Short but sweet

So several passengers could have slipped unnoticed through the ticket barrier at Aberdeen station while two of the staff kept me entertained and another disappeared for a few minutes and came back bearing shortbread..

It is a long train journey to Nottingham. For the first part of the ride, the Edinburgh and Newcastle bound Hen Parties kept me entertained...

But after light refreshments kindly provided by Virgin trains at Newcastle (although where were the complimentary dog biscuits Mr Branson?)...

...I settled down for a wee snooze. Which Gail assures me is the best way to travel through Doncaster.

Of course I was impatient to visit Human Granny...

And we enjoyed a mutually satisfying half hour together comparing notes on poorly paws.

Then Gail spent some time - actually quite a long time - instructing HGY in use of the laughably named 'EasyCall' device linking her hearing aid to her mobile phone...

And all too soon it was time to depart.

We head home to Aberdeen tomorrow. Gosh I hope it is not too long before I visit Nottingham again.

Pangaea and Mini BAR

Did you see Arty's Special Blogville Announcement this week that he and Dory, along with Murphy and Stanley, are organising a Mini BAR retreat in Oregon this August?

I wasn't able to go to the BAR (Blogville Awesome Retreat) in Indiana last year, 'cos I live on the wrong side of the Pond.

The idea behind a Mini BAR is that small groups of Blogville citizens can organise local meet ups, to make the travelling easier. 

Of course, to your geologically minded Bouncing Boffin, alternative solutions sprang to mind.

Oh but what a shame it is that we are not living around 270 million years ago, when all the continents - yes, even Australia - coalesced into one huge land mass called Pangaea and one could have travelled by automobile or railway train (had those forms of transport then been invented) from Scotland to Sydney via Seattle without once having one to dip one's paws in the briny or, horror of horrors, board an airplane.

It is of course perfectly possible that, at some point in the next few hundred million years, the world's tectonic plates might realign themselves such that our continents all come together again. (Just think how many walls Mr Trump would then have to build...)

However, the truth of the matter is, at least as far as Europe and North America are concerned, the direction of travel is not just now in our favour, with Iceland pulling itself apart at a rate of centimeters per year for the foreseeable future.

Hmmm.

Reluctantly I have to conclude that the prospect of seeing my dear non-European friends in the furs is remote indeed.

Anyone for a Mini BAR in Scotland? 

We can guarantee a warm welcome at Aberdeen railway station.

Slight delay in setting off for Nottingham this morning...

Empathising with Human Granny

Friends, I have most excellent news to report. My paws are finally feeling a whole lot better. I even ventured to run a short distance on the grass a couple of days ago. Yes, I actually ran! For the first time in over a month. Gail caught in on camera and says it is the best ever video of me (albeit only eight seconds long).

This coming weekend, Gail and I are heading south on the train, as a visit to Nottingham is overdue.

Gosh I am so looking forward to seeing Human Granny. She suffers badly from arthritis in her feet. In fact Gail says that aching feet have been one of HGY's favourite topics of conversation for many decades now, and so I am sure she will be full of sympathy for my recent plight. Oh yes, we will have much to discuss.

Won't that be fun, Gail?

My 7th Birthday Weekend has included....

...a super special card from my dear friends Madi and Mom,


....lots of snuggles with Gail,

....a short trip to the beach,


....followed by a meet up with Gail's friends at the Inversnecky Café.


....Then I sniffed out the early Spring blooms in the Cruickshank Botanic Garden,

....enjoyed freshly cooked liver for my Birthday Tea,


....plus pigs ear treats from 'Pet Comforts',


....and finally, er, some different antibiotics.


I only wish I could tell you that my paws were completely healed; that would have been the best birthday present by far, but it was not to be. Although the itchiness has now died down, the infection is proving hard to shift and I still find it hurts to walk, which is making Gail very sad. We live in hope that the new antibiotic will finally do the trick.