when i was a kid we had a neighbour, mrs hargreaves who had a phone and a visiting dog. jip.

not many had phones then and we would go across the main road to the call box

or use hers in an emergency only

any way the dog was homely looking

with no fashions then in breed except perhaps the pekingnese

wandering the backstreets of this small town came to the football pitch by the allotments

getting on to lunch time it was

spoke to a lady with her dog a corgi/jack russell cross and talked in admiration

she thanked me and explained that he liked a walk before they went to bed and i wondered

then made my way back into town

where a cat was sitting in the road