The Springer Spaniel X 2!

Well today featured two Springer Spaniels - one great, one naughty! I'll deal with the naughty one first! Met French Dweller for a walk with her mother's dog Bluebell and Portley - the other friend supposed to be joining us couldn't but we took her dog anyway - yes, the Springer Spaniel, who didn't understand why it's owner wasn't coming and refused to leave the closed door! Once it's lead was on it was fine and off we set. Once in the playing field all dogs off lead and on we went to walk round the river, chatting all the way! Until we realised the Springer was no longer with us! We walked back to the playing field where the man playing ball with his son and Jack Russell pointed to the village saying "It went that way!" I told him we had been too busy chatting to notice, he said he had yelled to us, to which I again replied we were too busy chatting to hear! We split up and did a pincer movement round the village then back up the hill to the owners house! There was Springer and apologetic owner! Not sure why she was apologising!
We decided neither of us could face the hill again so decided to abort further walking in favour of lunch! Rendezvous in an hour. On returning Portley his owner pointed out that his neighbours door was open. Said neighbour is elderly and has been in and out of hospital and had the district nurse and her daughter regularly seeing her. Lucy's owner had fallen out several years ago with her and there was no love lost between them so I investigated - found her sitting on the settee, the daughter had left the door open as she was just popping out for food. So we had a chat, she had slept on the sofa as was recovering from E Coli and now found if she stood up she wet herself! She enquired after the neighbor's wife and asked if he was still drinking! Whereupon he appeared! So she then explained to him what was happening, whereupon he asked if she had a bucket - the intent being she could wee in that! The look she gave him told him what she thought about that idea, but undaunted he reiterated she should get one! She told him it was easy for him to pee in a bucket but not herself, he told her she had to learn!! The enquiries then turned to his wife, who he said was never coming home, so she told him he had to look after himself and forget about her!  He said he was quite capable of that and that he had me to look after Portly! I pointed out I was the youngest in the terrace and good job too, whereupon he decided to start a debate about how did he know I was the youngest and not himself! I told him because he was ancient and then decided that before the conversation got any more surreal I would leave them to it! I think his loneliness has turned him into quite the jovial, chatty person - I swear he must sit by his window and watch all the comings and goings outside his house as he knows who comes, who goes, who has left their doors open! 
This brings me to the second and very good Springer Spaniel - the pub! It features many drawings of said dog and also a jar of dog biscuits and a water bowl by the door! We sat in the garden and chatted over  the gorgeous 3 course lunch! Only pausing when my urge to take photographs of the food and a rather splendid tree and yellow flowers could be resisted no longer! French Dweller hadn't realised the pub was run by the Masterchef winner, even though we had visited it last time she was over! But she did say the food was very good! If you like you can see the various course here!
So - a good day but feeling tired. Shadow is still not well and has only one more dose of antibiotics left, so I'm thinking friday could be the day of no return from the vets. Milly also seems a little peaky and I'm hoping Shadow's illness is not infectious and that I have not passed it on to her. I disinfected the coop just in case. Worry  seems an ever present background to my life at the moment and I think this is tiring me, and my planned early night saw me falling asleep on the settee till 4 in the morning and then finishing my book in bed! So tonight an early night with a new  book in bed, so when I fall asleep at least it will be in my bed!