THE RIDE OF THE VALKYRIES

On Monday Radio 3 provided a whole day of Wagner. The whole Ring in one day. I must admit I chickened out towards the end of Siegfried, but I absolutely loved it.

Next day, back to routine.My vet had provided a bulk discount, so three middle-aged ladies had gone in for the snip, and were due back for a check up. As I hefted the resentful girls into carrying boxes I realised the dual meaning of "bulk discount" - also how seriously unappreciative they were of the attraction of this offer..

Just at that moment, with the others all loose, a strange tomcat strolled out of the rockery.

There was a moment of absolute stillness.

You could almost read the little thought bubbles above the heads.

The cat - "oshitoshitoshitoshit...

"All the dogs - "yesyesyesyesYESYESYES!"

And then a tiny figure fled through the fence up the hill, followed by a screaming tide of Papillon valkyries. It only needed the music. A scene that owed a lot to Wagner and not a little to Apocalypse Now. My recently neutered ladies, supposed to be having the canine equivalent of bedrest, were well to the fore.

It took me an hour to round them all up from various parts of the field and the wood.

They were all in a state of terminal excitement and filth. I didn`t even ask about the cat, but the fact that they were so scattered suggests that it might just have made it. Florian,who forgets his name under the slightest pressure, was the last to return, by which time I was in a fury, and mud up to the knees.

And in that state I had to rush to the vet and present three wildly excited patients, covered with mud and twigs and tongues hanging out to their knees, and pass them off as never having seen any exercise in the past week beyond a sedate stroll.

Toiotoho!