The plan didn't work.

I thought that by getting the two boyz up early and rushing them around in the cool of the early morning they might sleep all through the heat of the afternoon. The plan which worked so well yesterday has failed miserably today. It's well over 100 degrees out and Wilf and Digby are full of life and raring to go - far from being exhausted by the early morning start they seem to be re-energised. Every three or four minutes one of them arrives in the office and drops a ball at my feet.I've played with them indoors for what seems to be hours and both master and dogs can hardly wait for the temperatures to moderate a bit so that we can get out.

Great guard dogs.

The plan worked. After yesterdays early morning exercise and subsequent tour of the fields the two boyz were worn out and slept solidly all the way through from one until five - I was able to work in peace without constant interruptions. Their well earned rest was suddenly shattered by the unexpected arrival of a police car and three machine gun wielding caribinieri at the front door.

The police had come to the house to show me some mugshots of possible villains.Quite why Italian police go around carrying machine guns is one of lifes unknowns.Anway we all settled down around a table in the garden, me, the three officers, the two boyz and the three machine guns. What an incongruous sight it must have been. I'm glad the 'font of all knowledge' was away in London and didn't have to sit down and study each of the photos - there is something deeply unsettling about seeing pictures of people who might have done you harm. It brings all the memories back and somehow makes it all personal.

This morning the boyz were fit for action bright and early. Wilf went digging in the lavender beds and returned with his nose covered in mud. The evil smelling ball with the stuffing hanging out has been quietly disposed of and replaced by an altogether more decorous green ball and a soft animal. Neither seem to excite them in the way the malodorous ball did. The great guard dogs are now on patrol at the front gate waiting for the return of the rest of the family from the airport.

The unhygienic toy.

I'm alone here while the 'font of all knowledge' is back in London seeing a back specialist. The two boyz proved to be excellent company yesterday making me chuckle away at their antics - they would follow me around in the certain knowledge that I'm quite incapable of looking after things. I'd have to say that they don't enjoy these really hot days. They both got a bit stir crazy being kept indoors out of the sun between noon and five and couldn't wait to get out onto the grass to chase lizards. Energetic sheepdogs penned up inside when its more than 100 degrees out is not a recipe for a quiet life.

Today, to make sure they sleep through the heat of the afternoon, I got the two of them up at four thirty ( as much of a surprise for me as it was for them ) and gave them a good walk in the cool pre-dawn air. Since then we've been playing with the disgusting soft ball they discovered on Sunday mornings walk. The stuffing is pouring out of it which makes it ten times as much fun as a clean, hygienic toy. They refuse to be separated from it - I'll quietly dispose of it while they are asleep.

We sat by the pool having breakfast and watching the flocks of swallows and house martins swooping down to within a fraction of an inch above the water to scoop up water. I read an amazing statistic:50% of American healthcare bills are incurred in the last 30 days of a persons life.

Digby. Starting the day off at a gentle pace.

It's going to be a scorcher today - probably in the low 40's. We were out and about early enjoying the cool air , watching the balloonists floating above Todi and marvelling at the acrobatic skills of the falcons that are nesting along the drive. At 5.30 am it was 21 degrees which is about as hot as it gets on a good Scottish summer day.

We use the first three hours of the day to get everything done around the fields and the house before it gets too hot. The time just seems to whizz past in a burst of early morning activity. The lavender needs to be watered, the olive trees checked for signs of heat stress, and of course the two troubadors need to get enough exercise to last them through until it cools down again in the evening. I came across Digby flat on his back on the lawn outside the front door. He had fallen into a deep,happy sleep with a ball in his mouth.

Swine flu is back on the agenda. Everyone in the UK is to be given the 'flu' jab and if I understood the Italian morning news correctly so is the entire population of the EU. Why the sudden change? Last week we were told Tamiflu would be distributed and now we're all being innoculated.

Early morning happiness.

It's going to be a hot one today so we were up and out by five. The boyz were supercharged after a good nights sleep and were off like a rocket up the hill. There must have been badgers around because they both adopted their guard dog pose as soon as we passed the front gate. The guard dog pose involves them standing stock still with their feet anchored to the ground and their heads thrown back purposefully sniffing the wind. I find myself chuckling away at their daft antics and the canine seriousness with which they go about their morning routine. The two of them are undiluted purveyors of laughter which must be good for our blood pressure.

The skies over Todi were full of balloons for the annual balloonists gathering. In Italy they are known as Montgolfieri and this morning there were fourteen or fifteen of them soaring ethereally above the towers of the cathedral. I stood and watched them for a full twenty minutes while the two troubadors explored the olive groves.

Have just finished Berton Gellman's book Angler on the 'shadow presidency of Dick Cheney'. I found it to be well balanced and more insightful than many of these instant analyses tend to be. On television last night President Obama gave a thoughtful and sensitive response to a sharp question from a journalist about the death of another six British soldiers in Afghanistan - fifteen so far this month. He has a remarkable way of marshalling facts and taking difficult issues head on - skill sets lacking in most of Europe's current heads of government.