On the look out for porcupines

Just back from a bracing walk. Wilf as always charged ahead in a frenzy of delight and expectation while Digby sauntered gently along behind - the chances of the little one staying at home with his sore leg were exactly zero. He was going to join his big brother come hell or high water and we weren't going to stop him. The presence of Digby and his sore leg on the walk meant coming to a halt with Wilf every hundred yards and then waiting while his brother caught up.What should have taken twenty minutes took forty five this morning.

Thankfully,the Rimadyl anti-inflammatory tablets work quickly and have no side effects so Digby's leg should be back to normal within a few days . He does however get tired quickly. Polish Lowland Sheepdogs are prone to hip problems and I fear that Digby is getting to an age where sore legs and hind quarters are likely to become more frequent.

Mist rolling in

We've been out in the garden this afternoon collecting up leaves and generally tidying up. I had it pointed out to me that we wouldn't have been able to do this in Scotland at this time of the year because it's already dark by 3.30 in the afternoon and it would probably be below freezing with a strong wind. Here, it's been another perfect day although there is a bank of mist rolling in from the Tiber. Once again the valleys have disappeared into the fog and the house hangs suspended above this vast sea of cloud with the occasional island surmounted by a town breaking the surface in the distance.Quite magical.

Polish Lowland Sheepdogs in the wild - grooming needed.

The boyz have been enjoying themselves all day in the wilder parts of the garden. Both of them are now in dire need of a wash and brushing. The little one, Digby, has torn a muscle in his back right leg probably as a result of leaping off a tree stump when chasing a squirrel- he has been put on Rimadyl and confined to less arduous activities for the rest of the week.

Great morning for checking on porcupines

The porcupines have been back in the garden leaving a swathe of destruction in their path. They have now turned their attention to the roses along the driveway which are looking very bedraggled. Porcupine infestation is not something dealt with in Scottish gardening books so a trip up to the local farmer for some advice is on the cards for later in the day. The boyz have been happily following scents all morning. Wilf has now come in and been caught snuggling up to a Teddy he had as a puppy - no matter how much bigger and older they get they still remain little boyz at heart.

Two accidents on way back from Rome

The camera on the Sony phone seems to have given up the ghost despite my best efforts. The screen is filled with a message in large font saying: ' No Pictures !'. I'll try to get it sorted.

In London stayed at the Sofitel St.James's - it's about as good a location as you can get in London - almost everything is within walking distance. The hotel has a great little restaurant that is rarely busy - although with a glass of Chablis costing £12 maybe that's not a surprise. The Royal Academy with its Byzantium exhibition is three minutes away from the Sofitel's front door. Prices have come off by about 30% and it's now getting to be reasonably priced even though it is the flagship of the brand.

It took two hours to get back from Rome by car yesterday afternoon. On the orbital motorway there was a pile up near the exit for Naples with a van that had hit the central barrier and then flipped over on top of a taxi. At the local turnoff a senior citizen had got confused a driven the wrong way onto the motorway , colliding head on with another car. The second accident of this type this year !

The garden centre came to trim the trees along the drive this morning. They pointed out that we are attracting porcupines who are coming to root up the bulbs that we planted - tulip and allium bulbs are an absolute delicacy for them. The beaver like animal the local farmer was complaining about is a coypu - a form of south American rodent.

Still haven't discovered what little animal has decided to nest in the engine compartment of the SUV - whatever it is has left a trail of olive stones around the oil filter.