Posting days: Sunday and Wednesday and, sometimes, maybe, extra ‘news flashes’

Wednesday November 15th 2017

New router arrives today and is going strong. Hopefully, will not have to reconnect to the internet every few days. Still having problems with transferring images from new email set-up though, so, sadly, another imageless post.

The day after the Great Escape I dutifully plod off to The Lane with Isis. In my coat pocket are the secateurs.

While I endeavour to lock the porch door behind me, the hairy little toad, has to be prodded numerous times in order to keep her sitting. It’s quite a different matter when she is commanded to sit outside the gate of the lane. She sits immediately and doesn’t move until I signal her to go forward. She’s keen to get to the other side of the gate, and she knows that a dog who forgets her ‘sit’ has to wait much longer than an obedient animal.

Today I keep her on the extended lead until we reach the gap through which she disappeared yesterday.

Here, I release her to play. Then I cut down several long, fat, thorny brambles and block the gap with them. Finally, I weave in some long, flexible clematis stalks.

That should do it.

Craftily, Isis stays well away from the gap while I am near it. She dashes up and down playing her little games, has a good, long leap around Lane Kitty’s territory, and enjoys a prolonged dance in the only patch of mud in the lane.

Sigh.

On her way back towards the corner, she dodges into the recess where the gap is. But she soon pops back out. Nothing interesting there for a dog today, only a pile of boring brambles.

I smirk.

Round two to me.

Isis came from the Aeza cat and dog rescue and adoption centre in Aljezur, Portugal. For information about adopting an animal from the centre, contact kerry@aeza.org or  www.dogwatchuk.co.uk