Nell: What were you doing prowling around downstairs last night?
Me: I wasn’t prowling.
Nell: You woke us all up.
Me: I was looking for Harriet.
Nell: Harriet was asleep in your chair.
Me: Yes, I know that now.
Nell: And David was asleep in Kev’s chair until you woke him up and he had to take you back upstairs.
Me: Darling Big Brave Beautiful Boy.
Nell: So why were you downstairs?
Me: There was an awful storm outside and I thought I could hear a dog barking and Harriet was stuck outside.
Nell: Stuck outside?
Me: Yes, in the wind and rain. I could see her in my mind standing at the door all wet and terrified.
Nell: She was curled up in your chair in the warm.
Me: Not in my head. I couldn’t rest until I knew she was safe.
Nell: So you woke us all up?
Me: I didn’t wake you up. You were snoring away.
Nell: David took ages to get back to sleep.
Me: How do you know?
Nell: He told me while he was eating my boiled egg by mistake.
Me: It must be nice to have eggs for breakfast again.
Nell: I wouldn’t know. David ate them.
Me: At least he’s not eating spaghetti bolognese.
Nell: He had that earlier. We all did. It was tasty.
Me: When the vet said you could slowly go back to your normal diet she didn’t mean spaghetti bolognese.
Nell: You don’t know that.
Me: I most certainly do. Anyway, I thought you disapproved of Dave and the Italian?
Nell: This time I was included.
Me: What?
Nell: It said ‘per favore condividi questo con la cara Nell’.
Me: What does that mean?
Nell: Please share this with the lovely Nell. Do keep up.
Me: Sorry.
