Nature Friday revenge...

I bet you would be annoyed, as I was, if your owner spent the sunny part of the day cycling with her Thursday morning 'girls' and only took you out to look for some Nature Friday inspiration later on, when it had started raining.

To compound my irritation, when I spotted a fine display of cuckoo flower (aka Lady's Smock) Gail seemed hesitant to follow me along the overgrown path to where she could photograph the delicate lilac blooms close up.

Her excuse was that she had noticed an abundance of stinging nettles beside the path and she was still wearing her cycling shorts.

Of course us WFTs have furs designed specially for romping through undergrowth unscathed, and remembering how I'd earlier that day been abandoned in favour of the bicycle, I put my paw down and insisted Gail follow me with her camera (phone), nettles or no nettles.

Did you know that the cuckoo flower is so called because its first blooms reliably coincide with the arrival of the bird itself each spring?

Cuckoo flowers are common round these parts, but that doesn't, I think, mean they're not a pleasing sight.

Gail's red and blotchy nettle stung calves are a less attractive proposition, and so I'll spare you any photos of those...  

Happy Nature Friday Friends! Do go and visit the other posts in the LLB Gang's blog hop.

I don't like Thursday mornings...

If I block off the exit route, do you think Gail will take me out for a nice walk rather than meet up with her friends for their regular Thursday bike ride?  

Unfortunately, my strategy doesn't seem to be working.

Looks like I might need to call in support from my Big Dog pals.

I couldn't help but notice Gail took out her 'winter bike' last week. When she returned several hours later, her clothing several saturations wetter, she observed that for once she'd made the right choice of bicycle... 

I did get a short walk down to the river, eventually.

A cautionary tale for humans

When you have a load of snow and then it all melts quite suddenly, your human might be tempted to venture out on her bicycle and leave you home alone.

In so many ways, this is never ever a good idea.

Much more sensible to leave the bike in the shed and exercise your dog!

On yer bike!

Tell me, are there any other pups out there who are beginning to find this business of having one's human at home all the time rather onerous?

I mean, we all know it's important to keep an eye on what they're up to, but so much snoopervising does mean fewer opportunities for rest and relaxation.

(And, between you and me, it's just a teeny weeny little bit embarrassing to have one's person know quite how many hours a day a senior dog likes to nap....)

So when Gail suggested another long walk to gather material for the LLB Gang's Nature Friday this week, I subtly nudged her in the direction of her bicycle, and thankfully she took the hint.

Last time Gail went out for a bike ride her hands were so cold when she returned that she couldn't turn the key in the front door, so for this outing I insisted she take a flask of hot coffee. As I reminded her, the cafés are all closed just now.

I did also suggest to Gail that she take a selfie of herself with bicycle, but to be honest, the result was so scary I felt I couldn't include it in this post, for fear of being banned by Blogger. Is her nose really that big? And perhaps one of my dear readers could tell us where you find the special software which eliminates from photos all wrinkles and skin blemishes....

Fortunately the pictures of the spring lambs turned out more acceptable.

I wonder, did Gail call out "mint sauce" as she was cycling by?

The landscape looked quite flat to me, but when I commented that she had clearly chosen an easy route, Gail sighed and patiently explained how when on a bicycle the hills are always much bigger and steeper than they appear in photographs.

I also queried why we would want a photo of Aberdeen's new(ish) bypass in a Nature Friday post. The justification, apparently, is that the lack of traffic on the roads at the moment means less air pollution - great news all round for the natural environment.

Finally, I had been hoping that Gail would come back with some shots of Highland cattle, especially 'cos I know our dear friend YAM-Aunty would enjoy these greatly. But it seems there were none to be seen on Gail's route, so we'll have to make do instead with these Belted Galloways. Don't they look peaceful and contented? You might imagine they'd never heard of coronavirus...

Happy Nature Friday friends! Did you get an opportunity to rest this week?

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! 

A long walk can be a bad sign

I always get a bit suspicious at this time of year when Gail takes me out for a longer than usual walk and at home starts getting all cuddly and soppy around me. 

My suspicions increase when I see her fussing over her red bicycle, pumping up the tyres, oiling the chain and so forth. 

So last night she came clean and informed me (one never gets asked) that on Saturday she is heading off to Wales for ten days with her cycling friends, and I am, of course, going to "camp". 

Well it was, at least, a beautiful walk on Bank Holiday Monday, a whole nine miles alongside the green banks of the River Ythan, through the Scottish Wildlife Trust's Gight Wood, and past the romantic ruins of Gight Castle, a former home of poet Lord Byron.

Think of me next week, lonely and bereft of affection in 'Fairways Pet Haven', not even able to contact my blogging friends....

