The Dad went off to Work but left me with the others, so I had a good long morning snooze. When the sun came out the Mum and the Aidan took me down to the Round O park (on the edge of the lough – that’s a lake to you foreigners) with a large bag of bread. Needless to say, I got none of it.

The lough was thronged with birds – eighteen swans, the Mum said, fifty or sixty seagulls and over a hundred ducks. The swans look most elegant and inviting from a distance, but when I tried to take them up on the offer of friendship they made the most unpleasant hissing noise you can imagine. Never trust anyone with webbed paws. As we were leaving, a car arrived with a very small child and even smaller spaniel puppy, which seemed to want to play with me, pulling on its little lead and squeaking excitedly. I nodded, with dignity, and passed on. Really, the youth of today need to show a little more respect.

Further along the road we met quite a different class of canine; a gentledog in late middle-aged, lean and somewhat grizzled, loping along the pavement. I instinctively felt that we were destined to be friends, and gave a few exploratory snuffles and barks. To my surprise he simply sniffed, in a rather cold manner, and crossed to the other side. I was a little hurt, but tried not to to show it. As my mother used to say, a little politeness costs nothing.

On a more positive note, the combination of a good sleep and the usual Fermanagh rain has wrought wonders on my coat. You’d never imagine that I’d been subjected to a bath only two days ago. That’s one advantage of being a Border Terrier – one is never far distinguishable from the most miscelanated mongrel.