Now I know that I’m only a simple dog of the world, but when I read the headline ‘High Street banking on late Xmas rush’, I thought it meant that the High Street banks were suddenly busy. As it turns out it is more that the shops are hoping that the bans will be busy and more to the point that they will be too. I’m sorry to disappoint them, but I will not be pottering along the High Street over the next few days, struggling through the flow of people, being stood on, meeting small children at eye height and small adults at thigh height. I’m a basic country dog who will be curled up in his basket waiting for the last of my internet deliveries to arrive. I might sing the odd chorus of ‘So here it is merry Christmas’, whilst my Mistress reminds me that sentences shouldn’t start with ‘so’ and I point to the many of hers that do.
It turns out in this visit you get called on my Santa twice. I suppose I shouldn’t boast but he arrived in time for the end of the carols on the village Green and gave all the children a present and he did assure us all he would be back after we go to sleep on Christmas Eve. I wonder how he deals with those of us who have the knack of sleeping with one eye open.
If you do have to be wrenched from living in your homeland, this village is about as good an alternative as you can find; except for the toilet in the bathroom. It’s been repaired once because it was making a dreadful noise, now it’s started making a different noise that seems to be getting louder day by day. I’m quite convinced that there is something living in the pipe-work that issues a cry for help everyone flushes that toilet.