It’s Moppa again. Although I am a character in a collection of stories, I am a real dog. Just as Bronki is a real place, a farm in the beautiful area of Kaszuby, Poland. It’s where I and my friends are fortunate to call our home.
As for me, I am no particular breed of dog. I like to think of myself as a concoction of the world’s elite canines. Although to look at me, you would see a shaggy mutt of a dog, medium height with a coat of a tangled mass of long grey-black hair.
The other point worth noting is being a lady, my age is not a topic to be discussed, either in actual years or dog years which is roughly a ratio of 1 to 7 respectively. Oh no… here comes trouble … Hektor!
Hi everyone, I’m Hektor. Of the farm’s three dogs. You can instantly tell that I’m the sensible one, … not. Whatever mishap occurs on the farm, every unexplained incident resulting in a problem to be solved, … it’s not my fault. Well, not always, … okay mostly it is my fault. But there is a justifiable reason, … I am still a young dog so my ‘instincts’ play a big part of my early years, which you can read all about in the second book in this series of stories. You will soon come to realise that I am a constantly hungry individual, with a healthy appetite for knowledge. I get totally excited when I discover new words and fabulous facts from algebra to zoology, and everything in between. In England, early learning targets the three R’s, reading, writing and arithmetic. Yes, I know, … only one begins with the letter ‘r’. You don’t need me to tell you how ‘tricky’ it can be learning English. But with Moppa’s incredible mental encyclopaedia, – we adopt the three E’s, enjoyable, educational, entertaining. Oops! … I think my ‘page’ time is up, I’m getting strange looks from our big boy Bruno. He wants me to finish so he can have his say … which should be short. Hope to see you again soon.
Hello, I’m Bruno. I am the subject of the very first story from Bronki. If you are wondering why, it has nothing to do with me being the size of a small pony and weighing in at over 80 kilograms. Although with those statistics, … who’s going to object? Correct, … no one.
For Moppa, Hektor and myself our friendship is an unbreakable bond. We support and look out for each other. Which isn’t always easy, especially with Hektor. He has a juvenile streak that tests everyone’s patience.
Moppa asked me what I wanted to gain from these stories? The question took a little time to work out, … I want celebrity status. To host my own mid-morning TV chat show, ‘Bragging with Bruno’. It can’t be too early in the day as I’m practically impossible to wake up. And it can’t be after midday as St Bernard’s are totally unresponsive during our afternoon siesta. As for being a late-night presenter, my only conversations would be with my big bedtime mug of cocoa.
So, that’s me in a cocoanut-shell, Bronki farm is my home as it is for many other animals that you’ll gradually get to lean about. It’s coming up to lunch time and the faint sounds of the siesta are beckoning me, …
