Eeeek! New worries about Skye field trip

Elgol, Skye: photo by Santa Cruiser on Flickr.com

Thank you all my friends for your useful comments which have helped me come to a decision about which hard hat to wear on the Isle of Skye geological field course.

Yes it will of course be the 'cricket box' as proposed by Riley. In the end it was no contest. But I am a bit confused about ClimbingMandy's assertion that I will need to bring a thick skin to handle the ribbing from Gail's workmates. Why would anyone tease me about such smart, sleek protective headgear? (Other than perhaps from jealousy.)

So no worries on that score.

No, my new concerns arise from a latest peep at emails circulating in Gail's workplace, about the field course accommodation.

On learning that the bunkhouse will, contrary to earlier information, supply 'one bath towel each (not a large one)', a certain colleague, who will remain anonymous but is not at all junior, responded thus:

"Good, I was going to go native, and use an otter or other similar local furry animal for that purpose".

I would like to remind anyone in this bunkhouse who is short of something suitable with which to dry themselves that I am a WIRE-HAIRED fox terrier, hand stripped to preserve the COARSENESS and WIRY-NESS of my coat which very effectively REPELS water and is not at all absorbent. I also have teeth.

Got that?

We head west to Skye on Sunday. Wish me luck. This blog will be quiet for a few days.

As if the bicycle were not bad enough (Bertie has a wee rant)

I knew my readers were smart!

Yes, several of you guessed correctly. The cloud on the horizon referred to on Monday's post was indeed Gail's new ONE PERSON sea kayak.

Oh if only I had had the chance to discuss matters with Gail before the kayak was finished.

See, I found this picture on the internet:

And this one:

I cannot imagine why I was not thought of. I mean, it isn't as if it is a shop bought kayak even. Gail keeps telling me how Florian, who built the vessel from a design by Thomas Yost, is a most wonderful craftsman. Well Florian, I have to tell you, I'm not convinced. I mean, if you really were such a 'Handwerksmeister' (he's German you know) then you could easily have put in a berth for a wee wire-haired fox terrier could you not? After all, ich bin ganz klein. Nur acht Kilogramm. Kein Problem für einen sogenannten Handwerksmeister, glaube ich!

Huh!

What's that Gail? You're saying I'd have to wear a life jacket and a 'skirt', which wouldn't suit a dog that can barely tolerate a bandana?  Oh don't be ridiculous. I don't see those fine pups in the photos above sporting any kind of strange get-up.

Friends, it is so tiresome to live with a human who has hobbies. Just when I thought the whole bicycling thing was the final straw.

And no I am not "making a fuss about nothing". In fact, I've barely even started...

As if it were not hurtful enough that Gail should want to venture on to Loch Torridon without me, separated from the chilly salt water only by a piece of PVC glued onto a skinny wooden frame, now I learn the reason she wants to do this.

Otters. Seals. Puffins. Dolphins and porpoises. Yes that's right. She wants to look at OTHER ANIMALS out there on the sea loch.

Now I'm a tolerant sort of a chap. Wire-haired fox terriers are few and far between in Northern Scotland so I can accept that Gail might want to cast a glance at different type of terrier every now and then. Just to reassure herself of my own exceptional handsomeness, you understand. And I act quite good natured (despite seething inside) when she goes all weak the knees at the sight of an Alaskan Malamute. But really, is it necessary to look beyond the species Canis lupus familiaris when we are so many and so varied?

Well there is no other option. If you can't beat 'em join 'em.

Gail, please stop harping on about tedious irrelevances like "but you won't even go near water normally Bertie".

I am going to write to Florian and request my own personally designed sea kayak. And yes I do realise that doggy paddle is nothing to do with propelling a canoe.  I shall, naturally, be expecting Gail to give me a tow.

Now let me see, where's the German dictionary...?

Sehr geehrter Herr Florian,
ich hätte gern ein schönes Seekajak für einen kleinen Hund der vom Wasser ein bißchen Angst hat...