Going, going, gone...

During our morning walk in Duthie Park, over the past month Gail and I have been monitoring the leaves on our favourite sycamore tree.

OK, strictly speaking, she has been doing the monitoring and I have mostly been busy sniffing around in the bushes, only briefly emerging to appear in the photos. 

If I feel like it. 

'Cos I'm a terrier and that's how I roll. 

10 October 2021

30 October 2021

10 November 2021

Happy Nature Friday! Thanks once again to our lovely friends Rosy, Arty, Sunny and Jakey, for hosting the blog hop. Do go and visit the other posts - you won't regret it! 

Still enjoying life's simple pleasures

From early morning cuddle time,

To breakfast (with tablets),

Then a trip to the park and the local shop,

Later, if I'm lucky, a venture into the hills,

And finally more cuddles and a snooze.

A note from Gail: Thank you so much for all your kind comments on Bertie's Friday post. His visit to the vet threw up no new surprises. All the signs point to his bladder tumour having increased in size, and to manage his apparent discomfort on peeing the vet has prescribed Bertie a painkiller, Gabapentin, to be taken in addition to the Previcox. I'll admit to having more than a few reservations about dosing Bertie up with Gabapentin due to the distinct possibility of adverse side effects (the most commonly cited are 'sedation' and 'wobbliness'), but I've decided at least to try it for a short while. So far, I haven't detected any dramatic changes in Bertie - he sleeps a lot anyway, but still eats well and on Sunday he managed a gently-paced ascent of Peter Hill, and a lively scamper back down again. We're taking each day as it comes.

Appreciating each autumn day

I'm afraid my human has been wearing a long face these past few days. I've had to remind her that autumn is our favourite season. Who doesn't love the glorious colours and the crunchy leaves? 

In Duthie Park this week we've had (partly) sunny mornings...

And dull ones...

And rainy ones...

And all are in their own way beautiful at this time of year.

I think I've persuaded Gail to think like a dog and enjoy the moment. She says that all the kind words from our readers on Wednesday's post helped loads too. I even detected her smiling a little just then...

Happy Nature Friday friends. Thank you once again to the LLB Gang for hosting this, our favourite blog hop.

It's not cricket. Literally.

In normal times, summer in Duthie Park is heralded by the appearance of gentlemen dressed in white who take over a large area of the centre of the park on Saturday afternoons and indulge in a game known officially as 'cricket' and by some as 'organised loafing'.

In Aberdeen, we note that a disproportionate number of the players have brown skins and are apparently of South Asian heritage, and the fact that their cricket whites are often layered with fleece hoodies and even puffa jackets demonstrates how, in contrast to the Indian sub-continent, our chilly North Sea climate is not well suited to this slow-paced game.

Well anyway, due to Covid-19, these gentlemen have been absent this year, and so the outfield grass has not been mowed and the cricket pitch lies undisturbed.

But elsewhere in the park, the occasional gym refugee is still active on children's climbing frame.

Things here are far from back to normal yet.

Patiently Posing in the Park?

So to begin with I went along with Gail's suggestion that, for the LLB Gang's Nature Friday this week, I "pose nicely" in front of some of the pretty spring flowers in Duthie Park.

But soon my patience wore thin...

And when Gail started going on about how lovely it is to see the magnolia in bloom, a rare sight this far north in the UK...

... I switched my attention to an interesting message from one of my park pals.

By the time we came to the new(ish) rockery, my boredom threshold had been exceeded by some margin, so I left Gail to take the pictures on her own.

I was half way home by the time she was done. Can you see me?

And no I was not out of control, I was social distancing...

Happy Nature Friday folks! 

Bored of crocuses yet?

So back in Aberdeen, in Duthie Park, I sprinted over to Gail when she called my name, in high expectation of some quality treats.

But I was firmly told I had to pose in the crocuses first, and of course I obliged, despite my suspicions that some long term readers of this blog will be thinking (correctly): "Don't we see the Duthie Park crocuses on Bertie's blog every March?"

Gail says that after the gloom of winter, everyone will be pleased when these bright harbingers of Spring appear, and no-one could possibly tire of the sight of me sitting amidst such pretty purple, mauve and yellow blooms.

Is this really true, I wondered, as finally I was given my reward, and was carefully checking I'd not left any crumbs for the parks resident crows and magpies....

Happy Nature Friday dear readers! Do go and visit the other posts on this blog hop, which as always is hosted by our lovely friends Arty, Jakey, and Rosy. Maybe you'll even see some more original Spring photos! 

Reassuring sunrise

There have been days, these last couple of months, when the skies have been so dull and gloomy that one's wondered whether the sun in fact forgot to rise at all.

But I'm pleased to report we've also had mornings here in Aberdeen when a fiery technicolour backdrop has lit up my early romp around Duthie Park - a welcome reminder of how even in the heart of this grey and austere northern city, midwinter can be a time of transforming beauty.

Happy Nature Friday friends! And thanks once again to our ever wonderful blog hop hosts Arty, Jakey and Rosy. 

I do try to keep my paws dry...

If only I were allowed in the Winter Gardens in Duthie Park...

...then I would not have to worry about getting my paws muddy and wet.

Although I can see one would need to be careful where to cock one's leg in the Arid House...

Happy Nature Friday!

PS After a frankly depressing week of near continuous rainfall (and yes, believe it or not, that is unusual here in NE Scotland, even in November) we are promised colder but brighter weather over the next few days. So Gail and I hope to bring you pictures of winter walkies under blue skies with sun sparkling on snow capped mountains for our next Nature Friday. Cross paws...