Marjorie Nettlespawn, my neighbour, came bustling in from her morning walk. In her arms, she held a small bundle of brown fluff.  Marjorie did have a habit of picking things up on her walks like the odd coin or two, spanners and screwdrivers left abandoned by the side of the road.

I was about to ask her what it was she was holding when the ball of fluff moved.

“It’s my new pup, Lindy Lou,” she announced beaming proudly at me.

Now I am not much of a dog person, but I knew Marjorie was and so I was instantly happy for her to have another doggy companion.

“Isn’t she beautiful,” she said looking lovingly at her newly acquired ball of fluff.

She then launched into an explanation of the dog’s breed which I’m afraid went in one ear and out the next. The only bit I found of interest was the historical fact the breed of dog had been bred to warn monks in Tibetan monasteries of intruders.

“I just picked her up yesterday,” she declared, bringing the small dog out onto her lap where it sat looking around at my kitchen and most likely deciding if there was anything worth eating to be found.

Then as if to initiate the dog into my place she asked for a small bowl of water whereupon she placed Lindy Lou on the floor to sniff around and see what she could find. A few laps of the water and she was off and happy as could be. Then Marjorie pulled out a small brown furry bear and set it down on the floor and watched as Lindy Lou proceeded to chew on the bear’s ear.

“So, what have you been up to?” she asked

So, I told her about my New Year’s Eve at home watching all the episodes of Fawlty Towers on Netflix as I waited for No 3 child to call and say she and her family were ready to be picked up from the party they had attended. So, by the time I had done that good deed it was 1.15am and the new year was away and running.

“Don’t really celebrate New Year,” said Marjorie, “just another day for me though there is the excitement of changing the calendar.”

We sat in silence and watched Lindy Lou sniff about the kitchen, chew some more of the bear’s ear before Marjorie announced she was off home via my back lawn as Lindy Lou would need what she called a ‘potty break’ before they returned home.

So off they went after Lindy Lou did, in fact, fertilise my lawn.

The new Year loomed ahead, and I wondered what excitement if any this year would bring me. But as Marjorie had told me so many times before it was all about ‘one day at a time.’