Who Wrecked My Toy?

We saw the sun for ten minutes this morning. By the time we got organized and into the car with Spike it had disappeared again but we took him up to the meadow anyway. It's flooded, but he didn't care, so we stood on the road while he ran around in the water. We repaired to Trail House for a coffee after. It's a matter of watching the rain come down through the Trail House windows, or watching the rain come down through our own windows. At least at Trail House someone else makes the coffee...

Spike has figured out a way to harass us until we throw his Kong for him, but he has rules about who throws it where which we don't quite understand. In an effort to provide him with something different to play with, I gave him a Christmas toy. With single-minded purpose he went after the squeaker, breeching the fuzzy covering and pulling out the stuffing. I had to take it away before he ate the squeaker....

We finally watched the final episodes of Harry and Megan last night and of course Harry's book Spare came out last week.  I thought the documentary was quite well done (maybe a few more family games on the lawn and family birthday parties in the very grand house than absolutely necessary) and it certainly did highlight the capacity of the British tabloids to ruin lives. The somewhat eerie parallels to the effect of the paparazzi on the lives of Harry's parents was a reminder that we are all aware of the intrusions of the media. And how that must have traumatized Harry. What was made a little clearer to me was the symbiotic relationship between the press and the Royal Family and the competition between their various press representatives for a good story. 

As for the book...Harry is an appealing and sympathetic public figure but I think he doth protest too much. He's made his point....but his need to talk about it so much is sad and is attracting more attention even as he seems to have found a new life with his family in the celebrity enclave of Montecito. It must have been terribly difficult, but I think they probably made the right decision, as I don't see the interfering relationship with the press changing much...