Cobwebs, what cobwebs?

Just because it's been raining cats and humans* all week, and the wind has been working hard to prove it's worth as mainstay of Scotland's renewable energy resource, and it's the time of year when on a dull day the risen sun barely makes an impact on the light levels, does that mean you get spend all day lounging around on the sofa when you live with my owner Gail?

Of course you don't.

In this not very religious household, it is an article of faith that, whatever the conditions outside, one must on a regular basis go for a walk to "blow away the cobwebs".

Have you ever been troubled by cobwebs gathering on your furs?

Me neither.

But still Gail deemed it necessary that yesterday afternoon we should join neighbours Kirsty and Susanna for a stroll down to the headland at the mouth of Aberdeen harbour. That's about two miles from our street. I would like to point out that any stray cobweb which might have had the temerity to come along for the ride has probably been blown all the way across the North Sea and reached Norway by now!

*Makes as much sense as 'raining cats and dogs', right?

Nature Friday: Am I not good enough?

You know what?

I think I do a pretty good job when it comes to posing for my Nature Friday photos.

For example, yesterday Gail took me for an evening ramble around the headland at the mouth of Aberdeen Harbour. Despite a stiff sea breeze, I sat patiently, doing my bit as foreground interest to a variety of scenic shots.

Only once did my natural restlessness get the better of me, when I spotted another pup heading in my direction.

So I think you will understand why I felt a bit miffed when Gail tried to exclude me from a wee video of harebells dancing in the wind.

But don't worry. I made quite sure that my presence was heard, if not seen...



It is my blog after all, right?

Thank you once again to our dear friends Arty, Jakey and Rosy for hosting the Nature Friday blog hop. Do go and visit all the other great posts today.

Unintended outcomes

Have you ever had a bloggie pal come to visit in the flesh?

So exciting isn't it?

I mean, with Gail's 'normal' friends, I can accept that they might be interested in me, or they might not.

But it is a given, surely, that where the point of contact is my blog, then I will be the main focus of attention throughout their stay?

This weekend started so well. My 'Aunty Yam' came up on the train from Dunoon and was all keen to visit Duthie Park so off we went. What a warm, friendly, cheerful person she is.

I was having such fun I even didn't mind that I was being photographed from in front and behind simultaneously.

We all had a good smile at a new sign by the park entrance.

Back home the conversation was initially proceeding in a satisfactory manner with much emphasis on me and my blog, as is only right and proper. OK so this was interspersed with stories about Aunty Yam's experiences in Australia and India (quite interesting, actually), and talk about family and work and all the usual human stuff one has come to expect. I guess that was OK too.

It was only after Gail took Aunty Yam down to the harbour to look at the ships and I was asked to stay at home that things took a turn for the worse.

When they returned, there was much poring over the laptop.

Of course I assumed that they would be looking at my blog or, if not that, then at least something else related to dogs.

Imagine my horror when I saw that the source of fascination was a website called www.marinetraffic.com!


 And all I was hearing was Gail going "wow what a great website, Yam, thank you so much for showing me that, how interesting to be able to find out about the ships visiting Aberdeen, and where they're going and what they do….."

They were looking at it for ages. Simply ages.

Well HELLO. Bertie here! The dog with the blog. The reason you met….

OK, to be fair,  Gail and Aunty Yam did eventually refocus their attention on yours truly.

And so on balance, I am going to advise Gail that, should an invitation ever be issued, I am happy to allow her to visit Dunoon under the following conditions:
 (1) I too can accompany her at all times
 (2) Only WFT-relevant material will be viewed on the computer for the duration….

And all I ask is a tall ship...

Did you know it's only a fifteen minute walk from our house to the Aberdeen harbour?  I haven't been down there before, 'cos there's a big road in the way, with scary noisy lorries. But I had an urge to go and have a nose around and Gail finally agreed that we could go.

OK, I'll be honest with you, it's been a long hard winter here in Scotland and I've been fantasizing about stowing away on one of the boats, so that I might perhaps visit some of my blogging friends in far off lands (as Gail is too mean to pay for the air fare). A good plan don't you think?

One problem with the harbour, I find out, is that it's hard to get close to the ships due to 'security'. The only car ferry that runs from Aberdeen was blocked off behind a big fence.  But anyway, as it goes to the Northern Isles (Orkney and Shetland) and I don't have any friends who live there, I didn't see any point in trying to sneak aboard.


Further down the quay, we found an open gate and I ventured inside, reckoning that on a quiet Saturday afternoon no-one would object.  It would have been so easy to jump on to  this orange vessel, but Gail told me it was an oil field supply boat, and that she doesn't think any of my pals live aboard a North Sea platform either.


In fact I was disappointed to discover that most of the boats in the harbour were something to do with the North Sea oil industry. (I had been picturing myself on a luxury liner...)


We did see a vessel which appeared to be shipping timber. Perhaps this one was headed somewhere exotic?  But it was so huge, I couldn't figure a way to bounce on board.


On the opposite side, I spotted some small fishing boats, but Gail said that fishermen were having a hard time enough as it is at the moment, what with fish stocks being so low, and all the European quotas to deal with, and I probably wouldn't be a welcome addition to the crew.


Finally we came across these funny orange capsule things.  Well I can tell you, when I learned that anyone who goes out to the North Sea has to do special survival training in case the ship or oil rig sinks, and that you might end up bobbing around in 30 ft waves in one of these little craft, I decided once and for all to stay true to my terrier instincts and keep to dry land.


Sorry, bloggie friends across the water, but as the great Rabbie Burns said:

'The best laid schemes o' mice an' men, Gang aft agley',

We'll have to rely on communicating in cyberspace!