Not so sure about the Tesla...

I went for a walk yesterday with my Westie friend Rosie. 

I fear this young lady pup might be getting a bit above herself. All she could talk about was her brand new Tesla.

I admit I was impressed by the special air conditioning system to keep dogs at a comfy temperature when left in the car. Even in Scotland, I can see that would occasionally be useful.

But when Rosie's owner showed Gail the 'caraoke' function and threatened to sing along to Bohemian Rhapsody, I decided that perhaps our little Ford Fiesta was a perfectly satisfactory vehicle after all...

PS I am being sent to 'camp' this week while Gail and her friends Yvonne and Kirsty are braving the notoriously windswept Orkney Islands on their bicycles, so this blog will now be quiet for a few days. 

A neighbour's cars

Can I be frank with you?

Gail's lack of interest in cars, and in the status that they can confer, has long been a disappointment to me. I feel an internationally renowned blogger such as myself surely deserves something better than our 7 year old Ford with an engine so small and low in emissions that it doesn't incur any road tax.

How I wish my human would take a lead from our neighbour, a lawyer whom we'll just call 'R'.

'R' and her teenage son 'J' live a few houses down from us. 'R' has long shown a fondness for flashy autos. This red Porsche has been a fixture on the street for a while now. However I am not allowed to post the photo of me 'decorating' its wheels... 

Last year, 'R' added a Tesla to her stable, prompting Gail to wonder if 'R' had undergone a green epiphany. Although her retention of the Porsche rather suggests not.

It seems that 'R's son is now learning to drive and it totally makes sense that a different car would be required. Perhaps our neighbour might offer to buy Gail's Ford? 

But no, sadly this didn't happen. 

A new vehicle appears on the street. It is an Aston Martin. Has James Bond perhaps come to visit?

Then we notice this car bears 'L' plates and has apparently been purchased for 'R's son 'J'. 

I have to say this is a surprising choice for a young and testosterone-fuelled learner driver. Gail says she can think of adjectives other than 'surprising'.

A  few days later we notice that 'J' is also apparently being given the opportunity to develop his driving skills on the Tesla.

 

I fear I am stuck with the ageing Ford for a while yet. The other day I caught Gail googling lightweight carbon frame road bikes...

Rudolph the Red Nosed Tesla

Gail and I are thinking you might like to see how the Festive Season is shaping up in our neck of the woods. 

Let's go for a wee stroll around the neighbourhood.

Aberdonians are not in general given to ostentatious display. Here, the low key but lovely tradition is to put a Christmas tree in one's bay window, so it can be admired from the street. 

 

Of course, there's always one household that doesn't quite grasp the concept of the modest and tasteful display.

And what did we find right next door to this extravaganza? Oh dear, I fear someone might be feeling rather deflated, having been outshone by the competition...

The local paper shop has made a bit of an effort. Gail says anything to distract from content of the newspapers this year is probably a good idea...

Further along the street, we see a practical illustration of the proposition that in the UK, worship of the Health Service has become the national religion.

Gail and I are both rather fond of this cheerful reindeer fellow, all poised to greet visitors to the house a few doors up from ours. He may not be aware that household mixing is banned right now.

Nearby, another reindeer, rather a pretty one, is shyly prancing behind net curtains in an upstairs window. 

And finally, we are proud to present our new close neighbour, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Tesla, surely the coming thing in environmentally friendly present delivery. 

Sadly, he appears only to have one antler.