Bertie demonstrates the WFT beard swirl

Gail tells me that we are about to set off for England for a few days, to see friends and relatives for the first time in over 16 months. Apparently there is a heat wave Down South and I am supposed to be grateful she just spent an arm and a leg getting the A/C in her car finally fixed, especially for me.

I think I'm worth it, don't you?

Blog service may be interrupted over the next week,

A rarely-reported side effect of the Astra Zeneca jab?

On Saturday morning Gail shut the new glass door in the cottage firmly in my face, ignoring my plaintive look while announcing "I'm just off to see a new neighbour Bertie, I'll be back soon".

Half an hour later she returned and showed me some pictures.

So it seems that my Irish terrier friend Dooley has acquired a new baby brother, also an Irish terrier, eight weeks old and yet to be named.

At this point I think I'm supposed to look delighted and say: "Isn't he a cute puppy. Lucky Dooley". 

Dooley is the same age as me, eleven years old, and he is apparently uncertain about the new arrival.

Gosh I totally understand. I like being the only dog in the house and have always hoped Gail is aware of this.

Well the good news is that apparently Gail does realise that I might not welcome a pesky little sibling. 

But you could have knocked me down with a feather when she revealed something she'd hitherto been keeping secret! Back in March, the day after her first Covid shot, Gail got wind of a new litter of Lakeland terriers and drove 30 miles, deep into the Aberdeenshire hills, to see these wee pups. She even took a couple of photos.

She says the pups were totally adorable, that the owners were responsible breeders etc. etc. and she was very, very tempted. But after sleeping on the matter, and with great reluctance, she decided not to risk my disapproval with an addition to the household.

And now, when people ask Gail if she experienced any side effects after her Covid vaccination, she replies thus:

"Yes, I very nearly bought a puppy!"

Nature and Art

I expect you are looking at the photo above and thinking "there's Bertie idling away the afternoon on the sofa again, how many naps does a dog need?"

How wrong you would be.

In fact I was deep in philosophical contemplation of the relationship between art and nature, thoughts prompted by a new picture on the wall behind me in the Torridon cottage. 

Let's have a closer look at it.

And even closer.

Leaving aside the obvious shortcoming that it does not feature a handsome fox terrier posing in the foreground, I think it's rather a fine work of art, don't you? 

It is a 'feltscape' which Gail commissioned from Torridon-based artist Sheila Bates last year. Sheila worked from one of Gail's photos of Loch Torridon.

You might wonder why we would need a picture of the natural beauty which surrounds the cottage when we could just step outside and look around us. But Gail says she loves the colours and texture of the feltwork and she reminds me that in winter when it is dark and cold, having this evocative interpretation of the landscape to look at inside our cosy warm cottage (the renovation included an extra layer of insulation) will be no bad thing.

You can learn more about Sheila's felted pure wool creations on her website, 'Florrie Felts'. 

I wonder if she ever does dogs?

Happy Nature Friday friends. Thanks once again to Rosy and the rest of the LLB Gang for hosting the blog hop.

Identities

I'm a pedigree,
A WFT!

And proud.

Part white, part black,

I nothing lack! 

I'm proud.

Canis familiaris

Is what I is!

Quite proud.

A Scot, a Brit,

Both labels fit! 

So proud.