A Prize! (Thank You Wyatt and Tegan)

It may have slipped under your radar that last month I was joint winner of the 'Traveling with Terriers' competition run by my terrierific friends Wyatt and Tegan.

Well of course, the glory of winning (along with friends Christmas and Kinley) would have been sufficient reward. So the fact that, waiting for me in the hallway when I returned from Nottingham a couple of weeks ago, was a package from Wyatt and Tegan, was a most wonderful bonus.

And look what was in the package!


Really, next year there will be no need for Gail to spend ages decorating the Christmas tree. This stunning wee fellow will render all other ornaments quite superfluous, don't you think?

Oh and that's not all. For sure I now possess the coolest collar in the whole of Scotland (possibly Europe), courtesy of my Oregon friends' trip to the Southwest. Eat your heart out, all you tartan-wearing teuchter pups!

And a HUGE thank you to Wyatt and Tegan (and their humans).


It has to be said, that due to the ongoing 'no fur stripping in winter' experiment, this splendid neckwear gets a little buried in what Gail now refers to as my 'ruff'.


But by the way, for the record, I was glad of my super-thick winter coat when out on a chilly beach walk at the weekend. Gail has insisted I post the photo below to reassure our friend Madi that my tail is still very much visible, if gaining a more husky-like appearance by the day!

Bed-loving Bertie's Blog?

Shall I let you into a wee secret?

Nothing to excite MI5 admittedly. It's just that the whole 'Bouncing Bertie' thing is not, these days, an accurate description of my usual demeanour at the break of day in the middle of winter here in Scotland.

In fact Gail has suggested perhaps I should consider renaming this blog 'Bed-loving Bertie'.

In my view, when a chap reaches middle age, he is entitled to a lie in every once in a while.

That said, once I am up and about, and especially when staying at our cottage in Torridon, there is something a bit special about our early morning rambles.

Or perhaps I should say early-ish morning. Here I am yesterday beside the footpath to Wester Alligin sign at a quarter to nine a.m., and it is just light enough for Gail's smartphone camera to capture my handsome figure posing against the loch in the stillness of dawn.

 

Pre-chewed biscuit

Gail has pointed out that I have been very remiss in not telling you about Human Granny who, after all, was the main reason we spent the Christmas period in Nottingham.

Well I am so pleased to report that she remains in good spirits, and was able to come with Gail and me to visit Human Uncle Max and his family (poodles included) on Christmas day.

I also visited HGY's care home several times, and enjoyed getting to know some of the other residents.

There is a corner of the living room where the old ladies who are "not quite so on-the-ball as Human Granny" sit. This area, I've learned, is always worth a good nose around.

One morning I timed my tour of duty to perfection and arrived just as coffee and biscuits were being served. A nice lady patted me and gave me half a Custard Cream. So then the lady next to her decided she too wanted to give me a treat, and kindly attempted to toss an already part-masticated Bourbon biscuit in my direction. I hope no-one thinks I am being guilty of "girls can't throw" gender stereotyping when I tell you that this particular resident was not accurate in her aim. So the goo-ified biscuit landed in the other lady's lap. How fortunate that I was on hand, ready and willing to jump up and promptly dispose of the sticky mess.

Gail adds: And how fortunate also that no coffee was spilled and that the care assistant supervising operations had a GSOH. 

Blogville's Director of Scientific Affairs speaks

Bouncing Bertie Boffin here!

On this auspicious occasion of the inauguration of Blogville's new mayor Arty, and vice-mayor Mabel, I wish to say a word or three about my role as the Director of Scientific Affairs.

But first I would like to congratulate all the citizens of Blogville for once again showing their wisdom and good judgement in selecting a leadership team of whom we can all, without question, be proud.

In some sections of the media, it is held that we now live in a 'post-truth' world.

To those who might be nervous about such a prospect, I would like to reassure you that when you visit my blog, the material you read will be evidence-based, and any assertions made will have been subjected to rigorous scrutiny in accordance with the scientific method.

I regard it as my mission in Blogville to promote a rational approach to life's big questions, supported by experimental data where possible.

For example, let me tell you about an important scientific experiment being conducted chez Bertie this winter, and concerning wire-fox terrier grooming rituals.

Although us WFT's are deemed to be, if not 100% 'non-shedders', then something pretty close, there is a theory out there that if our coats are allowed to grow long, they will eventually reach a stage where they are ready to 'blow' and thus the usually somewhat uncomfortable hand stripping process becomes, so to speak, a walk in the park.

Gail has always been a tad sceptical about this theory, and up until last September I was subjected to a 'little and often' stripping regime, maintaining my furs at an average sort of length.

This winter we decided, in the interests of science you understand (and absolutely nothing to do with my human having arthritic thumbs) to let my furs go untouched all winter, and then have a 'big strip' come Spring. At which point I shall be able properly to assess the levels of comfort or discomfort experienced.

All scientific experiments require some form objective measurement criteria, and I have proposed that the ease of stripping be measured in terms of number of pigs' ears needed to keep me quiet during the stripping process.

Of course I shall be reporting in full on the results of this experiment in due course.

Meanwhile, if any Blogville citizens have burning questions about science, or, even better, ideas for experiments to help advance our understanding of issues of importance to our community, please do get in touch. I can be contacted via comments on this blog or via email at Bouncing(dot)Bertie(at)outlook(dot)com.

Finally, I would like you all to raise your glasses to the future of Blogville, and to respect for FACTS, EVIDENCE and RATIONAL THINKING!

Oh yes, and Happy New Year to all my lovely friends!