A major phenomenon of this period is the appearance of numerous groups of carol singers shaking their little collection tins and singing their hearts out for all they are worth. Now I rather like Christmas carols. In fact I like any music at all which is related to Christmas (I have even been known to buy Cliff Richards records). But I think few of you would disagree with me when I say that your average modern carol singer is maybe a touch under-endowed with musical talent. Still, I am an easy going kind of guy and if they want to scare the crap out of the local animal population with their unnatural warbling then who am I to complain.

The thing is that my mega-keen people-friendly little guide dog cannot walk past carol singers in the street without steering a rather goofy course straight through the middle of their organised little group. As you can imagine this often leads to some embarrassment on my part as children and adults alike scatter to left and right of us while my hairy friend greets them with his usual bonhomie which, to his eternal credit, he does not just reserve for the season of goodwill.

The strange thing is that no one ever complains. In fact I think that our popularity is enhanced rather than lessened by our wild expeditions. The children in particular absolutely adore these little interruptions. The grown-ups are a little bit more reticent with their canine adoration but, if I'm being honest, not by much. It can often be quite some time before I manage to escape from the clutches of merely a medium sized group of carol singers if there are one or two animal lovers among them.

So I amble through groups of scattering singers mumbling feeble apologies which I try to keep low so as not to spoil the singing. I leave the scene in shame with a prancing companion who blatantly couldn't be more pleased with himself.

There are two interesting little gems which I have taken from these experiences. The first is that the bad singers generally stop while the good singers in the group keep going with perfect pitch and timing even as they are dancing across the high street to avoid us. The result is that the quality of the performance is actually enhanced by me and my dog (in other words I am doing a public service). The second and, to my mind, more vital point is that in the confusion I always seem to manage to get away without having to give them any money!