The Usurper

As anyone can see from my blog header, my rightful place is on Gail's lap. This is especially so when she is relaxing in the study on her pre-historic (and very comfortable) reclining chair.

Apparently not all guests understand this.

My wee poodle neighbour Ella came to visit on Saturday afternoon. I sensed from the off that she had her eyes on the prize.

I wasn't too happy when she edged herself closer to the launch position but, being the perfect gent, I stood aside.

I pretended I didn't care (although Gail says my tail angle tells another story).

Before you could say "cheeky wee poodle" she was up there on Gail's knee, looking ever so slightly smug.

Sometimes a chap has to recognise that girls rule!

Later, when Ella pulled the same stunt a second time, I made sure she understood I had better things to do...

https://youtu.be/bgFiny2vnLA

My kind of a day

So our wee poodle guest Ella woke me up early on Christmas morning and wanted to know what we'd be doing that day. 

To be honest, I had no idea. But shortly after, when we were all up and about, I observed Gail filling the vacuum flask with coffee, tucking a few treats (dog and human) into her daypack along with her Bernie Sanders style mittens, and I whispered to Ella that I thought we might be going for a nice long walk and a picnic somewhere.

Soon we two dogs were bundled into the back of the car and were heading inland towards Aboyne. Ella, who has quite a good brain underneath all that adorable fluff, confided in me her worries that Gail had not packed enough food for the three of us, and this remained a concern until an hour later we arrived at the Glen Tanar car park.

There we found our friends M and J, and their friend K. To my great relief I saw that M had come equipped with all the makings of a feast, and these were being placed in the humans' various backpacks for, one presumed, later consumption. 

Suitably equipped, we set off up the glen, Ella a bit nervous at first but soon getting into the spirit of things. 

At -2ºC when we left the car park, it was slippery underfoot/paw, and chilly enough for me to be glad of my Nordic sweater. For brief moments the sun did peep over the sides of the valley. 

After a couple of miles we reached the picnic destination and the humans expressed relief that their favoured spot beneath the bridge had not already been taken. 

That this was a better class of picnic than the sort Gail usually puts together was evident from the moment M laid out a table cloth on the snow-covered stone bench.

I was tied to a nearby tree trunk and given a top quality chew while the humans consumed their turkey sandwiches, tasty nibbles, tiramisu and 1/4 can each of naturally chilled Prosecco. I thought it a bit unfair that Ella was allowed to roam free during the picnic, and wasn't too happy when Gail said "it's because she has better manners than you do Bertie". 

But then I remembered it is the season of goodwill. I decided to accept the situation and sat there quietly as the humans drank a toast to many more Merry Christmases (and I was given another treat...) 

All in all, it was my kind of a Christmas Day. And Gail's too, I believe.

Teaching terrier ways

Gail took me for a walk around Dunecht Estate at the weekend, and my wee poodle neighbour Ella joined us while her owner Kirsty stayed home nursing a sore toe. 

When Ella first came to live on our street she was all shy and nervous, and I've noticed she tends to stay close to Kirsty or Gail when we're out and about, even when she isn't on a lead. Which in my view is disappointing behaviour. 

Although I am not that much older than Ella (she's nine and I'm eleven) I feel she looks up to me* - both literally and metaphorically - and I think of myself as her mentor.

And so on Saturday afternoon I tried to encourage her to be less timid and more adventurous, leading by example of course. 

Initially she seemed hesitant.

But soon she gained confidence.

Poodles are of course quick learners,

And by the end of the walk, I'm proud to say Ella was displaying a positively terrier like mindset, happily striking out to investigate some new scent, without heed to whether or not Gail approved...

Way to go Ella! 

*Gail feels this is wishful thinking on Bertie's part.

A surprise visitor

So there I was, home in Aberdeen and enjoying a spot of R&R after my Inshriach exertions*, when a cute wee face peeped around the door. It was pretty little Ella, my new poodle neighbour, come to visit for the afternoon.

Such a lovely surprise! Thankfully Gail had groomed me quite thoroughly that morning, and I was not wearing my belly band, so I felt at least presentable for receiving lady friends. In an ideal world, Gail might have tidied the room too, but regular readers will already have twigged that my owner is more interested in hiking and biking than in keeping the house spick and span..

Ella seemed at first a little hesitant, so I let her have a good sniff around the study.

It didn't take long for my curly haired chum to gain confidence and before you could say 'cheeky wee lassie' she had sprung onto Gail's lap with an impressive display of athleticism, and was sat up there looking just a teeny bit smug.

Ever the gentledog, I didn't object, but allowed Ella and Gail some precious snuggle time together while I dozed at their feet, happily musing on the pleasures of quiet companionship...

*Gail says: Bertie wants it on record that during our long weekend at Inshriach, he walked four miles on the Friday (including racing ahead of everyone up a steep hill), at least six miles on the Saturday (distance estimates vary according to the technology used) and eight miles on the Sunday (at the end of which he was still going strong, perhaps more so than some of the humans!)

A late life romance blossoms?

Gosh, it's never too late for a new experience is it?

Maybe it's a little embarrassing to admit this, but until this weekend I'd never spent the night sharing a sofa with a girl dog.

So what if neither of us are spring chickens?

It was just lovely.

I'm hoping Ella didn't notice that I was wearing my special 'male dog belly band'....

Which incidentally is very masculine and is absolutely not, in no way, a nappy/diaper!

PS Gail is home now from her godson Ben's wedding, and I'm delighted to report that during the apparently sumptuous wedding feast, and despite all the champagne being drunk, she remembered to slip a lamb bone into her handbag and later bring it back to Aberdeen for me! 

Sunday fun with Kirsty and Ella

Gail and I joined neighbour Kirsty and her recently adopted toy poodle Ella for a Sunday walk along the River Esk near Edzell.

Kirsty spotted a bird (it turned out to be a dipper)...

...and I spotted an opportunity...

...then Ella spotted that she might somehow be missing out.