Madai's July blog – On retreat

To all Madai's followers: Madai has been on retreat recently and has been unable to dictate her usual prose to me. Normal service is expected to return before the month has progressed much, so look back in a few days time. In the meantime she asks me to offer a handful of gravy bones to anyone who has spotted these pink poppies in the last week or so, and correctly identifies the site. Answers by e-mail to the usual address.

Well, I'm back in the basket and have put himself at the keyboard after his (again!) trip in his floating Scottish kennel. Last month I went on retreat for a period of quiet contemplation, interrupted only by my mate Finn and his associates. Have you guessed yet? I've told you before that I go to help out Helen, the Vicar of St James in Audlem, who clearly needs my calming influence. Because I started my life as a Guide Dog I'm used to lying around and considering things such as "which the best way to walk from here to there" and "how to resist the temptations of life such as discarded fish and chip bags, cats to chase across the road" and so on. I have to advise Finn on these matters quite often – here you can see him thinking long and hard about why it was that he went into Peter's study and tore open the chocolate bars that he had tried to hide from Helen. No Finn, it was not a good idea! Sorry about the quality of the picture of me in St James' – Helen might be a great Vicar but I kept telling her about the backlighting and to use her flash. Maybe the next time ......

Anyway once back home I got stuck into a bone and will have more to say about that next month

Madai the Labrador – your rovering reporter
PS: if you've not spotted the Poppy location then they've probably gone to seed (a bit like himself perhaps?) – it was on the lane between Old Hoolgrave Farm and the canal bridge