Sun, sea and sand? Well, two out of three...

The sky was clear and blue in Aberdeen on Sunday and I was all excited when Gail said that she and her friend Kirsty were taking me for a walk to the Forvie Sands Nature Reserve, just a twenty minute drive up the coast. 

My turn to experience a sunny day at the beach, having missed out last week!

I have to say that, as we proceeded through the dunes, Gail's earlier application of sunblock was looking a tad optimistic.

I was a good boy and stayed the right side of the fence marking the 'no go' area where four species of tern are nesting in the sands at this time of year. 

Gail and Kirsty paused a moment to admire the sharply defined delicacy of the birds swooping overhead, but I soon lost patience with matters ornithological.

After about a mile we reached the deserted beach and I overheard Gail trying to talk herself and Kirsty into believing that the sea fog was in fact a blessing, as it meant we had the place to ourselves and I wouldn't get too hot.

However, I'm not sure she was convinced that my intense interest in decomposing substances on the beach was also a blessing...

A quiet week in Aberdeen.

So I understand there were some ructions in Washington D.C. last week. 

Meanwhile it's been a quiet few days here in Aberdeen. 

We had an inch or two of snow ...

... which was fun for a while.

But then it melted. So we went to the beach. 

Oh and I slept quite a lot too. 

Sometimes quiet is good. 

How was your week?

Hot day, cool place

With much of Europe sizzling in the summer heat, and sun seekers on beaches in the south of England packed together like sardines, can Gail and I be forgiven for feeling a touch of Schadenfreude as we enjoy a refreshing ramble along the empty coastline in the northeast corner of Aberdeenshire? 

It matters not to me that there are no palm trees here, that our camera angles are carefully selected to exclude the St Fergus gas terminal complex to the south, and that the 25 mph wind makes the claim of 21ºC seem optimistic...

After exploring the dunes, I look across to the seashore and ascertain that social distancing will not be an issue hereabouts.

So I boldly venture onto the beach, where I soon discover that it is best to stand on the wet sand below the high tide mark, to avoid the grains of sand blowing in one's eyes. (Gail is tall enough not to have this problem), 

Who needs a holiday in the Caribbean?

Saturday outdoors and in

You could see the clouds were gathering when we took an afternoon stroll on the Aberdeen City Beach.

By evening the Scottish weather had fully reverted to type. 

So I settled down on the sofa with Gail and she brought out her latest knitting project.

Inspecting progress so far, I noted that I thought this jumper was going to be far too big, unless I was fed a lot of cake in the next month or two. You can imagine how shocked and dismayed I was when Gail said this one was intended for her not me! 

'Frost and fir' pullover pattern picture

But I soon overcame my disappointment and dozed off again.

An hour or so later, the needles were still clack-clacking away and, starting to feel neglected, I gave Gail my best "I need a tummy rub" look.

And adopted the appropriate pose. 

Gail held out for a minute or two, but eventually succumbed, as she always does. 

So all was well, until it was time for the TV news, and then I had to cover my eyes. 

 

A visit to a secret beach

Experience has taught me, when Gail announces we're going for a walk to some "favourite beach", not to expect a palm fringed tropical paradise populated with bronzed, rip-muscled surfer dudes and blonde bikini clad beauties...

But I admit I was surprised on Saturday morning when we started at Kenmore, by the shores of Loch Torridon (a sea inlet, you'll remember) and headed inland and uphill.

Even more of a surprise was the fact that, following a rain sodden few weeks, we were finally enjoying a day of crystal clear blue skies and zero mph wind.

After a couple of miles of walking directly south into the low winter sun, our eyes were feeling somewhat dazzled and we were both pleased to descend to our destination, a small loch nestling in the hummocky hills.

Gail then located a little bay, almost hidden by the heather, where the water was edged by a few meters of sand.

"Is this all?" I wanted to bark, but Gail seemed well content with her secret beach. She sat down and took the cheese sandwiches (a big one for her and a small and somewhat dry one for me) and a flask of coffee out of her daypack and exclaimed: "What a lovely and peaceful place, don't you think Bertie?"

I didn't disagree. After all, it would have been churlish to point out the shortage of space for zoomies and the disappointing absence of decomposing marine life...

We stayed there for about half an hour, disturbed only by a solitary hill runner loping past, then walked back to the car, enjoying the views across to Loch Torridon with the sun thankfully now shining on our backs.

Time and tide...

Someone promised me a romp on Aberdeen City Beach earlier this week.

If only Someone had checked the tide timetable...

Happy Nature Friday friends!  I'll leave you with some words from a great American. 

“Just like moons and suns,
With certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.”

Maya Angelou

Do hop along to visit all the other blogs taking part in Arty, Jakey and Rosy's weekly celebration of all things natural. 

One has one's standards...

So Gail came back from her Sunday morning bicycle ride and announced that she was now ready to take me for a walk.

About time too, I thought.

But then I noticed the state of her calf and pointedly waited until she had cleaned herself up.

One has one's standards you know.

(Fellow pups, does your owner spend more time grooming you than they spend grooming themselves? No? Just me then!)

When Gail had finally made herself presentable, we drove 15 miles up the coast the Forvie Sands Nature Reserve. I'm so pleased to report that the weather in NE Scotland has taken a turn for the better. On arriving at the entrance to the reserve, we spotted a new sign, thoughtfully placed at dog height and which, being a Good Dog (mostly), I was happy to obey.

You can't beat an empty Scottish beach on a fine (~21ºC/70ºF) summer Sunday afternoon! 

Nature Friday: Beeches or Beaches?

Which do you prefer?

See below for more Nature Friday posts, hosted by the ever wonderful LLB gang.  

Casting a long shadow

Welcome to December folks! 

I bet some of you are looking at the picture above and thinking gosh, that Bertie chappie is casting a long shadow, he must be out and about on the beach in Aberdeen near sunrise or sunset.

Oh but how wrong you would be. Here at the onset of winter, at over 57ºN, this is about as good as it gets, sun-wise. The photo was taken close to midday and believe me, there is precious little warmth when the rays are coming from so low in the sky.

What sort of shadow do you cast?

(Please not that this question is a purely scientific one, and not to be answered in terms of Jungian psychoanalysis....)

Mass disobedience

I am wondering, what is your stance on obeying rules and regulations, even when they seem inappropriate, or perhaps superfluous?

Why bring this up just now, you ask.

Well, Gail took me down to the Aberdeen City beach yesterday. Although dogs are allowed to run free on most of the two mile long stretch of sand, there is a section in the centre, in front of the cafés and amusement arcades, where we are excluded, year round.

Rather to my irritation, Gail always makes me obey these signs.

However, I couldn't help but notice that, on this chilly grey November afternoon, all of the human visitors to the 'no dogs' bit of the beach were accompanied by their pups! 

And those pups were having a fine old time, and no-one seemed to object.

Look, why else would anyone visit a beach in the Northeast of Scotland at this time of year, if not to give Rover and Fido a chance for some bracing exercise? And for the humans, the nearer to the cafés the better!

What do my readers think?