We can truly say that we are moving this month. I’m just not sure if we can say that the house will be ready this month! My Mistress is cleaning today but as to how much use that is when the builders are coming in and out I really don’t know. She has also taken my little car for its MOT. She can only do that thanks to the nice AA man coming to get her started. If my Mistress’s flat battery wasn’t enough, my Master’s car came out in sympathy and had a flat tyre. All this just goes to show… well to be honest I’m not sure what it shows but it struck me there should be some moral in there somewhere.

I’ve been reading all about the earthquake in Chile. It was massive. It’s just a good job that it happened a reasonable distance below the surface because that stopped it being as devastating as it would have been otherwise. Natural disasters just go to show you that you really can’t take the world around you for granted. You might be bumbling along thinking nothing very exciting happens in your part of the world and that a little something to spice it up would be fun, but as with all things you have to be careful what you wish for. Things never really turn out as you might hope. I remember when I was a young puppy and thinking about what I wanted to do what I got older, I never for a minute thought I would end up being a writer. I use to fantasise about careers such as stud dog or sniffer dog, but here I am not doing any of those. It hasn’t been the same for Shadow. She has known from the start that she is destined to be a mother and fortunately she seems to have the skills for it naturally. As she sat washing my master at the weekend, I couldn’t help but think she’ll make a lovely mum. I just hope she copes when her puppies have to go to their new homes. I’d hate her to get too depressed.

Alfie Dog with a little help from Rosemary J Kind alfie@alfiedog.me.uk