A dogs gift.

That great rarity - a day without builders, decorators , plumbers or gardeners. Incredibly , no Madame Bay, no mayor , no head banging Goths . After a leisurely post-breakfast saunter through the village Wilf settles down on the doorstep for a restorative nap . He resurfaces two hours later . It's a warm day . While I set up the lunch table on the terrace the family fellow wanders into the kitchen to give ' the font ' his advice on cooking . Creme de Potimarron et lard croustillant, Magret a l'Orange et riz complet, finally Cake au poires et gingembre . He gets some tiny shredded slivers of duck with his kibbles . Ginger cake added to that list of 'most favoured ' treats . He falls asleep under the table, on his back, snoring gently . I'd swear there's a smile on his face .

He's been a little more confused this past week . Two or three times a day he walks into a room and immediately forgets why he's there . We find him standing staring blindly at walls or back of chairs . He'll stand like that for ten or fifteen minutes , his mind in neutral . Other than that he's in a sweet spot . Energy for three walks a day , a hearty appetite , interest in what's going on around him . Eyes and gums still healthy , a sense of mischief as he blusters noisily through the fallen leaves. . Constant laughter - a dogs gift to his family.

PS - A special early Thanksgiving week thank you to Pamela and Edward at the wonderful www.fromthehouseofedward.blogspot.com blog.