A watery week

Well it's Nature Friday again, and truth to tell, I've been struggling a bit this week to come up with a coherent post, as we've been here, there and everywhere, including a quick trip over to Torridon to deal with a (Gail says) boring cottage maintenance issue.

Looking at the various photos taken over the week, a common theme did emerge.

Water! 

Something we are never short of in this part of the world. 

So here I am by the River Dee on a peaceful Sunday walk with our friends M, J and K (photo taken by M).

Then a day later, on the Nairn beach, favourite stop en route to Torridon. (These days I'm let out of the car after an hour of driving, or maximum an hour and a half, which means lots of nice little walks.)

It was a watery scene when we reached Loch Torridon.

See the puddles outside the front gate to the cottage just after dawn on Wednesday.

A bit later that morning I enjoyed the tranquil scene by the loch, for a few minutes anyway, before the wind got up and more rain swept in.

At least the waterfalls never run dry in this part of the world.

Can you see me here, showing great bravery crossing a stream in the woods at the base of Beinn Eighe, a final walk on the western side of Scotland before we set off back to the relative dryness of the north east.

 

Look! There are actual patches of sunshine on the slopes of Slioch. After our walk in the forest, Gail wanted me to wash my paws with a paddle in the clear, clean waters of Loch Maree before I got back into the car, but I did not co-operate.

Happy Nature Friday friends. Was your week a wet or a dry one?

Bladder-friendly road trip log

So. I finally have my Torridon to Aberdeen chauffeur service sorted to my satisfaction. And to my bladder's satisfaction. 

First leg, Torridon cottage to Beinn Eighe Visitor Centre near Kinlochewe (thirty-five minute drive).

Stop for one mile walk round the Buzzard Path. Pretty views but don't see any buzzards.

Second leg, Beinn Eighe Visitor Centre to Nairn Beach (about an hour and a half drive).

Stop for quick romp on Nairn Beach. Photographer "could do better", but is distracted by proximity of kiosk selling artisan pannacotta fudge ice cream...

Third leg, Nairn to Bin Forest near Huntly (another hour in car).

Stop for 1.5 mile forest walk. I most considerately ensure chauffeur has nice view of Aberdeenshire countryside to enjoy while I attend at length to the important business.

Fourth and final leg, home to Aberdeen (just under an hour).

Home sweet home. Dog happy. Bladder comfortable throughout. 

On the way to Torridon

Is it right that I should be tied up outside the baker's shop in Nairn...

...when I could be in there helping Gail with her cake selection...?

Scottie talk

So here I am on the beach at Nairn (our favourite stop-off en route to Torridon), enjoying a break in the wintery weather, checking out some driftwood and minding my own business, when along come two Scotties and their owner.

Has it ever struck you that the conversations your human engages in with other dog owners are not of the highest intellectual  calibre? 

It seems a bit rich to be criticised as uncouth for sniffing each other's rear ends by way of introduction by a species that rarely ventures beyond "Oooh, SO cute. Boy or girl? What's his name? How old is he? Weather's not so bad today is it?"

(This final question is purely rhetorical. Unless it is freezing cold AND rain is bucketing down AND a gale is blowing AND visibility is at the 'can't see beyond the tip of your nose' range, the typical Scottish dogwalker will classify conditions as "nae bad".)

For the record, these Scottie guys are called Archie and Phoebe and they are, respectively, five and seven years old. It is agreed that we are all three exceptionally handsome terriers and that the weather is indeed "nae bad".

Later at the Torridon cottage I am pleased to see that Gail had packed some suitably brain stimulating reading material for the weekend, and live in hope of hearing her discussing the relevance of quantum decoherence to the Schrödinger's cat thought experiment, or the role of non-locality in avoiding violations of Special Relativity, with the next dog owner we run into....

Beats Brexit anyway.

Gold star for best behaviour?

Between you and me, it can be a bit annoying, living in a household where boasting is not approved of and praise is meted out in puppy kibble sized portions.

"Blowing your own trumpet", "showing off", "being big-headed"; these things are all frowned upon by Gail.

But just occasionally, I feel I deserve at least a pat on the back.

