It’s a sunny Saturday one September and we’re heading back to London from Surrey. For once I’ve been tasked with driving because David wants to hold the eight-week-old wire-haired fox terrier puppy that we have just picked up. This is her first moment away from her mother but she seems oblivious and soon finds a spot to curl up on his lap.

David has bagsied the naming rights and from now on she will be known as Macy. Apparently shouting out my moniker of choice, Noodle, would make him sound like he was flogging ramen from a food truck. While hollering my alternative suggestion of Puddle would, I am told rather sternly, ensure that he became the laughingstock of the local park and spread unnecessary alarm among the elderly.

But a longer journey started that summer’s day, one where a funny, feisty hound would take two men and make them into a semblance of a family. One where love would flourish and where a little dog would transform every mundane moment into something entertaining, joyful. A glorious, rambunctious journey that came to an end yesterday (as, thankfully, does saying to everyone who stopped to admire her that, “It’s actually Macy, not Maisie,” and, no, we didn’t name her after the department store).

Look, when you get a dog you know the deal: they will not live forever. They will be like parentheses, marking out a span of your life. Yet this knowledge doesn’t make it any easier. Some 18 months ago we discovered that Macy had two cancers and, while the brutal operation to remove part of her shoulder and her spleen was an incredible success, they always warned us that it would return one day. It did, this time in her lungs. While we coped with her sounding like she smoked 20 Marlboros a day and spent all night carousing in the local inns, in the end she had had enough. 

Macy, we are going to miss you. Your insistence on sleeping under the duvet in winter or lolling over my recumbent body as though I were a well-upholstered chaise longue. I’ll miss you stealing a sock when I get undressed as you try to instigate a game of chase. Your total refusal to ever play fetch. The sigh of contentment you make as you settle next to us on a sofa. The way you jump up and down on the spot like a rabbit when you need to play. The kisses you deliver when we get home – even if you’ve been on your own for only 10 minutes. The glorious holler of happiness you emit when you meet your favourite people among our friends, all of whom have generously taken care of you over the years. I’ll miss how cute you look when you come back from the groomers. I’ll miss doing your voice to entertain David (I hope he realises that was me). I’ll miss the walks. The adventures.
 
At New Year we were all in Mallorca but David needed to go to the US, so I rashly decided to drive back to London solo. Well, not solo, with Macy. It would entail three days on the road through sunshine and blizzards. Each morning, on our first pitstop, I would purchase us a croissant each (all food rules were off). Macy mostly dozed but any hint of rustling paper would cause an eye to half open, watching just in case there was an additional pastry portion going begging.

At night we found nice hotels and in the dark of the room she would wedge herself against me, rolling on her back before we nodded off to see whether I would be up for dispensing one final belly rub. I knew that this would be our last big adventure. I would have happily bypassed London and just kept on driving. Trondheim here we come.

But even if the road has now run out, tonight I have insisted that there will be a glass of champagne. And there will be a toast. To Macy Noodle, the puppy who changed our lives.

To read more columns by Andrew Tuck, click here.

A new collaboration, shop and pair of shoes have caught our eye this week (writes Jack Simpson). Here’s your rundown on what to buy and where to go to freshen up your wardrobe.

A very Bavarian sandal 
A Kind of Guise’s new Barolo sandal is a slingback reinvention of the classic boat shoe. “To me they’re a bit like a mullet,” says Anne Moffat, Monocle’s photo editor. “Business in the front, party in the back.” She’s not wrong. Though if you’re venturing off the boardwalk, I hope your business is taking you to Sydney or St Barths. 
akindofguise.com

Brits and pieces
Sunspel opened its first Tokyo shop on Thursday, located within the newly renovated Harajuku Quest building on Omotesando. Pieces from the Sunspel archive, which dates back to 1860, are displayed throughout the space, offering a glimpse into the label’s heritage. It’s an opportunity for its growing Japanese clientele to pick up classics such as the Riviera Polo Shirt, the British Boxer Short and the Classic T-shirt, which is handmade in Long Eaton, England, where the brand has been based since 1937.
sunspel.com

Transatlantic alliance
New York-based fashion brand Kith has partnered with Swiss running specialists On for a multi-year partnership. The collaboration introduces two original trainers – the K-Tech 1 and K-Tech 2 – built with new Cloudswift cushioning and Helion foam for speed and endurance. The release also riffs off On’s Core line of apparel with co-branded jackets, T-shirts, tank tops, shorts and more. 
on.com; kith.com 

Cynics might fret over the future of cinemas but Berlin’s Zoo Palast is proof of the enduring appeal of premium environments showing great films (writes Karen Krizanovich). Of its seven screens, the spacious Berlinale festival favourite, Saal 1, is our top pick; those in the know say that seat H22 is its sweet spot, positioned at just the right angle for the best view and clearest sound. 

Beloved for its heritage architecture, Zoo Palast has a long bar that serves proper cocktails, snacks and coffee. Our recommendation? Order the hugo (sparkling wine, elderflower, mint) and a serving of fresh popcorn (salty, of course). 

Despite its sense of history, Zoo Palast is no relic. The cinema combines the full 1950s movie-palace experience with cutting-edge projection and sound (Dolby Atmos has been installed for the main screen). It’s European cinema at its very best
zoopalast.premiumkino.de

To see the rest of our cinephile checklist, click here. 

Thais have a curious relationship with old things (writes James Chambers). Generally, they won’t want to live in a traditional teak house (often believing them to be haunted) but they enjoy nothing more than spending a weekend rummaging through racks of vintage clothing and piles of pre-owned ceramics and homeware. 
 
Flea markets are deeply embedded in Thai shopping culture and almost every city has its own speciality. For instance, Khao Yai, northeast of Bangkok, is the place to go for military medals, army uniforms and other war memorabilia, according to Vudi Somboonkulavudi – a 42-year-old who has been running Bangkok’s coolest flea market, Made by Legacy, since 2012. “I am a shopper but I don’t like malls,” he says. “Everything I buy I want to pick with care.” Appropriately enough, his love of vintage was handed down to him by his father and he has turned the often dusty shopping format into a retail festival held at warehouses, rooftops and car parks across the Thai capital. Roughly 15,000 people attend his ticketed fairs, which run into the evening with DJ sets and plenty of drinks.

During a break from his latest event, Somboonkulavudi gives The Monocle Weekend Edition a potted history of Thai flea markets, from the first stalls set up in the 1940s alongside a royal palace to the establishment of the mighty Chatuchak Weekend Market in the 1980s. The 250 vendors at Made By Legacy sell a mix of mid-century furniture, clothing and food. A third of the line-up is refreshed each year and there’s a two-year waiting list to join. At a time when Bangkok’s ever-growing number of malls are struggling to find tenants, there’s clearly demand for alternative formats. Many big-name retail landlords have come to Somboonkulavudi to “activate” their spaces before they open. Markets bring the buzz and social elements back to physical retail. But they’re not just about flogging second-hand gear – they are a stepping stone for emerging Thai brands too. 

Click here to continue reading about Thai markets and the brands, such as Local Made Goods, that are making a name for themselves.