Warning, post contains troubling images...

The roads being apparently too icy for the bicycle this weekend, Gail sent an S.O.S. call to her Cycling WhatsApp group. 

I am delighted to report that Heather answered the call, and a rendezvous was arranged for Saturday morning.

But before showing you more photos from the walk along the coastal path, I need to issue a trigger alert.

THIS POST CONTAINS IMAGES OF PALE AND GOOSE-PIMPLED HUMAN FLESH. (THOUGH THANKFULLY NOT IN HIGH DEFINITION...)

But first we chanced upon two other friends, out for a run, and they paused for a socially-distanced few words. Feeling sprightly, I wanted to join them running, but was reined in.

So Heather, Gail and I proceeded as planned to Cove Harbour, where I do believe that my compliant posing was used as a front for Gail to zoom in on a small party of swimmers.

What! No wet suits???!!!

Readers, the sea temperature in these parts is currently around 7ºC. And on Saturday morning, despite the sunshine, the air temperature was only a smidge above freezing....

Rest assured I kept all four paws on solid ground. As, thankfully, did Gail and Heather.

But still I am worried that all the humans are going a little crazy just now...

Dapper Doggies

It's a frosty morning for a walk in the woods.

I make friends with Roxy the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. We exchange winter fashion tips and debate the pros and cons of a fleece-lined hood, while Gail and her companions pause for a Covid style* coffee break.

When Roxy is recalled by her owners, I turn my attention to Muriel, thinking she might offer a treat. 

Hope springs eternal in a WFT...

*Gail explains: with the cafés all closed, the vacuum flask has been much in use lately.

Snow bonus walk on Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve in Aberdeen we wake up to the first snowfall of the season. 

What's not to like about snow?

Suddenly the world seems magical and new, all sparking clean and white. And even better, Gail's cycling 'girls' for once see sense and abandon their usual Thursday morning ride in favour of a walk across Hazlehead Park and golf course.

And yours truly is invited along, despite being neither female nor a fan of the bicycle.

Oh we had a fine morning hike through the snow - and slush and mud. The destination was the restaurant at Dobbie's garden centre, where I was allowed into the special 'dog-friendly' seating area and stood patiently while the ladies took advantage of the last opportunity for indoor coffee and scones before the cafés are all locked down again until heaven only knows when. (Gail predicts 23 March 2021).

It would have been the perfect outing were it not for the payback on returning home...

Happy Christmas!

"A Proper Dog"

So there I was, trotting along a path in the woods the other day, when a lady coming the other way spotted me and exclaimed emphatically, and with apparent delight:

"Oh look! A proper dog!"

Later that evening, as I was pondering on what, exactly, she meant, the poetic muse struck...

The Proper Dog

A "proper dog" is what she said.

Implying I'm a normal chap,

And not some fancy, over-bred

Type, only fit for ladies' laps?

Was she admiring of my form,

My profile square yet neat?

In looks, do I perhaps conform

To Earth's canine elite?

Did she mean proper as in prim?

No surely, that can't be!

My wayward furcut's scarcely trim,

My manner's far too free.

Or was her emphasis on dog,

As in a proper, intact male?

Not so. I never saw her look

At this particular detail...

Maybe, like Gail, she as a child

Possessed a terrier on wheels,

And ever after, all the while

Held dogs like me as the ideal.

We'll never know, she passed on by,

Without conversing any more.

I like to think that in her eyes,

I just was perfect to the core!

Happy Easter! Do join me for a walk

Happy Easter to all my friends!

Many of us will not be able to spend the day in the way we might wish. For those of you who, like Gail and me, are a bit cut off from friends and family just now, we hope you will be able to join us for an Easter Sunday morning expedition.  

We start, of course, from our home in Aberdeen, and through the familiar territory of Duthie Park.

Then it's on to the riverside path, where massed ranks of daffodils are still out in force.

Across the Bridge of Dee, we pause to read the board telling you all about the history of this structure, which dates back to medieval times. As Gail's eyes are drawn to the sentence 'Burgesses were posted on the bridge to prevent the spread of plague into the burgh', I observe the third police car of the morning driving past. There is little other traffic on the road.

