News from the Wild West of Flanders...One

He is black, furry and as big as a small dog. Actually, he is a small dog. Half Ninja, half yappy. He lives in a cafe and hides in shrubbery, waiting for an un-suspecting victim to pass. I have been aware of him ever since I first walked past him because he stepped out of the shrubbery and onto the pavement. I suspect he had got bored waiting for someone to pass and decided to stretch his legs because as soon as he saw me he darted back to his hiding place and tried to blend in with his surroundings. I gave him a knowing look as I walked past, and he looked at me with a sheepish expression on his face, which isn't easy for a dog.

Since that day I have passed his hiding place with an air of alpha-male superiority, always giving him the eyeball as I passed and watching as he tried to back even further into the shadows.

In recent weeks I have walked a different path. Eager to explore my surroundings for connecting paths and roads. Today I walked past the cafe, my mind on the podcast I was listening to, yappy-ninja completely forgotten about. I bet he couldn't believe his luck as he watched me walk towards him. I hate being surprised, whether it's by someone saying 'surprise!' and handing you a present or a dog suddenly jumping out at you and going 'YAP! YAP! YAP!' Luckily, I wasn't holding anything breakable. Had I been carrying a box of eggs or maybe a tray of crystal glasses (as you do when you go for a walk) then they would have made a nice accompaniment to my shout of 'WAAAH!' and my arms suddenly shooting up into the air. To be honest, the dog couldn't have bitten my hands even if it had been standing on a box, it's that small! Heart in mouth, I resisted the urge to kick the things arse as it saunterd...saunterd!...back into the shrubbery.