The voiceless whisper of laryngitis had made some progress, much to Ani’s relief. The silent reception she had on returning home after her weekend with her friends seems to have upset her… how do you explain a lost voice to a dog? Lost tennis balls she understands. Lost voices are outside of her experience. All you can do is smile and cuddle… and, as a means of communication, such things are pretty good.

It was a bit of an eye-opener having no voice. The old saying remains true, you really do not know what you’ve got until it is gone…or indeed, how much you rely upon those things so familiar they are taken for granted.

Most of us have been aware of our capacity to make a noise since birth and quickly learn to depend upon that ability to have our needs fulfilled. Hearing and vision generally diminishes with age…