Further along the riverside path, another sign warns us off going for a swim. Neither Gail nor I find this instruction hard to obey.

A short climb away from the river takes us up into Tolohill Wood, where the spring flowers are, finally, tentatively, beginning to appear.

In the distance, we can look across to the church spires and more recent high rise buildings of Aberdeen's city centre.

Back down the hill, a farm track leads us into a squeaky clean new housing estate,

Then this time we go under the bridge, where I enjoy a welcome sip of nice cool river water. 

Continuing homewards, we note that the playing fields are all but deserted, the footballers presumably practicing keepie uppie in their back yards.

And into the home straight, where the waters of the Duthie Park pond are for once undisturbed by the usual Sunday morning flotilla of noisy model boats.

Well done to those of you who managed to make it all the way round with us. That was a whole five and a half miles! For sure, we all deserve a nice juicy chunk of roast lamb and, for the humans, an extra bite of Easter egg.

A happy band of brothers (and sisters)

A chance encounter a few days ago with 'Dougie' and his owner led to Gail and I being invited along to the first monthly walk of 2020 for a local group of wire-haired fox terriers and their humans.

We met at the car park at Cruden Bay and ventured along the cliffs to Slains Castle and before heading for a romp on the fine sandy beach.

If you look at the photos and deduce that it was a windy day, you would be correct.

 

 

I know you will all be wanting to know how I behaved, and how I compared to my five fellow foxies.

Gail says I was the tallest and perhaps the quietest, as well as the oldest and slowest. My furs were a bit shaggier than most of the others. Although I am not the playful type, I tolerated the insistent approaches of eight month old little Pickles with, Gail says, admirable patience. I did not embarrass Gail by ignoring her calls to "COME BERTIE!!!!' or attempting to get too close and personal with any of the WFT girls (or boys). I only released the smallest drop of pee on one of the kite boards lying unattended on the beach, and all but ignored a newly dead seal nearby.

As for Gail's behaviour, well she tried hard to be sociable despite suffering from a blocked nose, streaming eyes, sore throat and slight fever. Remembering everyone's names is for her a work in progress, although she's better with the dogs than the humans.

It was a nice, friendly group and I'm pleased to report that we have been invited back to attend the February meeting.

Close-up of Dougie and Bertie

A new walk for Nature Friday!

My owner Gail never tires of telling me how lucky I am, to share my life with someone who loves exploring new places on foot, with a dog for company.

To keep the peace at home, I don't point out how lucky some of my friends are, to live with humans who, on returning from holidays, actually bring back gifts for their pets rather than blethering on with excuses about small bicycle panniers...

I digress. I must say I did enjoy our latest wee adventure. On Monday evening after supper, Gail put on her coat and bundled me into the car saying "come on Bertie, the sun is still shining, let's make the most of the long light northern evenings, I want to check out a footpath along the coast from Old Portlethen."

So we drove about six miles south of Aberdeen, and on leaving the parking area, saw this sign.

Well of course, now that I am a sensible nine year old WFT, I know perfectly well to watch my paws when venturing near cliffs and steep slopes, and so I admired the late season cuckoo flowers from a safe distance.

We then passed by a cluster of prettily painted wooden rowing boats beached in a sheltered cove, and the smarter of my readers will have deduced from the shadows that we are looking out east to the North Sea, with the sun low in the sky behind us.

I think it would be fun to come here early morning and see the sunrise, but lazy old Gail seems unconvinced.

The coast path is well defined at the start,

But on reaching the edge of a field of rape it becomes narrow and uneven, so I found myself waiting patiently as Gail stumbled along on her somewhat wobbly ankles.

At one point, I nearly disappeared amid the long grass and cow parsley.

By a marshy spot I stopped to admire these yellow irises

And then we turned inland and I raced Gail back to the car. Can you guess who won?

Well I hope you too enjoyed our new Nature Friday walk. It's quite a short one - not much more than a mile. Maybe we'll return later in the year. This is what it looks like on Google Earth. 

Once again, many thanks to our lovely friends Arty, Jakey and Rosy for hosting the Nature Friday blog hop. Do now go and visit all the other wonderful posts.