A Sunday walk with some favourite companions

Oh it's been ages since we met up with our dear friends M and J. 

Far too long.

In between horrid weather, winter viruses and them swanning off to Munich to visit family, I've been missing my favourite walking companions. And not only 'cos M can be relied on to carry biscuits big enough to satisfy a labrador's appetite in her coat pocket...

We met on Sunday in Maryculter Community Woodland and made our way to the lookout point for elevenses. It was almost warm! 

I helped M and J find a seat, but my offer of further assistance with organising the mid-morning refreshments did not seem to be appreciated.

After posing nicely, once the humans had finished their coffee I carefully checked that no scraps of food had been left behind.

On the way back to the car I jumped in some agreeably muddy puddles. Apparently this is the reason I was not then invited to join M, J and Gail for a post-walk lunch in a nearby restaurant. 

Instead, this was my reward...

I hope my friends all enjoyed nice walks this weekend too. Perhaps without the foot bath bit.

A hotel in the woods?

Yesterday was a lovely morning for an outing in Maryculter Community Woods with our friends M and J.

Gail explained to me that, in a tradition going back to my predecessor Bouncing Bertie, these walks normally feature a coffee break where the humans can relax, sitting on a conveniently situated log and enjoying the view, and afterwards I would be expected to 'pose nicely' for a photo.  

Apparently Bertie would sit at M and J's feet for the photo call, but I decided to ring the changes, at least in one respect, and assert my top dog status...

Further down the path I spotted an unusual wooden construction and overheard M telling Gail it was some sort of a new hotel.

Oh that's wonderful, I thought, just the place for my pals from across the Pond to come and stay - Americans will find the rates so cheap now that the dollar and pound are more or less the same value. 

I checked out the accommodation inside and out and raced back to Gail, eager to debate whom to invite first. Her response was really quite belittling.

"Oh you are ridiculous Nobby, it's an insect hotel. Surely you noticed it doesn't even have a roof and the 'windows' and stuffed with twigs and pine cones! Come next year when all the wood has started decomposing in earnest, all sorts of creepy crawlies will be making this their home and no amount of cheap currency will tempt your friends to stay there."

Gail did later point our that we have a perfectly good house in Aberdeen, and another in Torridon, and plenty of room in both, and our friends need only say the word and we'd love to welcome them.  (Although if they visit the Torridon cottage in July and August and leave the windows open they might well mistake it for a midge motel...)