Jewelled Orbs

A tiny hint of autumn in the air, the breeze stirring the chestnut leaves as Claire scans for pigeons, alert, but still carrying some of the dreamy heat of summer.

"You have thrown in your lot with us, through thick and thin, on battlefield and hearthrug, refusing to leave your master even when death and destruction lie around. Ah noble dog, you are the furry mirror in which we see our better selves reflected, man as he could be, unstained by war or ambition..." Connie Willis (1998) To Say Nothing of the Dog.