Gail and I are in Nottingham for a few days and I must first of all apologise for ignoring my blog friends. But you'll be pleased, I know, to hear that we visited Human Granny yesterday and today and both times found her in fine fettle.
I am mindful also that my fellow countryman Andy Murray has a big tennis match this weekend and, in order to spur him on, I have (with the help of Gail's friend Janet) made a wee video demonstrating the arts of being aggressive and tenacious - traits all truly successful competitive sportsmen and women require and in which us terriers of course excel.
PS This blog post has all been done from Gail's 'smart' phone, so you know what to blame if the video doesn't work. You can also access it (cross paws) if you click here .
Do you recognise this fine fellow? And no, I am not talking about myself (for once). I refer to the picture below.
OK, so certain clever clogs will have read the title to this post and correctly deduced that it is the very estimable Vice-Admiral Robert Fitzroy, captain of the survey ship HMS Beagle (of Darwin fame) and early pioneer and advocate of the science of weather forecasting.
We take weather forecasts for granted these days, don't we? I was thinking about this when I visited the attractive seaside town of Stonehaven last Saturday.
It was sunny at the start of the walk,
But then it started to rain quite hard, and Gail and I sought shelter.
Nearby to where we sheltered, on the old clock tower just along from the harbour, you can see a barometer. It was originally installed in the 1850s, around the time when Fitzroy was putting all his efforts into organising the systematic collection of weather data from ports all over the UK. He used these data to make scientific predictions about forthcoming storms - a novel and controversial concept at the time.
You'll notice that on Saturday the barometer was correctly predicting 'change'.
Fitzroy's life ended tragically. A lifelong sufferer from what we would these days describe as depression, he spent his considerable personal fortune in pursuit of his scientific endeavours, which were not always supported by his masters at the Admiralty. In the end, bankrupt and under-appreciated (except by the seamen who knew that his weather forecasts saved lives) he committed suicide.
In 2002 that the Meteorological Office renamed one of the sea areas around the UK 'Fitzroy', in belated recognition of his very considerable achievements.
Gail still likes to listen to the Shipping forecast on BBC Radio 4. Don't tell her, but I think it's a bit boring...
It has come to my notice that Gail hijacked my blog on Sunday and spilled the beans about some health issues I've been having lately.
Really, that was very naughty of her as I don't like to keep boring all my readers with my medical problems.
But it seems that several of you are, like Gail, concerned I might have Lyme disease, and I must say a big Thank You for your kind comments and advice. Well it's clear Lyme disease is rather tricky to diagnose, so Gail and I did some further research, and one thing we learned is that it is far more prevalent in certain parts of the USA than here in the UK. So the jury is still out.
Most definitely I have an interdigital cyst on my front left paw (see below), and I don't like Gail touching it at all, but she will insist on bathing it in antibacterial cleansing stuff.
I do though have some super duper Good News too!
Yesterday, Monday, we went for our usual early walk round the park and afterwards something quite remarkable happened. Gail did not leave to go to work! She stayed at home with me! All day! I was delighted but also puzzled until she reminded me that as of 1st July she is working fewer hours and will no longer be going to the office on Mondays. "Never ever again?" I asked, but received a noncommittal reply.
Well who knows what will happen in the future, but for now I'm quite a Happy Chappie!
You know, out and about in Aberdeen this week, I have been seeing this flag a lot.
Does anyone have any idea why?
PS from Gail: some of you have been wondering about Bertie's health, and if has recovered from his gastroenteritis. Well the short answer is yes his tummy troubles are better thank goodness, but the longer answer is that he has in general been very up and down these last few weeks, with low energy levels and also intermittent lameness. This is not the Bouncing Bertie I know. On Monday night this week he was very uncomfortable and developed a tremor, so on Tuesday I took him back to the vet. She examined his legs and feet, and did some blood tests but she couldn't detect anything amiss other than slightly elevated white blood cell levels which she attributed to residual infection or inflammation. She prescribed antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medication and he seemed a bit better next day. Then on Friday I spotted an interdigital cyst on his front left foot (something he has had before) which would explain the lameness, except that it was a different leg, the rear left one, that was lame towards the end of last weekend's Balmoral walk, and I still can't spot a cyst or any other problem there, and neither did the vet. At least the tremor has not returned. For the moment he is getting short walks, frequent gentle paw washing in Hibiscrub antimicrobial skin cleanser, and wearing a sock to try to stop him licking the paw when I'm not around. His energy levels are still well below normal. (After an unwise 3 a.m. symptom googling session on Monday night I began to wonder about Lyme disease as, despite Frontline treatment, Bertie does occasionally pick up ticks over in Torridon and they are hard to spot through his fuzzy furs. However, the vet thought it "not the first thing we would investigate" which I took as a polite reprimand for my attempt at diagnosis via early hours internet search!) Anyway, he still has a week's worth of medication and we'll see how things go.
Bertie enjoying a gentle late evening (9:30pm) stroll and sniff
First there was Hamish the Westie. Then there was Bouncing Bertie. Now we have new WFT puppy Nobby. Will he be Nice Nobby or Naughty Nobby? Watch this space!
