Me: Happy 29th February. A leap day.
Nell: Who are those two young puppies?
Me: Hope and Leo. They’re brothers. Aren’t they gorgeous?
Nell: Friends of Frankie?
Me: No. They’re only 17 weeks old. Their mother is a Westie and their father is a Dachshund. I met them at the hairdressers yesterday.
Nell: They don’t look in need of a haircut.
Me: No. They belong to Sophie my hairdresser. Hope and I had a lovely cuddle, but Leo was a little shy.
Nell: You can’t take them home.
Me: I know that.
Nell: Did you see any penguins?
Me: Not that I noticed. But then again I wasn’t really looking.
Nell: Well, try and be more alert because they’ve been spotted elsewhere.
Me: Wearing a hat?
Nell: Yes, but not always the same one.
Me: Do you think it’s the same penguin with different hats, or different penguins?
Nell: We don’t know but they all have film cameras.
Me: Interesting.
Nell: My friend Pamela the Pyrenean Mountain Dog said Mavis saw one filming their Pilates class through the window.
Me: Is Mavis a Pyrenean Mountain Dog, too?
Nell: Yes. But that’s not the point. The penguin was filming.
Me: Is the Pilates class only for Pyrenean Mountain Dogs?
Nell: No. Myfanwy goes, along with The Cat and several members of the Whippets Institute. Why?
Me: Just trying to get it all straight in my head.
Nell: The question is why are the penguins filming?
Me: Maybe they are making a documentary about the area.
Nell: But why film through the window?
Me: Undercover?
Nell: Our penguin was wearing a yellow sou’wester hat.
Me: That’s not very undercover. Not like my all encasing hat.
Nell: Let’s just leave your hat out of this. You are not a penguin.
Me: Yes. Sorry.
