So who’d have thought it? Yet again it’s not light and I’m up and talking to you lot again for the second time in less than a week.

Now, as you know, I’m new to this pet sitting malarkey, but I’m beginning to suspect that pet sitting with your own pet brings a whole new dimension. All those wise and experienced dog trainers will tell you it’s all about routine and consistency with dogs, but poor old Muttley is now having to fit in with OBR’s (Other Bugger’s Routines). Although he is particularly enjoying OBRs this week – we are not.

The current gang of Daschoundy guys have breakfast. Muttley has never eaten, or wanted, breakfast in his entire life. Now he does. He’s always had a dodgy stomach, and more so recently with the medication for his cushings, glaucoma and stuff so, if you are house sitting and he wakes you up to say he needs to go out, you don’t argue; particularly when there is a rather nice abstract rug in the bedroom which has a WHITE background. Did he need to go out? – did he hell, he went straight to the utility room where the OB’s breakfast is stored and dispensed. This, of course, wakes them all up so they need to go out for a pee and then come in for breakfast … so, result, Muttley gets breakfast and then goes back to bed downstairs whilst I’m left cuddling Eric on the sofa. This, in itself, would be a rather nice start to the day if it wasn’t still dark and extremely early and Eric didn’t release his gastric juices with great gusto. Eric’s farts are bad enough to evacuate the entire neighbourhood, except we don’t have a neighbourhood, as we are even more remote than the previous sit. So, for company, we rely on each other’s conversation which, largely, consists of, “Eric, that’s disgusting”. If there was such a thing as a ‘farting for England’ competition, I would wager every last penny of my pension on Eric to win.

What we do have, however, are the most spectacular views across the valleys and hills. This week we are up high with a 360 degree panoramic view, which means we get to enjoy every drop of sunshine available. Some days it’s been glorious and we have been able to sit out and bask in the warmth with a G & T, and others it has been bitterly cold. Not a shabby view to wake up to on New Year’s day 2020.

This was the town on the opposite hill from us, Castelnau de Montmiral, which was incredibly beautiful but like a ghost town and absolutely freezing. A drop of sunshine would have made these pics spectacular.

Friday we trundled off into Gaillac. Wow! I thought Mirrorypoiks was amazing, but Gaillac was sensational.

Just Albi (ALBI, not ALDI) to be done now, and then it’s off to Spain to see if, after all my hard work, I can understand anything anyone says to me. I’m also intrigued to see how Muttley fairs back into his own routine on the van without OBR’s.