I’m sorry to report that our travel companion Mable passed away about six weeks ago.

She had a malignancy removed from her shoulder 14 months ago, but in September she developed breast cancer and as we were in the process of discussing treatment with our vet, the cancer on her shoulder reappeared and grew to almost the size of a tennis ball in a week.

She was 12 years old and in considerable pain, so we eventually made the sad decision to have her put to sleep. Travel won’t be the same without her.

Our long term intention was to get another Welsh Springer Spaniel sometime next year, but as it happened my cousin, who has bred Border Collies for 40 years, with which she has had great success in obedience competitions, had a litter of puppies from one of her dogs. After much soul searching we have decided to have one of her puppies.

Her name is Skye and we pick her up in just over a week. We hope she will be just as loyal a companion as the much missed Mable.

Poor old Melek hasn’t been told yet that he is going to have to cope with a bundle of fur, pointy teeth and sharp nails in the near future!

What an unprecedented year its been since my last post on 5th March as we scurried home from Spain to escape the Coronavirus. Some of our friends thought we were being a bit precipitous – now look where we are.

We did manage a few short breaks in Basil in the UK in between lockdowns and with a vaccine on the horizon we may be able to get to Europe next year, but it probably won’t be until Autumn and we will be restricted to 90 days by the Schengen rules which will probably apply to us by then.

We have also welcomed, Albie, our first grandchild into the family this year, so maximum periods in Europe of 90 days may suit us, since I am sure we will be wanting to see as much as possible of the little fellow.