...and some mixed news.

1630 - we're reunited with Scooby, dangling tubes and needles rattling on the lino, dressed in a tight fitting turquoise vest, groggy and wobbly from the anaesthetic.

The good news is that the surgery went well, so any future bleeds shouldn't cause the circulation problems that we saw on Tuesday.

The bad news is that, although the surgeon couldn't get a clear view of the tumour, it looked like the worse type.  It's likely to grow rapidly, spread to other organs and bleed increasingly often.  His life expectancy is weeks rather than months.

However, some more good news is that in the meantime he should be as comfortable and cheerful as usual, and can do what he wants.  Back to the beach, back to the squirrel woods, and if the fun kills him he'll have ended his life doing what he loved best. That's a privilege that these days is largely reserved for dogs and Formula 1 speedboat racers.

We've got some medication to relieve the itching from his nose, and by next week we hope the last of the lab results will identify an antibiotic that will finally clear up the abscess and make him more comfortable.

Our next stop is Sainsbury's to stock up on liver, then we're heading north to meet our friends in the Lake District.  Hopefully we can find some tripe up there as well.

Our dog is in for some serious spoiling!