@patrickh-hoy Hi Patrick, thank you for accepting me as a friend, appriciate it, hope things with you are ok there, it sure gets dark early now! and its chilly too, we have started to put our central heating on now, ive got to put ice block on my heel three times a day, i went to the physio last week, got to go back Friday afternoon this week, she said my heel is very tender and sore, suggested I get a good pair of trainers, so I bought some Sketchers trainers, they got memory foam and gel insoles inside them, they are so comfy too, wearing my dream jeans and my polka dot fleece top, we had rain for a while this morning then it stopped so took patch out, hes nearly 10 months old now, i was told by the physio not to take him out three times a day, once is enough! no way is once enough for such an ennergetic dog! stewart takes him out in the mornings on hes late shift and i take him out in the afternoons and evenings, when stewarts on hes early shift, I take patch out in the mornings and stewart take him out in the afternoons and evenings, Ive cut the walks that I do with patch down to half an hour, just do one side of the firs instead of both sides, we let patch off the lead last Tuesday up the firs near where we live, its a green area, we threw the ball for him to fetch it, he did fetch it , but he ran off , he ran right up the pathway to the school car park, luckily he did not run the other way- busy main road! he would not stop when we told him to stop, he kept running, we both ran after patch, he did stop by the school gate which luckily was closed and stewart grabbed hold of hes harness and got the lead back on him, we think he smelt a dog on heat! well hes not allowed off the lead for a while now, and in the new year hes going to be fixed!!, the vets will not do it untill hes a year old, well hes one on 31st December, so new year here we come vet!! patch wont know what going to happen to him!!, he also chewed off some wallpaper this morning under the dining area radiator, so ive got to paint over that now too! hes a rascle for sure that one!! hope you and sj are keeping well , you stay warm and well and thank you again for accepting my friendship on here, have a quacker of an evening tonight christine xx