Three Days

A Weekend in the Life of Nobby

Friday saw sun and all cares cast aside,

To Glen Tanar we ventured, and roamed far and wide,

Through soft birches and pines in the valley below,

Then high on on the hill into heather we go! 

The next day, a comedown, the rugby was on,

While Gail watched the telly I paced round the room.

I worked hard at obstructing her view of the screen,

But was pushed aside rudely, which I thought was mean.

On Sunday, we walked with our friends M and J,

On Stonehaven beach, then the steep coastal trail

To the World War Memorial. A place to reflect,

On how peace is so fragile a thing to protect. 

The truth about those Thursday mornings...

Did you already know that, every Thursday morning for about as long as I've lived with Gail, she's abandoned me for several hours on the pretext of getting some exercise with her friends? 

After a too brief walk in the park with me, she wheels her bicycle to the front door then off she pedals, claiming it's all in the cause of leg muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness.

I wait patiently for her return. 

Sometimes I check her phone after she's arrived back. (No I'm not snooping. It's because I care.)

This week, I noticed on her cycling WhatsApp group, there was just one photo of the 'ride'.

I was not amused.

Train training

One rather damp and gloomy day last week, Gail announced that we were going to have a change from the usual afternoon walk, and it was time for a spot of "train training".

Long time readers will be aware that my predecessor Bouncing Bertie travelled many thousands of miles by rail during his twelve years, including two trips to continental Europe - one to Switzerland and one to Bavaria. 

However, Gail did tell me that "Rome wasn't built in a day" and although Bertie eventually became the perfectly behaved train passenger, there were, truth to tell, 'hiccups' along the way (most famously the Newcastle Station incident) and thus her assertion that I might need some "training" sessions.

My first ever experience experience on the railway actually took place back in July when I was in Nottingham, but as this was only a six minute journey Gail felt it didn't really count. 

So last week we upped the ante and went all the way down the coast from Aberdeen to Stonehaven, a twenty minute trip. For some reason Gail chose a time of day when she was confident that the train carriages would be fairly empty. 

I'll let the pictures below do the talking (I was quiet throughout).

Waiting at Aberdeen station

Checking things out on the train 

The North Sea from the train window

"Are we nearly there yet?" 

We arrived safely and walked down to the town centre

Then on to the seafront

And a quick glance at Stonehaven harbour

Finally back to the railway station to board the train home

What IS all this "mind the gap" business anyway? 

Naughty Nobby meets Mischievous Monty

 

Gail and I had lovely outing with our friends M and J on Monday. We visited Stonehaven, along the coast 15 miles south of Aberdeen.

Can you guess what the highlight was? 

Perhaps it was the chance to admire the view over the quaint harbour?

(Photo kindly provided by M)

Or maybe it was a run on the beach and a paddle?

Or was it the blue sky and sea and the sight of Dunnotar Castle in the far distance?

All wrong!  The highlight of the outing, by a country mile, was a chance encounter with fox terrier Monty, who turns out to be one of my older brothers. Despite being 18 months old and from the same parents, he is quite tiny compared to me! 

At first he seemed a little shy.

But that soon wore off, and before you could say "Mischievous Monty" I had him laughing away at my favourite "Naughty Nobby" joke...

"Have you heard the one about the human who thought she could outsmart her WFT....?"