Sunday, 10.30pm

Thought for the Day - Wickets are only taken in cricket matches on TV just as I leave the room

Pug Status - Strangely enjoying charcoal biscuits

Another busy weekend; the grass has finally, finally been cut - a tricky operation given I had to hold the lawnmower above my head to begin with - and the neighbours have their privacy restored as walking on the back lawn does not mean our feet are level with the top of their fence.

Obi Pug Kenobi has been struggling a little with her new diet as she attempts to shift a few unwanted grammes; she doesn't mind a slightly longer walk although she has drawn the line at the fitness video and exercise bike. The new regime means giving her a small breakfast when I get up in the morning. This was fine at the start of last week but, being a clever pug and one that sleeps in our bedroom, she started waking me up half an hour earlier each morning in an attempt to get her food quicker until by Thursday it felt like she was waking me up before I went to bed....

By Friday I had a small selection of doggie biccies at the ready to temp her with in the hope of getting a few minutes more sleep. This kept her quiet but had the adverse effect of filling the duvet with Bonio shards, so an early morning slumber becomes more like bedding down in a quarry....

An early Saturday start as I chauffered the wife to the tattoo parlour, from where she emerged a while later with a handsome caricature of our Princess Pug on her shoulder alongside a paw-print of the Barbados flag, a reminder of our honeymoon (my reminder would probably be a tattoo of an empty wallet....). It does look good though....

Must remember to hoover the bed before getting in tonight....