The day arrived and with it a girlfriend for Fred the dog. I was so nervous about what was to happen that I almost cancelled the whole thing. Having been scared witless about how my dog was going to change after mating and become aggressive (thank you Internet) I pestered my more experienced friends and their friends and they managed to put my mind at rest. Eventually.

The girlfriend was tiny but otherwise looked just like his mother. The poor boy was so excited he whimpered and danced around her while she coolly observed him and occasionally flirted. In the end she decided that she just wasn’t ready and they spent some time running in the blackcurrant field looking for rabbits. And that’s that.

We might see her again when she feels that she is ready.

In other news – there is a bit of downy mildew in the vines and since we almost finished our bottles of ‘sauv’ from 2013 bumper year, we will have to strip many many more leaves in order to keep them healthy.

Oh and a visitor arrived! Little miss Pepper is a black Labrador and Fred’s favourite girl and is staying with us for the weekend (yes, on top of the guineas, cat, plants etc). She is one of the few who can match him in sprinting through the blackcurrants and is happy to do so. Currently they are both fast asleep, their paws and noses twitching with happy bunny chasing dreams.

He’s obviously recovered from his rejection. It’s a dog’s life.