A new bag

Do you like this gift our friend A-M kindly gave Gail as a thank you for helping her during and after her recent hospital stay?

It's a very fine bag, don't you think?

And not only is it big enough to carry a satisfactory quantity of dog treats, it will also serve as a reminder to Gail that I am now well overdue a train trip down to England, or at least to Edinburgh or Glasgow or somewhere similarly exotic. I gather my predecessor Bouncing Bertie once greatly enjoyed his brief exploration of the railway station in Newcastle upon Tyne.... Time for a return visit perhaps?

Gail says that problems on the railways due to intermittent strikes have deterred her from pursuing my 'train training' over the past couple of years, but it's my understanding that the industrial strife is now all resolved and so WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?

You win some, you lose some...

 So Gail told me she'd ordered me a present online, to make up (her words) for my recent 'loss'.

I'll leave to my readers to decide what could possibly be appropriate compensation for a male dog forced to undergo 'The Snip'. Given my owner's woeful record on gift purchasing, I moderated my expectations, but I was still a bit annoyed and frustrated when we missed the delivery two days running, and so I  took up watch duty at the front window to make sure it was third time lucky. 

My vigilance paid off and I was impatient to find out what was in the package. 

A brand new bed! Well I must say it is very comfy, and stylish too. 

But you won't be surprised to learn that after over a week of on-lead restrictions, spending more time inside and lying down was not the first thing on my mind.

I'm pleased to report I finally regained my freedom on Sunday. The weather was mild and partly sunny and I enjoyed a lovely walk - well run, actually - in the woods at Ballogie Estate.

I had been hoping we'd be joined by our regular companions M and J, and was sorry to learn that M, so nimble and intrepid when out and about on our Aberdeenshire walks, had apparently stumbled over at home in the living room on Saturday night and had broken her arm. J called Gail from the Accident and Emergency Department to tell her the bad news. 

Gail and I send M our very best wishes for a speedy recovery.