Me: It was wonderful to be back on our beach again, wasn’t it?
Nell: Yes, it was.
Me: Look at you with your ears flapping in the wind.
Nell: They weren’t flapping. They were gently blown forward.
Me: Harriet just adores the water.
Nell: I know.
Me: Dave can cover the whole beach in a matter of minutes. Did you see him run and run?
Nell: David is a large animal.
Me: Talking of large animals. Are they going to be in the pantomime?
Nell: Of course.
Me: Good.
Nell: There’s a slight question mark over Olive the Other Reindeer, as she has a number of commitments during the festive season, but we’re hoping she can join in.
Me: Now, you might not like this idea, Nell, but I wondered if you could include Babycakes Gillespie?
Nell: Good grief.
Me: I think he’s a little bit lonely. I saw him wheeling his bagel cart into town yesterday and his ears were quite low.
Nell: I suppose he can audition. No harm in that.
Me: What about me?
Nell: What about you?
Me: Will there be something for me to do? Only I’m often not included and Kev is.
Nell: Kev used to be an actor. He’s trained. You just concentrate on doing what you do best.
Me: Singing?
Nell: Definitely not. Quietly observing in the background and writing things down.
Me: I was hoping for a part. Just a little one. I know I can’t be one of the Seven Woofs as they are all dogs, but I could be a Huntsman.
Nell: A Huntsman? You can’t be allowed a weapon. The mere idea. Anyway, there’s no Huntsman in this story and the Woofs are not all dogs, by the way. Henry and Horst are auditioning.
Me: I see. Sorry.
