Dog days

When, a few days back, I posted that I had nothing to post (are you confused yet?) mt friend Skip suggested that cats or dogs are always good subjects to fill an otherwise blank day.  At least, that is how I understood his comment.  Skip, I apologise if I got it wrong.

So I was about to post something about our dog, Fern.  The title 'Dog Days' just sprang into my mind and it occurred to me that I had no idea how the phrase originated. I just assumed it was something to do with dogs being extra lazy in the heat of summer.  Wrong!  Seems it refers to >the period that Sirius, the Dog Star, rises at the same time as the sun.

And why dog watches, those short, two hour stretches from 16.00 to 18.00 and 18.00 to 20.00? Well, not so much what are they for (I know that) but why are they called that? No one seems to know, really, although there are several suggestions.

Anyway, my dog - she is officially my wife's dog but she (the dog) thinks I am the boss - is an English springer spaniel called Fern.  We first met her when she was two weeks' old. And that is her with the Old Bat back in 2004.