Me: There’s nothing lovelier than a happy Chocolate Labrador enjoying the sunshine and smelling of garlic.
Nell: Did you say smelling of garlic?
Me: Yes.
Nell: Garlic is toxic to dogs.
Me: I know.
Nell: Has that Italian seagull started putting garlic in his spaghetti bolognese?
Me: Calm down a minute.
Nell: I knew things would get out of paw if I wasn’t there to keep an eye on you all.
Me: I’m talking about wild garlic.
Nell: Wild garlic?
Me: Yes. The kind that grows on the river bank and is almost everywhere at the moment.
Nell: Oh, I see.
Me: When Harriet walks through it she comes out smelling of garlic. It’s the same every year.
Nell: Well, that’s a relief.
Me: It’s a good reminder, though. We’re having an Italian weekend so I need to make sure that no garlic is floating around.
Nell: An Italian weekend?
Me: Yes. The sun’s shining so we all thought pizza and pasta might be just the thing.
Nell: Not on a Sunday.
Me: Only Friday and Saturday. Stanley’s busy on Sunday.
Nell: Stanley Smoochy?
Me: Yes.
Nell: Why is that seagull involved?
Me: He’s going to be providing the pizza and pasta.
Nell: Be very careful.
Me: We will. Talking of seagulls, while I was waiting at the doctor’s there was a Beefy with a hoarse voice croaking away outside.
Nell: It probably had a sore throat.
Me: Normally they’re all shouting, but this one wasn’t.
Nell: It should have been inside not outside.
Me: They don’t let seagulls inside.
Nell: It was obviously there to see a doctor.
Me: Do you think so?
Nell: Yes.
Me: I thought the Beefies were just there to annoy us.
Nell: Two things can be true at the same time.
Me: Yes. Sorry.
