Me: You’d better tell me what happened.
Nell: Why do you think something’s happened?
Me: You’re looking guilty, Dave is looking very guilty and he’s wearing one ear back and Harriet is filthy.
Nell: I don’t look guilty.
Me: You most certainly do.
Nell: Dave sometimes likes to wear his ears back.
Me: He can’t even look at me. And what about the state of Harriet?
Nell: Harriet is an outdoorsy sort of dog.
Me: She’s covered in mud.
Nell: There might have been a disturbance at the recreation ground this morning.
Me: Disturbance?
Nell: A slight kerfuffle.
Me: What did you do?
Nell: I wasn’t there.
Me: No, but Dave and Harriet were there, weren’t they?
Nell: They might have been.
Me: And what might have happened?
Nell: They might have run into the middle of the Beefy Choir rehearsal.
Me: The one for Sunday Songs this morning?
Nell: Yes.
Me: For Carols of Unity?
Nell: Yes.
Me: Where we were all supposed to sing together in harmony?
Nell: Maybe.
Me: That was really naughty.
Nell: It is what it is.
Me: What does that mean?
Nell: We’re dogs and they’re birds. What can I say? Sometimes a dog’s gotta do what a dog’s gotta do.
Me: Did they scatter everywhere?
Nell: They did.
Me: They’re not going to be singing at Sunday Songs, are they?
Nell: Probably not.
Me: No Carols of Unity.
Nell: We’ll all be there with the Welsh Corgi Choir and the Whippets Institute.
Me: We were trying to put our differences aside for Christmas.
Nell: Hey ho. You win some and you lose some.
Me: You planned this, didn’t you?
Nell: Let’s just enjoy our bacon sandwiches and look forward to Christmas. Only one week to go before the family arrive.
Me: Yes. Sorry.
