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. 

People can sometimes be wrong

We need to talk about weather. And about how even one's favourite human can be wrong about stuff sometimes.

So the car was piled high with rainproof clothing, towels, boots, umbrella etc. in preparation for our trip down to see YAM-aunty in Dunoon last week. It was wet enough in Aberdeen, and as every resident in Scotland knows, it's always wetter out west. 

Hmmm. Or so they say. 

But the Gore-Tex over-trousers were not deployed and the brolly remained unfurled as YAM-aunty, Gail and I enjoyed a stroll along the southern end of the Dunoon promenade on Friday morning. The rain showers danced around us on the water but did not make landfall, and I diverted onto the shingle beach to enjoy an encounter with a lively young schnauzer. 

By the time we reached the Boat House café the sun was warm enough for the humans to want to sit outside while indulging themselves with hot drinks and cakes. This threatened to be rather tedious as Gail never ever gives me treats from the table and, disappointingly, had instructed Yam to follow suit.

(photo by YAM-aunty)

The two friends nattered on and on but, just as I was about to die of boredom, relief appeared in the form of a terrier Gang of Four. There ensued much sniffing of rear ends while the humans discussed which type of terrier is most stubborn. (The Scotties won).

Later in the day, I settled down on Yam's beautifully crocheted blanket while the two humans were glued to the TV, watching a rugby game* and it soon became clear they were supporting different teams.

All through my visit to Dunoon I took great pains to alert the humans to threatening sounds in and around the 'Hutch'. And if some might interpret this as being "too noisy", and particularly bad form when staying in a tenement building, I would like to point out that our hostess was not actually all that quiet while the rugby was on...

Oh and by the way, it didn't rain until we were east of Crianlarich on the way home on Saturday.

*England versus Argentina

Mothering thoughts in Torridon

Greetings from Torridon, where we're spending a few days, just Gail and I, all by ourselves, 

Sometimes, it's the role of us pups to cuddle up to our humans and patiently listen when they want to talk. 

So here I am, comfy on Gail's lap, watching a superior Ireland rugby team winning against England in Dublin on Saturday evening, and Gail tells me she's thinking about her mother. 

It seemed odd to me that a rugby game prompted these thoughts, but then I learned how Gail's dad took her mother to see Ireland play England at Lansdowne Road when they were on honeymoon in Dublin in 1956, and her mother always said of the occasion "I thought I'd married a quiet man until that day". 

Yesterday, Sunday, was Mother's Day in the UK. Gail took me for for a long and wild walk to the magnificent Coire Mhic Fhearchair.  

Gail's mother once told her that she met Gail's dad at a 'do' at the Nottingham Squash club. He asked her if she would like to join him for a walk in countryside the next day and she thought "what a nice man". And the rest is history. 

Tomorrow it will be five years since Gail's mother died. She says they had an at times 'complicated' relationship. She also says that she treasures a copy of 'Winnie the Pooh' inherited from her mother and inside the book is a label saying it was a prize for 'good conduct' at school.

Apparently Gail herself never won any awards for 'good conduct' and she doesn't suppose I ever will either.

OK, so time to own up. Here's a picture of the remains of a packet of cup-a-soup which I stole from a couple of hikers on Sunday. They were the only other people we met on the whole 8.75 mile walk and they were enjoying a picnic beside the loch pictured above. Gail says the fact they weren't cross about my behaviour does not count as mitigation...