For as long as we've known them they've always had King Charles Spaniels, one after another. We've known them for almost a quarter-century, so the current little dog is only two-and-a-half years old, a lovely little thing that causes them no problems whatever. Quite unlike our two little miscreants whose middle name should be 'trouble'.

We haven't seen them in ages, though we used to come across them frequently in the ravine, during our roves in there. In the summer months they spend a lot of time on their sailing vessel, so they have distractions we don't have in that sense. They've got the typical Limey accent, though they've lived here for at least one generation. Friendly and personal, she just gushes enthusiasm and loves to talk about their daughter, now a mother of two, living in Vancouver.

A few years back they had rescued their daughter's King Charles Spaniel when she could no longer give it the attention it craved while tending to the needs of her own young children. That little male joined their own female and they lived together amicably until both of them eventually died. Before those two they had another little fellow, who was deaf and mischievous to a lovable fault.

They're excited about a trip they've planned, to India. The first part of the trip, the first week, is meant to be devoted to visiting a few large cities, Bangalore and Cochin in Kerala State, and the following two weeks they plan to spend quietly, close to a smaller town where they've rented a house and plan to live there until their time elapses in a return to Canada. Sounds fascinating, and they're anticipating the trip, albeit wondering where they'll leave their little charge.

We told them about a woman we've known for as long as we've known them, now retired, who with her husband loves dogs and volunteers to look after any dogs their owners need separation from for relatively brief periods and theirs would certainly qualify. Because the pair is so devoted to dogs they can be trusted to do what's in the best interests of any pets left with them, and without charging the moon.

Meanwhile, we're invested in more mundane things in preparation for winter, ourselves. It's likely that we have far more garden tidying-up than most because of the extent of our gardens, and now that's done, my husband has turned his attention to changing the all-season tires of his vehicles to ice tires in preparation for winter, looming close on the seasonal horizon.

He says it's a nuisance to load the tires onto the vehicles and drive them over to a place like Canadian Tire where the mechanics there can do the job. Far more convenient, he says, to do it himself. That he's close to 79 years of age seems to make little difference to him. It's a job that needs to be done and he's always prepared to tackle such things. I wince whenever he tells me of those plans.