The diurnal clock.

Up and out early. It's pitch dark now at six in the morning,summer seamlessly segueing into autumn.The two boyz follow me to the gate but quickly turn back to catch up on their sleep - both of them out like a light on the doorstep. They operate on a fixed diurnal clock. Darkness = Sleep, Daylight = Sleep with breaks for food, games and tickles .

The rain I felt was a certainty yesterday failed to arrive. Today we're back to bright blue skies and heat - by ten o'clock we're already well into the 30's.Another day of coaxing the digital controls on the irrigation system into life and balancing the water inflow into the underground cisterns.

Off to the valet with the dog car .The latest in a string of attempts to get rid of the strange,decidedly unpleasant smell that has been growing ever more noticeable over the last week. A thorough search behind and under the seats, in the glove box,around the spare tyre and in the engine compartment failed to find evidence of the malodorous source. The boyz clearly hid their 'discovery' extremely carefully this time. The car returned cleaner ( if not clean) and smelling of that strange perfume that is peculiar to freshly valeted cars. No sign of the pungent item although I fear it will return. The boyz are back asleep. Tired out after a thirty minute 'splosh' game and trying to work out the miracle of how a ball transubstantiates into a water loving fish and back again .

Digby is now lying regally on top of his freshly laundered bed , snoring like a trooper, with Wilf dozing uncomplaining on the bare tiles below him . Wilf seems to sleep with a smile on his face - transported to a dream world in which we run a restaurant and he is the kitchen dog tasked with trying all the dishes and sauces and cakes and....