HI

'Hi Kate, I know I'm not allowed in the house but look how cute I am! I know you'll let me stay if I just pull all my most adorable faces and stay just outside your doorway. I'll be very good, I promise!'

So this is Xena. She's my absolute baby and has essentially become my shadow. I come and go from the house a lot during the day between all my hotel visits and she's often outside the house napping, or will spring from somewhere to follow my bike up to the house. She loves fuss and attention and if I stroke her and walk away she'll run after me and nudge at my legs with her nose, or try and give me her paw. If I leave the front door open she'll try persistently to come in the house. Today I relented and she simply sat in the hallway calmly while I did some work in my room, probably enjoying the cool of the stone flooring.

When I started in Corfu she used to spend all her time across the road with the two older dogs and now she just chills at the house a lot of the time - the neighbours even notice it. It's nice when I get in to sit with her outside the front of the house and just enjoy 5 or 10 minutes or cuddles with her on my lap, where she does the cutest thing of tucking her little nose into my cupped hand and making funny little growly noises when I give her a good scratch.

I don't know how I'm going to stop myself from smuggling her away in my suitcase when I leave. She's such a gem and definitely born to be a house dog!

The photo is unspectacular but, seriously, look at that little face!