The 12 year old next door was inaccurate in his assurances that the dog yapping for half an hour the night before last couldn't have been one of theirs. It did the same last night so I got up and went to investigate. If it does the same tonight they will be getting a phone call. They would have had one last night but by the time I found their phone number it was already back indoors.

The chickens remain on the loose, though thanks to Seb one of them is minus a few chunks of feathers. The door to the shed is closed, but none are visible in the sun-drenched yard and some are visible in the bottom paddock. I guess I will be calling Council again tomorrow.

After cleaning the cottage this morning (an easy job as only one room occupied), I had planned to go to town to bank the money for the garden, collect some seedlings for ditto and to get some dog food. I was also planning to get some cat food, but a mention on the radio that it was Show Day soon changed that plan - and my projected route. So I headed down the back roads and went to Cambridge Park, Animal Barn and Mornington and then to Bridgewater via Back Tea Tree Road - anything to avoid getting tangled up in the chaos that the Show brings to the roads of the Northern Suburbs.

On the way home I picked up some chicken drumsticks and stopped at Dysart to eat them. Lucky I did as I had failed to notice the temperature gauge on the motor was shooting through the roof. Fortunately I carry a bottle of engine oil with me, so I was able to deal with the problem before it became a disaster.

I found some maple bacon at Cove Hill which I will try out for dinner tomorrow night (OK bacon and eggs is not standard dinner fare, but when you have fresh free range eggs - given to me at Sewing yesterday - and maple bacon, I guess that is a good enough reason) ;-)