdog up as usual at 8am and drove up to the castle to walk her and Mollie. We arrived at the same time as two older ladies who walk their dogs and as Annie knows them, we walked together this morning.

It was fascinating. Himself walked with Margaret, the older of the two who, at 87, strides forth for a good walk every morning and repeats it in the afternoon with her rescue Cairn terrier, Dougal. She talks energetically and without pause for breath, in a lilting Scottish accent that is soft on the ears. (Though with Himself’s hangover I suspect it could have grated a little.)

Being smugly hangover free, I walked with Jan who must be a mere lamb at about 70 I would guess. She has a rescue King Charles Cavalier with heart problems and we were talking about what we did with our dogs when we went away. In our case we don’t go unless we can take Moll, having traumatised ourselves and her on the one occasion she did go to kennels.

Jan had a unique solution. “My ex-husband is friends with my current husband,” she said chattily. “So when Peter and I go away, my ex moves into our house and looks after the dog, the cats and the fish. We do the same when he and his wife go away. It works very well.”

I was almost speechless. Talk about diplomacy.