Rain cuts short the morning walk.

It's as if we've woken up this morning and we're back in Scotland. The warmth and sun of the last week have given way to drizzle and low hanging cloud. Even the boyz were less than enthusiastic about their morning walk - we got halfway up the hill when Wilf just turned around and headed back to the house with Digby following in close pursuit. They are slowly but surely taking on the mantle of 'senior dogs' - where once they would have thought nothing of ploughing through long, wet grass they now are opting for comfort and the dry, welcoming warmth of home. Having senior dogs is much easier for the owner - for the first seven years of their lives the boyz were constantly moving bundles of fur forever on the look out for adventure- of late they have taken to sleeping more and will take their adventure in smaller doses.

There have been no cases of Swine Flu in Italy so far but from the news headlines today you would think that vast swathes of the local population are being laid low. It must be a nightmare being the CEO of an airline at the moment - first your business plan is decimated by the recession and then,just as things seem to be stabilizing, along comes Swine flu.