Just imagine...

Silly Gail has been worrying a bit about the future of her job.

Over in Torridon this weekend, I tried to help her get things in perspective.

Just imagine, I said, how good life could be if all that tedious 'going to the office' business wasn't getting in the way.

We could spend more time at the cottage, greeting friends...

Relaxing in the garden…

Enjoying the ever changing views across the loch...

Getting to know the neighbours better…

Honing our mountaineering skills...

And exploring every nook and cranny of the magnificent coastline (that's the Isle of Skye in the distance, you know).

Oh yes, and we could go down to Nottingham more often too, and wouldn't that bring a big happy smile to Human Granny's face?

And now that I have a passport, perhaps I could visit some friends overseas?

You know what? 

I think Gail is almost convinced.  

The sad demise of Rory the Lion

Gail here: I awoke this morning to the scene of a massacre.

Bedroom scene 24 April 2016

Bertie is an occasional rather than an obsessional toy de-stuffer.

Rory the Lion has been his much loved night time companion for the best part of a year.

Quite why Bertie decided now was time for some true terrier-style action on the poor lion's head is anyone's guess.

However, Rory has not roared his last as, due to an anatomical quirk, his voice box is located in his still intact tail.

Hello! Hi there! What ho!

I like to greet folk when I am 'oot an' aboot' and so does Gail.

Whether we're visiting the park, strolling by the river, having fun at the beach or a-roaming in the hills, wherever we are, you'll get a cheery 'hello' from Gail and a friendly sniff and a tail wag from me.

Nothing unusual about this, at least in Scotland, and our salutations are most usually acknowledged and met with one of the following weather-related responses:

"Beautiful weather today!" (Meaning the sun actually shone at some point in the last three hours).
"Nae such a bad day" (i.e. it's not actually raining, although it might be freezing cold with a gale force wind).
"They say it'll be better later in the week"(i.e. no redeeming aspects to current conditions).

It is true that, especially in the early mornings, a percentage of the humans we encounter will be striding along on Planet Headphone, but they are very much in the minority (and of course you don't get this with dogs).

Well all this preamble is by way of explaining how shocked we were to learn that there is currently a campaign exhorting visitors to the South Downs National Park to say hello to one another when they cross paths in this beautiful region of Southern England.

Yes really! See the poster below:

The video which forms part of the campaign is downright weird. Although I must say I did enjoy the bit at around 1 min 56 seconds..



What's odd too is that I'm sure people from that part of the world are nice and don't need lessons in treating each other well. My beloved late Human Grandad came originally from Sussex, and he would never fail to offer a polite 'good day' to a passer by, and if she were a lady, to touch his cap.

Aberdeen Park Talk 2016

So after a solo romp around the park (no dawdling) I joined my Saturday morning pals and their humans.

While engaging in routine greetings, I overheard snippets of the humans' conversation:

"Still working?"
"Job hanging by a thread"
"Mine too. Only eleven days billable so far this year"
"Rate cuts of 10% in the offing"
"10%, you're lucky, I'm down 40%"
"More redundancies coming up at BP"
"And yet Bob Dudley's still paid £14 million"
"North Sea's finished, our vessel's heading to Angola for six weeks; the wife'll be walking Tassie"

It was all getting too depressing. So when I spotted my wiry pal Murphy by the gate, I bounced over to say hello.

Boy, that's some haircut, I remarked.

I don't need reminding Bertie, came the plaintive response, didn't you notice it snowed last night? Spring in Scotland, huh!

But then Murphy spotted a jogger and livened up considerably.

You can't keep a good WFT down for long…

The purposeful walk

Can you believe I am sometimes accused of dawdling?

Recently I overheard Gail express the view that I conduct a "go slow" on morning walks round the park. She even has the theory that I do this deliberately in order to prolong the outing and delay her departure to work.

The words "getting a bit middle-aged" have also been uttered with reference to myself.

To which I answer that it takes one to know one.

I knew I should have been invited...

By the time Gail reached Nottingham railway station she was already missing me.

Then Human Granny said "but where's Bertie?"

I can't imagine she'll be leaving me behind again anytime soon.

Inconvenient? I'll tell you what's inconvenient!

So Gail is away to Nottingham for a few days, to visit Human Granny and also to meet up with some old friends for a short bicycle tour in the East Midlands region.

Naturally I assumed I would be invited, and was quite hurt when told that it would be "not practicable" and even "inconvenient" for me to join the trip this time.

No matter then that it is  highly "inconvenient" to me be banged up in kennels and with no access to a computer for nearly a week.

It is also "inconvenient" to be deprived of a warm comfy lap to rest on of an evening.

Not to speak of the "inconvenience" of not being able to spend time with Human Granny and give her loving hand licks and be fed Pontefract cakes.

Dear friends, normal blog service will resume next week. Until then, I'll be missing you all. So "inconvenient", as I'm sure you'll agree...

On Cafés and Geometry...

When Gail suggested I join her for afternoon tea at the Long Dog Café, just a mile walk from our home, I confess I was a little hesitant.

After all I am more of a Square Dog. Would they even let me in?

Well I am delighted to report that I received the warmest of welcomes. As did all the other dogs and humans of various shapes and sizes who dropped into this busy new Aberdeen eatery on Friday afternoon.

And Gail says her raspberry Bakewell slice was scrumptious as well as artistically presented.

Oh I so wish my wee Doggy Godmother, Bicontinental Dachshund Tootsie, could have joined us.

Although the long and short of it is, with so many cakes and ice creams being consumed, the place might soon have to be renamed the Round Person Café...