Things have come to a head with the dogs.
Our poor dogsitter had to go to work at 4 am yesterday morning and work until 4 pm – honestly, chefs have a terrible job – horrible hours and pay, and I’ve never seen one who looks healthy. Unfortunately, the dogs, even though they had only a restricted access to outdoors, barked enough over the subsequent couple of hours that they triggered another complaint to animal control. Cue a couple of desperate hours of trying from afar to arrange a boarding kennel to take the two of them at short notice. Luckily I managed to find one and they are booked in for a week from tonight. It’s a great relief after all the recent stress, quite frankly. What I would dearly love is for the neighbours to complain about barking tonight, so we can prove it wasn’t them. Anyway, it’ll be a relief to no longer be on the animal control speed dial.
(Just got a phone call from the kennel – can we please make sure the dogs are dropped off before 5? Concerned, I messaged our dogsitter, who confirmed he dropped them off half an hour ago. Simon is now worried we are going to somehow end up with four schnoodles. However, I’ve rung back the kennel, and after a brief confab between the two people who work there, they have sorted out that yes, indeed, the dogs have been dropped off already. So, sorted.)
To celebrate, we drove down the road to Opononi for lunch. Opononi is a cute little town briefly famous over the summer of 55/56 when a dolphin came to visit and befriended the local children. It died later that summer but the town still can’t forget Opo. Sad all round.
Another walk in the midday heat – how does everyone cope in the middle of summer?? And now back to pre dinner rose on the terrace, with an Agatha Christie to keep me entertained. This is more like it.