A flurry of emails (you couldn't make it up)

First a confession. I was so anxious about this Skye geology field course* business (see 4 June post) that I hacked into Gail's work emails. I found this exchange between Gail, her boss Alison and course leader Jim. 

What a relief to find out that someone has been taking my needs seriously...

Gail
 We will be staying in a bunkhouse with 4 rooms so everyone will be sharing.
I'm wondering how this affects Bertie's sleeping arrangements
 Rgds
 Jim


Hi Jim

Thanks for thinking of Bertie!

Tricky on many levels. Alison has already volunteered to share with me and Bertie, but presumably there would be others in the room too. And for this reason many bunkhouses won’t take dogs. If I had my car Bertie could perhaps sleep in there – a familiar environment, although I have never tried him overnight in it.

Cheers, Gail.

Gail
 I suggest that you take your car. We have hired 2 MPVs so I don't think it would be a good idea to have Bertie in these.
Ali 


Ali
Do you have a list of attendees? Depending on number of females you, Gail and Bertie could have one of the rooms. Alternatively the adjacent hotel may have a room we could hire for Gail.
 Mhairi - Please check if bunkhouse in the  hotel takes dogs
 Rgds
 Jim
Sent from my Blackberry

Bunkhouse are ok with it and once we get the final list we can canvas the girls and see what they think. 

Hopefully no one will mind. 

Ali

Sounding promising...

Gail.

from:   Alison   Sent:   Fri 6/7/2013 1:28 PM  To:   Gail   Cc:   Subject:  Bertie a definite go go - 5 ladies do not mind sharing with him.

Folks

This e-mail is to confirm your attendance on the Skye fieldtrip 1^st-3^rd September.......................
.........................We are also to be joined by a very special guest – geology hound Bertie who is a seasoned field tripper (no hard hat requirement).

Any further questions etc. just yell.

Cheers

Ali.

Ali, Jim,

That's great.

Bertie has promised to show his gratitude at being included in the field trip by providing a report on the proceedings in his own inimitable style...

Cheers,

Gail.

* I am under firm instruction always to refer to this excursion to Skye as a field 'course' in order to emphasise that it is a serious training exercise and in absolutely no way whatsoever to be considered a company 'jolly'...

Drama, drama, drama! (A weekend exchange of emails)

Saturday 9th March
Subject: Missing you 

Hi Bertie,

Boy am I missing you here in Nottingham. Won't be flying down again until the airline starts letting dogs on board. Without you to cuddle and to give me an excuse to escape the house for a walk every morning, I feel quite the grumpy old woman. But Human Granny and Grandad send you hugs. Sometimes I think they'd rather it was you who came to visit and me who stayed behind in Aberdeen.

Anyway, here is a photo of HGD watching the rugby on TV.

I don't think he knows any longer which country plays in blue and which in green, nor who is winning, but at least he settles down in his favourite chair and seems happy enough experiencing the familiar pattern of action. Unlike last night when I tried to view Crufts - it was the toy dog judging - and he became all agitated and kept asking "Gail, what are we going to do about this?" Maybe he would have preferred to see the terrier class.

Oh and another reason I wish you were with us. Do you remember how on your last visit to Nottingham you were busy inspecting the hole under the hedge by which the badgers had entered the garden?

And how you vowed to scare away the invaders to prevent them from digging up HGD's once so lovingly tended lawn?

Well the bad news is that Mr Brock and his gang have been back on the rampage and the grass is even more messed up than ever.

Anyway, I am sure you won't be worrying too much about that while you are 400 miles away and being treated royally by Marie-Thérèse and by Jakey's Mum and Dad in my absence.

Looking forward SO MUCH to seeing you tomorrow night.

Love and cuddles,
Gail.



Sunday 10th March
Subject: Drama, drama, drama!

Hi Gail,

Wow Gail you have NO IDEA what excitement we had on our street yesterday morning!

Never mind the badgers!

I'm sure that Jake's Mum will tell you all about how I protected her and Jake's Dad from a drunken but harmless inadequate highly dangerous criminal whom they found hiding in the back of their car. And how Jake and I were put on guard duty while the police were summoned. You can guess how this evil man was terrified into submission after I barked and barked and barked at him. Really, Jake might be bigger than me, but I think we all know who can sound the more ferocious.

I understand that rewards are often given for heroic acts of valour. A medal or something. So far, I have to say, I have not received a even a gravy bone for my considerable efforts. Perhaps, on your flight back, you could think about how to remedy this......

Oh yes and that was a very nice photo of HGD, but I might just point out it would have been greatly improved had a certain exceptionally brave fox terrier been lying there and warming poor HGD's always cold feet.

Just a thought.

Toodle pip!
Bertie.

Gail has been keeping bad company

I have been sneaking a look at some of the post-holiday emails Gail has been exchanging with her cycling friends in London. 

You won't believe the things they've been saying about me and my blog.

Just two examples:

SELWYN: "I say Woof Woof to Bertie (because in reality it is probably all he will understand)"
CHRISTINE: "I may even deem to have a look at Bertie's blog but.......I will have to consider that carefully, I mean it's a dog!!!"

I can only think that the combination of sunshine, cycling and a steady intake of too much vin rouge fried their brains.

It has certainly fried Gail's.

Yesterday, she had this 'bright idea'. For, yes you've guessed it, a bicyle ride with me!

There is a disused railway line just by the entrance to Duthie Park, a five minute walk from my house.  It's been converted into a bicycle path. Sometimes we go for a walk there, although from my perspective it's all a bit straight and flat and not nearly so much fun as the park itself.

Now can you really imagine that I would happily trot besides Gail as she pedalled along on her old sit-up-and-beg bike?

Let me tell you I did not co-operate. Instead, I came over all 'Hamish' for the afternoon and decided to stop and sniff everything. I absolutely refused to come within twenty yards of Gail when she was sat on that scary black monster.

It is no coincidence that Gail did not once manage to capture me and the bicycle in the same shot...

On the way home, we ran into neighbour Mike, also on his bicycle. He observed my behaviour for a minute and had a little gloat. Mike has two dogs, Bonnie (border terrier) and Jack ('apricot' coloured toy poodle).

You would expect a man who knows his dogs - his wife Kirsty is after all a vet - to be telling Gail what a ridiculous idea, expecting me to keep up with her on a bike ride, would you not?

Instead of which, to my utter horror, I heard him saying,

"Oh yes, I once rode with Bonnie and Jack all the way out to Drumoak*. You have to go on the road for two miles so I stuffed them in my panniers, one on each side, their heads poking out of the flaps. They were fine."

Someone, PLEASE convince Gail that her leg was being pulled....

PS A bit of history: The railway used to be called the Royal Deeside Line, and was projected to run sixty miles inland from Aberdeen to Braemar, just past Balmoral Castle. However, Queen Victoria was afraid her privacy would be disturbed by hordes of tourists so she bought the land around Balmoral to prevent this and the line stopped at Ballater, well short of the originally planned end point. Just thought I'd point this out, this week, in case any friends were getting the impression that a monarchy is always a good thing.....

*Drumoak is about 10 miles away!