Manic paw licking.

For some reason Wilf has started to lick his back paws with what appears to be a manic determination. He does it every year at this time - so it must be some form of allergic reaction. Has anyone else come across this problem? I wash his paws in a saline solution twice a day but it has no effect whatsoever.

Up to the local bar this morning. At last the tourists have started to arrive much to everyones delight. The Dutch and the Danes seem to have returned to their annual routine of migrating en masse to southern europe. Not a moment too soon - the hotels and restaurants are decidedly empty. Even the very fancy hotel on the coast that is always full has sent us an e-mail offering 35% off a room for nights between now and mid-August. Last year we were only able to get in, after a cancellation, in mid-September.

Swine flu mania continues to sweep Italy. In the supermarket the aisles were full of large displays selling disinfectant, face masks,and medical hand gel.

Oxford in the sun

We had to go back to the UK for an old friends wedding so on Friday afternoon we loaded up the car with blankets and dog bowls and put the two boyz into the kennels for the weekend. We flew BA out of Rome on a gloriously smooth,punctual and comfortable flight, spent the first night in London and then hired a car and drove up to Oxford on Saturday morning. The weather was perfect, not a cloud in the sky and a healthy 22 degrees. Oxford was looking quite beautiful but apart from a healthy number of American day trippers from London,clearly suffering from a lack of foreign tourists despite the low level of the pound. Driving up to the wedding on Sunday morning through unspoilt little villages on empty roads I'd have to say that the English countryside has a beauty all of its own when the weather is this good.

After the refreshing sunshine of the home counties it was a shock getting off the aircraft in Rome last night. Italy is enjoying/suffering a heatwave (depending on your view) and a wall of hot,moist air hit us as we walked down the jetty to the terminal. It was more like Atlanta in August - hot,humid and tiring. There is more heat to come. Todays temperature are set to climb to a debilitating 40 degrees. Anything below 30 I can cope with, but when it gets this hot everything needs to be done by eight o'clock in the morning - after that it's simply too hot.

The boyz were up and out with us at five this morning - absolutely delighted to be back into their normal routine. I think they enjoy a night in the kennels but find three nights away from home to be a bit stressful. They have had a quick bath this morning to restore their coats to something approaching pristine whiteness - how they get so filthy in the kennels is something I never understand. Wilf seems to be licking one of his paws and uncharacteristically grumbles if I touch it or wash it. It's possible a grass seed has worked its way under the skin next to one of his claws - a trip to the vets is called for later today.