A couple of days ago, as Small was tearing up and down the pavement on her pink bike, I saw a pair of dogs. They approached, wagging their tails and I soon discovered from a passer-by that they had been seen wandering down by the Ribble the previous day. By this time the dogs had scampered up the road.

These dogs, wet of nose and shiny of coat, were clearly used to people and confused so we gave them some water and some cat food before ringing the council’s dog warden. I was advised to put the dogs into my car and take them to the RSPCA where the dog warden would be waiting. This was easier said than done.

Small had wasted no time in naming the dogs: Matthew and Oliver. Matthew was a small (perhaps twelve inches from his paws to his back), slim black dog with a white chest, white paws and erect ears. Oliver looked like he could be Matthew’s father although he was black and tan and perhaps only fifteen inches high. Putting Matthew in the car was simple: one sniff of cat food and in he bounced. Oliver was cynical. No amount of bribery would get him in.

I rang the council again: I would be unable to take the dogs so would they please collect?

And that was it for a couple of hours as the dogs played in the drive and made no attempt to escape.

To cut a long story short, the message was never passed on to the dog warden and, by the time I rang back, she had finished work. The police could not help as they are not insured to carry animals. It appeared as though we were stuck with the dogs for the night yet we couldn’t keep them inside as Butch (the cat) would have been less than impressed.

In time for tea, we managed to find them board and lodgings with a neighbour. Cue howling every time the two dogs lost sight of Small and me.

The experience has been a significant one: by the time the dog warden came to collect them yesterday morning, I was considering adoption and so was Kate. The warden believes that Oliver matches the description of a lost dog from the previous day and I have asked the RSPCA to keep us informed as to what becomes of them both.

We have a 28″ widescreen IDTV from Panasonic and a Sony DVD recorder at the moment. Neither is at all old— we may have had the TV for as much as two years— but CRTs are so last century nowadays, notwithstanding the fact that, frankly, a 28″ telly is too big for our compact living room. Also, Virgin Media are installing V+ for us a week on Tuesday so HD is worth considering (not that Virgin carry a lot of HD content).

Expressing an interest in renting a flat-panel TV, we were told that it might be worth buying one. As it happens, we could buy a 26″ Samsung HDTV, with the same service contract as we get at the moment by renting, for nine pounds a month less than we currently pay. It rather seems silly not to. We get to keep the video recorder (no surprises there) and the DVD recorder costs us the princely sum of one British quid.

Many women find Daniel Craig rather tasty.

Mothers tend to be female.

So, Sony Pictures are releasing Casino Royale on Monday.

Clever.

3 Socket mobile mains hook up
• Bring mains electricity into your tent, trailer tent or camper.
• RCD protection for valued peace of mind.
• 20m lead with standard mains site plug.
• Complete with carry case.
• Clips to tent poles or hangs from clip.

Price: £59.99

That should solve the question of how to charge the digital camera this summer. Maybe we ought to find ourselves a small fridge too…

I’m also obliged to state that I’m jealous: the isosnow appears to have almost exactly followed the Lancashire border such that we continued to have to work. I’m sure that Lancashire should be colder than this.

Our current plan is to travel for a day and a bit from Dunkerque to Aitrang, probably spending a night somewhere around Luxemburg, to stay around Elbsee for a week and then amble back, perhaps through France, perhaps not.

Initial research suggests that Norfolk Lines could take us across the Channel and back for £66 or so whereas P&O would charge us rather more.