Three years ago we found JD. It’s literally three years and two days since he came home with us for the first time. He was, as I’ve said before, a disturbed old porker. These days he barely bats an eyelid when we bump into people on the path and today, for some reason, we’ve bumped into more than usual. I suppose it is Sunday afternoon.

Early on, when we first had him and we were less confident about his behaviour, we were trying to build his confidence by taking him on a long walk – so lots of pleasure – then at the other end, when he would hopefully be tired and happy, we would go to the pub on the other side of the hill to get him used to people. It had worked to one degree or another for a few such occasions.

I came home on a Monday night. It was August. The weather was beautiful and I suggested we did another stage in his education. So we set out across the hill, letting the dogs off the lead as we went. Rosie was very clingy and didn’t want to be more than a few feet from my side. That was odd. The, she ambled onto one of these concrete plinths with DM and tried to jump off the steep side. She fell and it was obvious she found it difficult to get up. We thought we would be able to rest her at the pub. When we got there, it was closed. GGGrrrr.

So we trooped back over the hill to the village and went into our own local for supper and a quick beer. She was really flumped out on the floor. Exactly one week later she had succumbed to the cancer that had been diagnosed ten months earlier. She did really well. She showed no real sign of pain or discomfort until that day, just a week before her death.

DM, Lola and JD are photographed on the same plinth that she fell from. I’m trying to lay the ghost of that walk – we’ve rarely been that close to the masts since. I still miss her but I love the new team too.

Yesterday I said to David that despite us frequently being together when we take our PAD pics, his are always somehow more exciting than mine. He reckoned that’s because he always frames his with something in the corners, so here is a shot with something in the corners. Has it got any more drama? I’m not sure it has…well unless you consider the drama of a ghost story.

83% readability and a grade score of 5 – I am regressing fast.

BTW - another load of taddies saved...sadly saw many, many more in puddles that have completely dried over the last 24 hours but not enough bags or arms to carry any more.