We were on the phone this afternoon, just finishing a call, when I heard a sharp explosion. It didn't sound like any sort of gunshot I know, but it was very close.

My kelpie was standing near the hayshed, looking guilty. Could he have done something? He's pretty good with showing you what he's interested in, so I asked him to show me, and we went and looked around the haystack. Nothing there that looked like the remains of an explosion that I could see.

Out we came. Bertie the Jack Russell was standing in the vegetable garden. He goes in there to check the compost heap for rats. Or food.

I called him, and unusually, he responded.

My wife took one look at him, "What's on his face?"

I looked down at him. Spots of something bright and orange were on his face. I leaned closer, then leaned back quickly.

The explosion was a rotten egg. He was nicely coated, and fearsomely stinky.

I dragged him off, washed him, then threw all my clothes in the washing machine.

I can still smell it.....!