Ashbourne Nicenesses.

I had another encounter with a crossbreed dog today, and saw further evidence of the notion that like attracts like when it comes to dogs and their humans. The dog was a shaggy, vaguely bearded mutt, and the human a bearded, vaguely shaggy man. What most struck me about the dog, though, was that it was the spit of the animatronic dog which appeared with John Hurt in The Storyteller. I asked the man whether it was a particular breed, and he said it was a cross between a Labrador and a Poodle. ‘A Labradoodle,’ he pronounced confidently. I would have thought it a joke, had I not heard of the Labradoodle before. It was very friendly, and this is what it looked like.

 

And I went into the library to use a computer to scan the pictures I posted earlier. Sitting next to me were two children, giggling. I never realised before how infectious children’s giggles are; before long you’re giggling along with them, even though you have no idea what they’re giggling about. I also realised that it’s one of the loveliest sounds known to mankind. I remarked as much to the librarian, who agreed.

And then a question occurred to me: in light of what I said about my letters from America, would Victor Meldrew have said that?