Me: Harriet is an autumn coloured dog.
Nell: Yes, I suppose she is.
Me: Knitwear Wolf is the same.
Nell: Rupert is not a dog.
Me: No, but he’s autumnal in his colours, although he has something of the winter about him. Maybe it’s the Canadian thing.
Nell: Well, all I can say is that my reading group become quite giggly when he joins us on a zoom call.
Me: Is Knitwear Wolf in your reading group?
Nell: Only occasionally. He’s a keen reader. You must have seen him reading by the fire.
Me: Yes. I love his glasses.
Nell: Talking of glasses, I think Poppy might be needing them soon.
Me: Why?
Nell: She put sugar in the scrambled eggs this morning. Thought it was salt.
Me: Oh no.
Nell: David still managed to eat it before Manuel could whisk it away.
Me: How is Manuel?
Nell: Most surprising.
Me: Why?
Nell: Have you ever seen an octopus knit?
Me: No. I must confess I haven’t.
Nell: Manuel knits. I came into the living room last night and there he was. Listening to Rupert reading a bedtime story and knitting away. Didn’t understand a word, of course. But never mind.
Me: I didn’t know Rupert read bedtime stories.
Nell: Yes. Every evening since the nights have started drawing in. We all sit around the fire. The puppies love it. In fact most of us do, to be honest.
Me: I thought you were having Evening Thoughts.
Nell: Thoughts are only for the morning. Evenings are for unwinding, not over thinking.
Me: Do you think I could join you?
Nell: Of course. You can share your chair with David.
Me: Don’t I get my own chair?
Nell: Certainly not. Story time is cuddling time. Everyone knows that.
Me: Yes. Sorry.
