There is a wee place in the nearby town that we have taken to visiting on a regular basis.

It is a small building that for some reason reminds me of a signal box.  Inside, it is a tiny bar, a tobacco shop and like nearly all French bars it serves lovely coffee.

Outside, there is a little terraced area with sunshades over the tables and it is a fine place to relax in the shade after a hot day in the sun.

It’s not a tourist trap.  It’s off the beaten track, so the only people you will find there are locals.  And us.

We were sitting there last night enjoying a grand coffee and got talking about the things we miss about home.

“Sandy” I said immediately.

“Apart from Sandy” says Herself.

I thought long.  I thought hard.

“Sweet fuck all” says I.

The damage had been done though as I started to miss Sandy again.

We had originally intended bringing her.  One of the reasons we chose this place is that it’s pet friendly and has a fenced boundary.  But in the end we decided it wouldn’t be fair on her.

In retrospect, it was the right decision.  We have spent a lot of time in the car, where it is extremely hot, and a lot of time wandering around towns and villages where it is also hot.  Even when we are back at the house it is fucking hot, so a long haired dog would not be comfortable.

I miss her though.

I miss ruffling my fingers through her mane.  I miss her tail-wag.

To reduce the pain, I adopted Eddie Lizard.

Eddie doesn’t have a fur coat to ruffle.

Eddie is painfully shy and doesn’t bark with joy when I come home.

Eddie doesn’t rest his chin on my lap and stare lovingly at me.

All in all, he is really fuck all use as a pet.

I suppose he’ll have to do though.

*sigh*