Neighbourhood Christmas news in 2020...

So on Sunday afternoon I accompanied Gail on her annual short walk around the neighbourhood to deliver local Christmas cards. I donned my Nordic pullover in an endeavour to inject some (Gail said much needed) festive cheer into the proceedings.

It worked! A few paces up the road we ran into our friend Yvonne's daughter Leah. She stopped and admired my attire. I take this as a high compliment 'cos Leah is these days a very chic young lady,  home for Christmas from her Paris-based job. Leah looked puzzled when Gail expressed hope that she would get back to France OK in the New Year. We think she'll by now have heard the news about the new Covid variant and the borders closing.

Just around the corner, we handed a card to our elderly friend Martin, who was twiddling with the fairy lights in his front garden. Martin's wife has a lung condition and has been shielding all year, and this sociable pair will not be hosting their usual Hogmanay party. Neither will anyone else it seems, at least not legally. 

A little further on, we felt a bit sad to pass the entrance to the house which used to belong to Max and Ros, a lovely couple who moved away to Ilkley in Yorkshire earlier in the year. By now it was 3:30 pm and getting dark. The new residents have done a fine job with their decorations (that's the house pictured above) but we miss Max and Ros. Gail had hoped we could visit them back in the summer. Maybe 2021...

Finally we saw a neighbour whom we won't name. He was loading up presents to deliver to his two beloved grandchildren who live about 150 miles away in Peebles. He shouldn't really be doing this according to our latest restrictions, but he assured Gail he was handing over the presents in his daughter's front garden, and would not enter their house. 

It took well over an hour to complete this newsy half mile walk, and on returning home we reflected on the odd times in which we now live.    

Application for Covid Sniffer Dog post

Out of every crisis comes an opportunity. 

Did you see this in the papers?  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/25/any-breed-could-do-it-dogs-might-be-covid-testers-best-friend

So dogs have been trained to sniff out people with Covid-19. A job that would surely suit me. Here's my application. 

Basic Details

Name: Bouncing Bertie (Kennel Club name: Granddach Beinn Alligin)

Breed: Fox terrier (wire-haired)

Age: 10 years 8 months

Relevant experience 

• Sniffing trees, lamp posts, and everything else that comes my way 
• Er, more sniffing 

Personal statement

Look, if that spaniel above can do the job, then so can I. We have a spaniel living next door and frankly she's not that smart. Regarding the sniffing business, visitors to my house over the years will attest that I am particularly attentive to male human feet, with or without socks. Also I am an experienced international traveller, so would feel right at home in, say, an airport or ferry terminal, checking people as they enter the UK (something our government has, to date, signally failed to do). Being a terrier, I am quite a persistent wee chappie, and eager to learn. Please note, that thing about old dogs and news tricks is a bunch of lies! But I would like to point out I am well past the stage of life when I would annoy strangers by nipping at their ankles. Of course, I would expect to be appropriately, no generously, rewarded for my efforts - slivers of finest Aberdeen Angus fillet steaks at each break time, at a minimum. My owner is retired so has plenty of time to assist in my training. The fact that I once was a finalist in the Ambassadog for Scotland competition is surely a point in my favour too. Oh and did I mention I'm pretty good at sniffing? 

I look forward to receiving a job offer shortly...