Equipped

On these cold mornings I look out of the window in pyjamas and dressing gown and shudder. Sometimes I open the window a crack and sniff the air, then hastily withdraw my nose. Walking the dog on these winter mornings is not for the faint-hearted. But as soon as I've got all the gear on and we've gone outside the unpleasantness vanishes. They say there is no such thing as bad weather, only poor clothing, but I disagree. When the evenings are very wet, windy and freezing Hugo gets his exercise in the front garden, for as long as it takes to cock a leg and squat on the forgiving shingle. Then he scurries back inside and we both delight in the warm kitchen. He's not bothered about missing a walk, and makes up for it the next morning by lurching off the second I unclip the lead, and testing his speed with evident glee.

This morning he ran the length of the school playing fields a couple of times to chase other dogs, and by the time he returned to me he was panting hard. He trotted beside me for the rest of the walk, done in and ready for the sofa again. We stopped at the newsagents on the way home to buy a paper, and I took the opportunity once again to ask about having my Sunday paper delivered. I've been doing this on and off for four year without success, but the chap serving this morning looked on the computer and found at least another 12 people in the village who have theirs delivered! He promised I'd get mine next Sunday, so fingers crossed.

Hugo and I have a lot in common. We both love curling up on the sofa, we share a passion for sleeping, and neither of us can resist the sun. So I wasn't surprised to find him sitting in my bedroom with his face pressed up against the wall, eyes closed in ecstasy, when I came out of the bathroom. At first I couldn't see why he was positioned like that instead of lying stretched out against the radiator. And then I saw that it was the only sunny patch and he was making the most of it. I've been known to squash myself onto a narrow windowsill to catch the last rays before they disappear from a room. We're cut from the same cloth, him and me. A marriage made in heaven.