Friday 29 March 2024

A seasonal haiku from Aberdeen


Short and sweet today, combining the LLB Gang's Nature Friday with YAM-aunty's Final Friday Feature


Spring is an old car
Sputtering into action
Spark plugs needing cleaned...


PS All photos taken within minutes of each other at the mouth of Aberdeen harbour on Wednesday afternoon, the first two looking out to the North Sea and the second two looking back over the harbour and city.

Wednesday 27 March 2024

Ball thief update

Leaving aside that I dispute the characterisation of myself as a 'ball thief' (I'd prefer to be known as someone who loves to interact creatively and has an impressive ability to focus on careful guarding of a particular resource), I want to take this opportunity to update you on the state of play regarding my behaviour in the Duthie Park. 

Gail calls it an "arms race". 

So on approach to the grassy area in the centre of the park, every morning I survey the scene, first over to the bandstand in the centre then clockwise around the perimeter, scanning the statue of park benefactor Elizabeth Duthie, the obelisk commemorating the contributions of military surgeon  Sir James McGrigor (1771 - 1851), and the JJR MacLeod Memorial corner. 

But I am not interested in these historical monuments, I am looking for any dog who is playing with a ball.

My eyesight is keener than Gail's, at least when she is not wearing her glasses, and you can guarantee I will spot the ball first and be half way across the park before she shouts in vain "come, Nobby, come!"

It doesn't take long for me to gain possession of the ball. No matter the size of the other dog, my determination wins the day, and I am most reluctant to relinquish my prized acquisition.

But these days Gail has a trick up her sleeve. Or rather in her coat pocket. 

MY FAVOURITE SQUEAKY YELLOW BALL*

I just can't resist when she squeezes the ball and it makes a noise exactly like that field vole I once, most thrillingly, caught. 

So I drop the other dog's ball and approach Gail, who clamps on my lead.

I am then allowed to carry my squeaky ball all the way back home, but am not allowed to take it inside the house.

As I do not like standing outside out front door, especially, as yesterday, when it is raining and cold, I reluctantly let the ball go...


* £1.50 from Asda

Monday 25 March 2024

But it says Slovenia's dog-friendly...

I always like to keep an eye on what Gail brings back from her trips to the Aberdeen Central Library, and I got all excited this week when I saw her latest selections.

So it seems she might be planning a trip to a place called Slovenia.
Tadej Pogačar

I wondered at first if Gail was contemplating a pilgrimage to the birthplace of her favourite cycling pro, Tadej Pogačarbut then I saw she was in fact researching options for hiking in the Julian Alps. Apparently she and her friend Marse are going to meet up there in late May. 

Having been left behind once already this year, when Gail travelled to visit Marse and her family in Tacoma, Washington, I naturally assumed that this time I would be accompanying her. After all, I know she took my predecessor Bouncing Bertie to Switzerland and to Germany via train and ferry, and Slovenia really isn't that much further away. (I got a bit confused at first when trying to locate the country on Gail's old atlas, as this family heirloom dates back to the 1950s, when Slovenia was part of what is now referred to as the 'former Yugoslavia'.)

Anyway, this is what I found when I asked Google: 'is Slovenia dog-friendly?'
 
Sounds just up my street, don't you think? And I could so contribute to ensuring that the hiking trails remain "well marked"...

But it turns out Gail thinks I am "not yet calm enough" to be taken on a holiday that would entail several lengthy train journeys. One day perhaps?

Meanwhile, my disappointment was somewhat mitigated when I heard I've been booked in for a stay with my fox terrier relatives for the two weeks when Gail plans to be away.

Wednesday 20 March 2024

Wot, no Brussels?

 

Do you like Brussels sprouts?

Gail does but I don't. A Sunday carvery meal with roast beef but 'no Brussels' would suit me just fine, although I do wonder if calling something a 'Brexit Special' might not be the cleverest marketing ploy in a city which voted heavily for 'remain' in the 2016 referendum.

I am still hoping that Gail will take me on holiday to Germany or Switzerland one day, like she did with my predecessor Bouncing Bertie. But she says travelling with a pet over to the Continent has got more complicated and expensive since the UK left the European Union. As has so much else.

I do believe that in some quarters my human would be labelled a 'Remoaner'.