Lord Byron, who described his beloved Newfoundland, Boatswain* as: "....one, who possessed Beauty without Vanity, Strength without Insolence, Courage without Ferocity, and all the virtues of Man without his Vices", would surely never have abandoned any dog to boarding kennels.

Normal blog service will resume after 21 May. 

*Epitaph to a Dog, see also this previous post. 

Worrying signs...

I guess you might be looking at the photo above and thinking that all is well with Bertie's world just now.

How wrong you would be.

Yes OK, I'll grant you, Gail did take me for a nice walk along the cliff path south of Aberdeen on Sunday afternoon and the sun was shining and the sea uncommonly blue.

But if you look closely at the photo you will perhaps spot faint clouds on the horizon...

So first of all, I might point out (and as those of you who know your geography will have already realised) my shadow in the above picture falls in a seawards direction, thus east, indicating that it was well into the afternoon when my walk took place.

Earlier in the day, Gail had, without so much as a 'by your leave, Bertie'  disappeared off on her bicycle for several hours, muttering something about needing to get in shape as her four cycling friends from the USA will be coming here a few days time.

Apparently Gail has planned a ten day tour, riding around Scotland, and I am to be abandoned to the tender mercies of neighbours Yvonne and Neil...

I shall be reporting on the arrival of the Americans in a few days time.

Gail tells me I am being wildly optimistic in hoping these fine folk will find me so inordinately cute that they will insist on fixing a dog carrier to one of their bikes and taking me along with them on the tour.

After all, I only weigh 9 kg. (That's just under 20 lb in American money...)

Just a wee bit worried...

I knew something was up when I caught Gail cleaning the chain on her bicycle.

Finally, she confessed. In a few days time she is heading off to the USA to visit her dear friend Marse in Tacoma, WA. She will be away for over two weeks and during that time she and Marse will be joining a group of Marse's friends for a bicycle tour around NW Montana.

You know what? I am not concerned for myself (in truth the boarding kennels aren't too bad, although don't tell anyone I admitted this). But oh gosh I am VERY WORRIED about Gail.

Among my fears are:

• That Gail will stay safe when travelling. Remember earlier in the year when she was perilously close to being blown up in a terrorist attack in St Petersburg? Really, I have to tell you that Gail was quite traumatised by the whole affair (a dog can detect these things) and I must say I was hoping the episode would put her off international travel, at least for a while.
• That the US immigration authorities will not allow her in the country, given that Gail's work sometimes involves dealing with companies from countries that Mr Trump does not approve of one bit. 
• Oh yes, President Trump.... I understand that it might be OK for Gail to air her somewhat liberal political views when in the Seattle-Tacoma area, but once out in the wilds of Montana, I am thinking she had better keep schtum...
• And how will Gail cope in Montana if I am not there to protect her from grizzly bear attacks? 
• I have never met Marse, and I guess she must be OK 'cos she and Gail have been good friends for nearly thirty years, but I am a little worried nonetheless given that several of Gail's stories about the many trips they have take together involve (according to Gail) her near starvation due to their differences in metabolism. Concerning one notorious backpacking trip in Yosemite in 1989, Gail tells me "I lost 8 lb during those two weeks, and I really didn't need to".

The one thing that reassures me, is that a certain pair of esteemed Blogville former mayors (and their humans) will be meeting up with Gail one afternoon in Tacoma. 

It's such a relief to know that blogging friends I trust and respect will be checking up on her. 

It serves her right

Really, our humans, you can't let them out of your sight for one minute.

Well I say it jolly well serves Gail right for leaving me at Janet's house on Saturday and heading off on her old bicycle (without me) to visit Human Granny again.

So Gail returned eventually, looking a bit sheepish and mumbling something about a large twig getting stuck between the mudguard and the wheel of her bicycle causing her to take a tumble.

But you and I know that the accident was all about people who abandon their pets getting their just deserts, don't we?

Believe me, the photo above is the most flattering one you can take of Gail just now. Oh my word that bruise is beginning to look more colourful than I'm guessing Gail's language was when she picked herself up off that bike path.

But anyway, I'm pleased to report that things improved on Sunday, when Gail and Janet took me on a lovely walk in Derbyshire.

Clever Janet found a route that was mostly in the shade, which helped me survive the thirty degree heat.

But to be honest, on Monday both Gail and I were happy to be boarding the train back north to cooler climes.

And of course you will want to meet my new friend from Hong Kong, on a month long holiday to Europe with her family, to celebrate her graduation. You do run into the nicest people on the East Coast line to Edinburgh.

Life's ups and downs

So on Sunday I was dragged away from this…

And returned home to Aberdeen to face this...

And if having the decorator in all week wasn't bad enough, I have just learnt that yet again I am shortly to be abandoned for a week in favour of this...

 And consigned to a so-called 'Pet Haven' where the daily regime looks like this…

Hmmm.
As the song goes, "Things Can Only Get Better".