Never underestimate the healing effect of friends...

Porridge has been off her oats, mooching about, and scared of going out of the garden gates.

On Friday we went for a super walk with Lucy and Mol, and all was healed in the company of friends. The spring is back in her step, and she is once more rushing across pathways, cannoning into innocent pedestrians and diving into anything even remotely smelly, and, oh yes, water, lots of very wet water…

There was a delicate moment when we sat on a wooden bench, Mol jumped up and sat with us, and Porridge objected strongly and loudly to this presumption, (she is a bit big to sit on benches herself). This was resolved when P was invited to sit on the bench too. She just managed to fit on, but, having proved her point, was happy to get down and lie more comfortably in the grass.

Quessoy arboretum was the ideal venue since we were able to adjourn to the PMU bar in the nearby village and sip hot chocolate, as an exhausted Porridge steamed quietly in the sunshine and Mol dozed on the back seat of her new car.

Happy days…