A Calcutta Cup Crisis!

Gail, the England versus Scotland rugby match is starting in half an hour and you have not yet found my Scotland flag bandana. This is terrible! I fear it will bring the Scotland team bad luck if I cannot make my support visible. Please look again, you must have put it somewhere.

Oh Bertie I am so sorry, I have searched high and low and I cannot find the Saltire pattern neckerchief anywhere. How about you put on one of your other bandanas?  They are all very smart. 

You are totally missing the point Gail! None of those bandanas is remotely fit for the occasion, quite obviously.

Well perhaps you're right Bertie. Oh but look what I've found in the clothing bag. Your pretty pink frock! For some reason you have not worn it lately. This is perfect for the rugby, don't you think? 

 Gail, you are teasing me, and it is SO NOT FUNNY. Look, here's my old tartan scarf. I guess I'll have to make do with that.

Now let's turn on the telly, so I can bark along with the anthem.

"O Flower of Scotland,
When will we see
Your like again,
That fought and died for,
Your wee bit Hill and Glen,
And stood against him,
Proud Edward's Army,
And sent him homeward,
Tae think again."

COME ON SCOTLAND!

Two hours later...

England 61 Scotland 21.
Oh dear. If only I been wearing the bandana...

Watching the rugby

England play Scotland at Twickenham. Against all expectations, Scotland lead at half time. Bertie prepares for a tense forty minutes…

Calcutta Cup or Crufts?

It has been a wet weekend in Aberdeen and I have been working hard analyzing the data you all sent in for my scientific paper on climate change.  

By the way, this is my favourite thinking chair.

I have also been thinking about this weekend's two great competitions here in the UK.  Which would you prefer to watch on telly - the Calcutta Cup (the annual England versus Scotland rugby match) or Crufts (the dog show)? 

It seems unfair that wire-haired fox terriers are allowed to compete in one and not the other. After all, which do you think we are best suited to? The contest where you have to trot obediently round a show ring on a short lead and have your very private bits felt by some random judge? Or the one involving participation in loosely regulated mayhem, chasing a funny shaped ball around a big field and biting the other players' ankles. At least I think that's allowed. 'Cos pretty much everything else in rugby is permitted, as far as I can tell. It does strike me as the most tremendous fun.  

I have been advised to steer clear of discussing the subject of which rugby team I supported this afternoon. A sensitive issue for a Scots born dog living in Scotland with an English human....