Well the U-spikes arrived on time and I set about driving them in where most needed, fortunately for the most part I found either soft earth or cracks in the rocks and he hasn’t been out since.
But that isn’t to say that hasn’t discovered another challenge for me. When we go out through the gate in the new forest we are supposed to head straight through to the field, about 30 metres away. Hades discovered, soon after I had freed him from the trailing line that if he took an immediate left he would arrive in the neighbours’ garden, where the cats are. He did come back to me but not to my voice, only the whistle. So I realised I had to have a think about that but on the return stretch, down through the forest he disappeared at very high speed, back to the cats’ garden. 
I could see him sitting there, upright and looking at me but not returning. I can’t take his route to get to him because of brambles outside of my fence so had to return into the main garden and gate to arrive with him from a different direction. The reason he was unmoving was not disobedience but the fact that he had wrapped the line around 2 nearby stone planters and it was jammed under them. Soon unwound and back in the garden I gave him a stern look but nothing more, dogs do pick up on facial expressions and, hopefully, act to avoid bad ones in future. 
So, back on the 20 foot line. Surprisingly easy to hold both on their own lines through that first bit and today for the first time I didn’t need to give him an instruction to keep straight and ignore his desire to take the left turn. Once in the field, I stopped them both and gave a treat then left both lines to trail free. No problems at all but on the final descent again I took the precaution of holding the line and told him to stop before it became taut. I was pleased though that all went smoothly after that and he even obeyed my droning ‘homeAddesshomeAddess’ as well as the parallel for Jules. Both went straight through the gate. I think this afternoon and maybe tomorrow he will still be on the line but, the day after? Who knows but worth a try without again. One thing that surprised and encouraged me was that, at one point, he was 150 metres away across the field and he looked up and saw me watching him, without thinking about it I simply opened my arms wide and he immediately came racing back at his usual warp speed. So, yet another string to my bow, hand and arm gestures. 
I had a bad night last night, didn’t sleep much and felt distinctly unwell. So I was not unhappy when Jules joined me on the bed and stayed most of the night. Then he left, about 4 or 5 a.m. I think and I felt another body climb aboard, Hades. Connected? Can they sense the way I am feeling? Not sure, most likely coincidence, maybe. Who knows, but a nice feeling whatever the truth of it.
Finally, the rapport between the 2 of them continues. I have mentioned the plate cleaning after I have eaten and that sometimes there is only one plate to clean and thus I allow Jules to lick half of it and then, on command, he gives way for Hades to complete the task. Then I allow them both to finish the job at the same time, absolutely no aggro even when sometimes their tongues actually touch. 
This extends to other things, dinnertime, when I have prepared both bowls Hades is usually there before Jules and, after putting both bowls in their respective frames I have to stop him moving forward to eat, with my voice and one hand held flat towards him on high. He obeys until Jules arrives in answer to my whistle, at speed and skids to a sit alongside Hades, for both of them to wait for the command to eat (bon appetit ). Once, instead of giving the go ahead immediately while I am still there, I walked between and past them into the room, they couldn’t see me but still waited for the command. I had done this before with Jules and even walked into another room before calling, but I was very chuffed to see it working with both of them.
As you can see, I don’t get much fun out of life, but there are compensations. 
