Holidays!

Lots of seagulls there I suppose. If you like seagulls.

Stick to puffin on the old pushbike Humph 

To prove me completely wrong, and for the first time in five years, managed to book a return crossing Amsterdam to Newcastle in October for less than £900. Car, 4 people plus the dog, that price including evening meals. Many people must have stopped travelling to force such a turnaround. Last time we used this crossing it was €1,500 without the dog.

Not really, still hasn't got the hang of opening the packet for his food or restricting portion size once in. He had staff, my eldest stayed behind to look after him. One adult and one dog used 50% more electricity/day than a family of four plus dog.

Think my eldest used the opportunity to get all his laundry done and tumble dried, plus batch cook for the month, while we were away. Or, he just left all the lights on, in every room, as young(er) people do.

My dog's food, 25kgs bags, was previously decanted into a large plastic box with clip on lid. He knows how to open a large plastic box with clip on lid as we found one day when he wasn't really hungry. He usually starts pestering someone for his food about an hour before it's due, not that he gets fed at the same time each day. He was stretched out on the floor next to the lid of the box, he'd munched his way through his fill.

He can't fathom out the seal of the resealable bag the food comes in so we leave it in there now.

He's the only dog I've ever seen with allergies. He can only eat tapioca with horse or locust I think it is everything else causes red, streaming eyes and itches like crazy. Never witnessed that in a dog before, I thought they were organic dustbins.

Yes, pet sitting is quite lucrative. Our dog is going to one in July for a fortnight, think I'm looking at about €750 for that service.

Dog walkers keep books and can get a mortgage based on their income.

This is going to be my first time in Tuscany and the northern end of the west coast. Looking forwards to it.

While we're staying up near Maranello thinking about a quick blast up to Venice. Haven't been for about 40-something years. I know we'll need to park and get a train and pay a visitor's tax but really want to go back to see if I can get a piece of glass that was stolen from my house in the UK after my mother died. It was something very personal bought for my mother. It won't be the same, if I can get something similar it will be very personal to my youngest and what he remembers of his grandmother's home.