I’m delighted to announce that we brought home our new puppy today. Meet Fergus, Gemswin You’re In My Heart, who is a flatcoated retriever puppy and 10 weeks old tomorrow.

I felt terrible parting him from his litter sister and large extended flatcoat family but it’s time for this little chap to come out into the world and make his own life. On the way home in the car he cried a little bit, and he whines for cuddles, preferring to be near one of us at all times. He’s an assertive, friendly soul, though not over-confident, and has already been put in his place a couple of times by elderly, yelling Raffles, who doesn’t seem very impressed by the new addition to the family. Let’s hope that they can move forward from this and build a rapport.

I was quite emotional in the car, thinking about how we knew next to nothing with Oscar and he still turned out to be a wonderful companion. It’s been quite a day for us all and no-one is really looking forward to this first puppy night at home, with the prospect of a very early wee wee wake up call. But it wil sort itself out, I’m sure, and I want Fergus to know that he is loved and that we’ll give him the best life we can, just as we did for our beloved Oscar. He has huge pawprints to fill.