When I saw Ma’s dog Niuniu the day we arrived back in the village, I thought, wow, her belly’s so big she must be just about to pop out half a dozen puppies! I was not entirely wrong. Yesterday afternoon she gave birth to five puppies, which have been crying and scrabbling for milk ever since. They’re tucked safely away in a corner of a make-shift shed which used to hold straw for the sheep, but fortunately the other animals have always been very tolerant of Niuniu’s puppies. Indeed, a cousin’s two year old is probably the most dangerous example of wildlife around at the moment.
Well, last morning in the village. After lunch we pack up and head back in to the city. We have a wedding to attend tomorrow (I believe) then on Monday it’s back to work. Dammit, reality has to intervene once again.
