The joys of youth!

A Day in the Life

A puppy's life, I highly recommend,

From dawn to dusk, excitement without end!

I wake, and stretch, and in my puppy head

I plan new mischiefs. Shall I try to shred 

A cushion? No. I'll start to dig a hole

- Australia would be a worthy goal..

Then to the Park, where every dog's my pal,

(Until they realise I stole their ball... )

When Gail shouts "Nobby, come!" I might obey,

Or not, depending how I feel that day.

I'll gambol, scamper, run and run and run.

You think I'm tired? I've only just begun! 

Perhaps we'll go exploring somewhere new,

A beach, or wood, or riverbank will do.

I treasure each fresh scent, each sight and sound,

The way my paws sink into boggy ground,

The feeling of the wind that lifts my ears,

The sense of being young and without fear.

And as the day draws to a close, I grab

My favourite toy and jump onto Gail's lap,

Curl up, and there together we unwind,

Dog and his human, fondly now entwined.

And if that cushion is undamaged still,

This terrier can plot a future kill... 

Nobby on the Naughty Step...

 

Macro mania in Ballogie Woods

When we went for a walk this week in the woods and Gail got out her phone, I naturally assumed that it would be me she wanted to photograph. 

After all it usually is.

But for once, I was wrong. It seems my owner has recently discovered her phone camera's 'macro' function (for taking close-ups), and so every few yards she would stop, kneel on the ground and zoom in on the pretty but mostly rather small wildflowers in bloom just now.

Chickweed wintergreen

Tormentil

Bugle

Mouse ear

Crane's bill

You already know that I am generally a Good Boy when Gail starts coming over all botanical, and for the most part I waited patiently when she found yet more different species to photograph.

Twinflower

Lousewort

Yellow pimpernel

Milkwort

Bitter-vetch

But I'm sure you'll understand that the forbearance of a young WFT does have its limits...

Happy Nature Friday friends. I'm off!

On the buses

Readers of my predecessor Bouncing Bertie's blog will know that he was was a seasoned train traveller who during his life clocked up many thousands of miles by rail. But when I searched for his account of his first ever trip on a train, it didn't take much reading between the lines to work out that his behaviour was initially far from perfect...

I am still much younger than Bertie was when he was first introduced to the concept of public transport and I have yet to set paw on a train. But Gail has decided, now she is of an age to travel for free on all buses in Scotland, and what with fuel prices being so high (plus of course concerns about greenhouse gases), we might from time to time use the bus rather than the car to get to the start point of certain local walks.

So on Monday afternoon it was all aboard First Bus No.19 for a short (4 mile) ride from Aberdeen city centre to Cults, from where we could take a pleasant walk home along the Deeside Way.

I fear some of my readers might be secretly disappointed I have no amusing disaster stories to tell.

I waited patiently with Gail at the bus stop. After about 5 minutes the bus turned up. There were plenty of empty seats and I was allowed to sit on Gail's lap and look out of the window for part of the journey. 

My only complaint is that this window rattled rather noisily when the bus was moving, but I didn't let it bother me and I was in fact as quiet as a mouse throughout. 

Now that I have lulled her into a (possibly false) sense of security, Gail says she is emboldened to take me on a longer bus trip before too long! 

Territorial expansion...

Vladimir Putin has not been alone in his mission to expand his territory these past few months...

I wasn't long residing with Gail before dissatisfaction with my assigned living space (the kitchen and sunroom) set in and my quest for Lebensraum commenced. 

I was keenly aware too, that the empire of my predecessors had extended over a far wider portion of the house than I was initially allocated. 

The first conquest was the easiest. Having mastered the dog flap, and peed and pooped on the kitchen floor once too often for Gail's liking, free access to the enclosed back garden was surrendered without opposition.

My next manoeuvre was an occasional sortie into the relatively well-defended front room. Even the most watchful border patrol can be outwitted by a fast moving and quick-witted fox terrier. Before long came an acceptance that my annexation of the comfy sofa was legitimate according to international canine law.

Gail's study proved a tougher nut to crack. But the fiercest opposition can be defeated by the heavy artillery of a terrier's determination, and finally my 'Special Operation' bore fruit.

Gail is still expressing doubts as to whether I should be allowed to permanently occupy 'her' study and so I have decided to put the matter to a referendum. Readers, please leave a comment below to give your views (and remember that I shall be counting the votes with no independent supervision and I have the sole authority to declare ballot papers invalid...)

Oh and yes I am aware that the matter of access to the two upper floors in the Aberdeen house is still to be addressed. But for the moment I am happy to consolidate my gains and maybe regroup for a bedroom campaign later in the year...