Percy here, again.  I’m going to ask Kevin some questions, though, because I didn’t really understand what went on last week.

Oh, nobody really understood what happened last week, Percy.  I just know that Mummy kept going out and staying out.

Well, that was very worrying wasn’t it?  And then we had all those loud noises in the night, and rain hammering down, it sounded like stones too.

Hailstones, that was what they were, young Percy.  Little balls of ice. No need to worry, though, we were snug inside.  I admit I hid in my tent when the flashing and rumbling was going on.

I don’t have a tent.  I hid in the black and white snuggle-sack.  Why wasn’t Mummy here to protect us?

She said she had to go away for a day and she’d be back the next evening.  And she was.  And she came in and gave us cucumber and a cuddle which was jolly decent of her.

Yes, true, but then she went away again the next night.

Yes, she did.  That’s very unusual.  I think she went to a party, even though she was very upset about something else that happened on Thursday.  She was talking to her friends online all morning on Friday.  She seemed very distressed.

Do you think someone died?

It sounded even worse than that.  She asked me at one stage if I’d like to live in Scotland.  I said it was fine by me, as long as she was there with grass and cucumber.  That made her laugh.

Where’s Scotland?

Somewhere that Fred, George, Victor and Hugo went for holidays a couple of times.  It sounds nice.

Things seemed all right again at the weekend, though.  We got grass from the garden.

I think we got some from the second garden, too.  She was busy with something she called a Summer Fete yesterday.

What’s a Summer Fate?

I don’t know, but as long as we’re not left out in our runs on the grass when it starts to rain, we’ll be okay – after all, that’s a fate worse than death, isn’t it!

(Percy looks doubtful.)  I’m not sure I’d like to be left out in the rain.

Mummy wouldn’t do that these days.  She learnt her lesson with Fred and George.  They taught her everything – and we just fill in the gaps. Don’t worry, Perce.

Okay.  Thanks, Kevin.