A friend came over for drinks and snacks this afternoon and we had a good catch up. Becky, one of Archie’s erstwhile walkers, was also going to pop in as she was back in town for the weekend. But she had to change her plans.

After this visit, I took Archie out again to the Links, with his coat on, and JR went off to a gym-buddies shindig. Quite a few of her gym buddies live in very large houses in the posher part of our post code, so she’s always keen to visit them.

I was very pleased with today’s timings, as the coast was clear by 3pm, when the football World Cup final started. So Archie and I snuggled down on the sofa for the afternoon, which proved to be quite long - extra time and a penalty shoot out.

As I was lying there, under my rug with my wooly hat on (I get a cold head), a chap appeared at the window. I had just this morning removed the batteries from the doorbell, as Archie goes crazy when visitors who don’t know ring it. I went to the door, thinking that he was perhaps the window cleaner, but no - he was the student from Hong Kong who lived next door for a while a couple of years ago. He came to wish us a Merry Christmas - I think he had just finished his degree course - and to thank us for being kind neighbours. He then pulled out of his bag a soft toy panda, and then another one! They’re definitely worth a blip. 

But today it’s the football final.