Me: Do you know what the boys are discussing?
Nell: Which boys? We have quite a few here. I hope you don’t mean Henry and Horst as I can never hear a thing they say to me.
Me: Dave and Nigel. They’re deep in discussion in the living room.
Nell: As a matter of fact, Nosey Parker, I might do.
Me: Nigel seems to be giving Dave advice and that’s always a worry.
Nell: I think Nigel’s angling to be David’s manager.
Me: Manager?
Nell: After yesterday’s success at the pub David and The Big Cat Vibe are going to be in high demand.
Me: I’m not sure Nigel’s the dog for the job.
Nell: Neither am I.
Me: What about you?
Nell: I considered throwing my collar in the ring but I’ve enough to do running this place.
Me: It’s hat in the ring.
Nell: I’m not throwing my hat anywhere, thank you.
Me: I took some atmospheric photos of the pub garden before it all started. I love the way you can see the cows mooching about in the background.
Nell: They were listening. Cows are extremely inquisitive animals and highly skilled at looking bored.
Me: Albert wasn’t listening. He’s almost deaf.
Nell: If you were a pub cat you would be deaf. All that noise.
Me: Lunch was lovely, wasn’t it?
Nell: Yes.
Me: It was good to see the Hoffmanns letting their hair down for a change. They’re always so busy cooking.
Nell: Are they moulting, too? It’s such a nuisance in the summer months. Hair everywhere.
Me: That’s not what I meant. They were dancing to the band.
Nell: They were surprisingly light on their paws.
Me: They reminded me of the Welsh Corgi Choir. Nimbler than you would expect.
Nell: Good grief.
Me: Sorry.
