You won't believe Gail's response.
"But Bertie, there is no such thing as 'the present' in relation to time in the universe. According Carlo Rovelli, it is a meaningless concept."
WHATTT!!
And when I suggested she get up, get dressed and go and find my lead, Gail replied thus:
"Also Bertie, our world is best understood not as a collection of things (such as your lead, or the park) but as a network of events. Furthermore, to quote the esteemed Professor Rovelli, the events of the world do not form an orderly queue, like the English. They crowd around chaotically, like Italians."
Well. I pointed out to Gail that this Sunday morning that I was not in search of a theory explaining either the universe or Italians, and that the event which most interested me was a good leg stretch with some time for pee-mail sniffing, and that things like leads and the park are definitely meaningful in this context, and that, oh by the way, there was no possibility of this event/outing occurring before she roused herself from bed and put away her book...
Eventually she conceded the point and out we went.
