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A. You can assume his overture is a coded request for comments. Make your benevolence towards him clear by saying the disruption is a price worth paying to have such a welcome new neighbour. Then ask: has he thought that inexpensive plastic screens could ameliorate the noise and dust or that perhaps there should be a moratorium on work till 9 a.m. on Saturday mornings?
Q. Your urgent advice is required. A colleague of mine has been invited to dinner at Chequers. She is concerned about her lack of knowledge of politics, particularly as she has been given to understand that several members of the Cabinet may be present. My husband has found a handful of back issues of the Spectator and recommended she reads James Forsyth’s columns for some insight into right-wing political thinking, but I am worried that this may not see her through the whole evening. Please can you recommend some general conversational topics that she can revise prior to the event?
—Name and address withheld
A. Your friend would do far better to remain in blissful ignorance. So rarely do members of the Cabinet have the opportunity to engage in lowbrow chatter that a lightweight at the table will come as a blessed relief. She could try any of these topics: dogs (pedigree vs mongrel), Poundland, how to get enough sleep, gardening, the Sopranos, Downton Abbey and ghosts — are there any at Chequers?
Q. With regard to your correspondent of 31 December, my dogs are trained not to jump up and put their feet on people’s clothes. They would never try to jump up on me because they know I do not allow it. However, we now have a puppy which tries it out on guests. My problem is that these friends allow and even encourage the puppy to jump up, thus undermining my training. How do I discipline the puppy without appearing to discipline the guest?
—E.G., Fosbury, Wiltshire
A. The puppy is viewed as a sort of emissary of the host and since guests want to send friendly signals to their host, they confuse allowing the puppy to jump up with doing so. Pre-empt this display of gaucheness by making an announcement before releasing the puppy into the room, asking if everyone would help you by forbidding the puppy to jump up.
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