Take Sunday morning for example. We had been over in Torridon for a couple of days, checking the cottage was OK before the winter weather sets in. On the way back to Aberdeen we stopped at the Basil Harbour Café in Nairn.

Gail says it is only recently that she has taken me into cafés "with confidence". She says readers will correctly guess there is history behind that statement.

Well I would like to point out that on this occasion I was as good as gold and as quiet as a mouse, despite the following potential threats to my equanimity:

• The cafe was noisy and crowded when we arrived 
• Bacon rolls and Full Scottish Breakfasts (including black pudding) were being served
• Gail ordered a yummy looking cheese scone with her coffee
• There was another dog present
• I was made to sit in the middle of the café and pose for a photo when the place quietened down a bit

Am I not entitled to brag just a wee bit about my excellent manners?

Oh, Gail thinks you would also like to see a photo of a wintery looking Loch Torridon. I suppose, since I am also featured, you might find it worth a glance.

Can you feel the bone penetrating chill of the damp air?

A typical Scottish beach experience

P.S. We were so sad this week to have to say a final goodbye to our beloved blog friend, Downunder Daisy, and are sure that our readers who knew her will join Gail and me in sending our warmest thoughts to her family.  

Roughty Toughty Torridon Terrier

So Gail spotted this "cute wee Westie" when we stopped off in Nairn, en route to Torridon last Friday.

"Look at her Bertie, isn't she adorable, oh do come over here so I can take a photo of the both of you".

You can imagine what I thought of that idea.

So much more interesting to contemplate how this line of snow formed on the Nairn beach, right?

But Gail didn't want to help me investigate this fascinating natural phenomenon. It was all "oh look Bertie, there's Molly again, isn't her red and white sweater just perfect. It almost makes me want to dig out my rusty knitting needles...."

Well I'm pleased to say that when we reached Torridon I had ample opportunity to remind Gail that I am a roughty toughty terrier, and not designed to prance around on the beach in some fancy and not even waterproof coat.

 

Those knitting needles can stay in the boxroom!

Chicken liver brownies and more...

Well, contrary to the fears I expressed in the previous post, it turns out that being two years old is not so bad.

Here are some highlights from my birthday weekend (which I spent over at the Torridon cottage).

Gail baked me my very own utterly delicious 'Chicken Liver Brownie Birthday Cake'.

See me blowing out the candles there.

My dear friend Marie-Thérèse not only made a beautiful card,

But also gave me a super present, which I unwrapped, quite delicately, all by myself.


That important business completed, I went exploring outside in the freshly fallen snow.

Gail and I shared a joke*.

Then before we left I caught up on the local gossip with my Irish Terrier neighbour Dooley. These Irish lads do enjoy a good craic.

On the way back to Aberdeen, I galloped around by the sea in sunny Nairn, and made some brand new friends.


And there was also time for a spot of posing, as is expected of the good looking young male when he visits the beach.



Yes, all in all, I'm quite happy being two.

Oh and by the way, 'That List' proved most useful when we ran short of fuel for the wood burning stove...


*Thanks to Michael of Baclenbea for the photo. No that is NOT Michael of 'more irritating than the midges' notoriety.....

A quick visit the Scottish Riviera

Sunshine on the beach at Nairn - rain to the west, as usual

I bet you didn't know that Scotland has a 'Riviera'!  Well in fact it has two seaside areas which lay claim to unusual amounts of sunshine (for Scotland), thus the riviera tag.  One is in Galloway in the southwest of the country, and is the other around the little town of Nairn the northeast.

Last weekend, after a quick trip over to our cottage in the northwest (hope you've got your compass handy today folks!), Gail was all smiles.  Something about 'no burst pipes'.  But Torridon was all horizontal rain, so we headed back east on Sunday morning in search of better walking weather.

Which of course took us to Nairn.  What a smashing place!  You can romp on the beach, and if you get tired of that, there's a fine wood to explore too.

Nairn has a famous resident, Oscar winning film actress Tilda Swinton.  Gail was disappointed we didn't see her.  I wasn't really bothered either way until I learned that this Tilda once ran a film festival in the town, at which entry was free if you brought along a tray of cakes, the audience sat on bean bags or deck chairs, and... 

... LOOK AT THIS.... They even allowed dogs in!