I have a question for you.
If your human takes you round to neighbour Kirsty's house at the crack of dawn after loading her bicycle in to the car, then she returns ten hours later, tired but euphoric, does the fact that while away she took a couple of photos of dog memorials make it all OK?
So it seems that last Thursday Gail and four of her cycling friends had agreed to meet up in Montrose, 40 miles south of Aberdeen, and spend the day riding around the quiet roads of the Angus region of Eastern Scotland, first heading down the coast to Arbroath (famous for its Declaration and its Smokies), on to Carnoustie (golf) then inland to Forfar (Bridies) before arriving back at the beach car park in Montrose.
In cool and blustery conditions these five ladies reached Forfar early afternoon and, fortified by this town's renowned culinary offering of greasy minced beef enclosed in shortcrust pasty, they then completed the final 20 miles of their 66 mile circuit.
Oh, you want to see the dog memorials?
First we have Bamse the St Bernard, heroic mascot of the free Norwegian Forces, who served on a minesweeper during World War Two and died right here on the dockside in Montrose on 22nd July 1944.
And further down the coast, in East Haven, just north of Carnoustie, this memorial celebrates the brave Airedale terriers who carried wounded men and messages on the frontline in the First World War. I wonder how my Airedale friends Molly and Ruby would take to wearing a gas mask? (I fear Ruby would find imbibing her favourite margarita tipple a bit tricky...)
Well when Gail showed me these photos I'll admit I did at least in part forgive her (after all I had enjoyed a lovely day with Kirsty). Do you think I did right?
