Just a big kid...

It seems to me that my owner Gail is something of a hypocrite. 

One minute she is lecturing me on how I should be conducting myself like a proper grown up dog now that I am nearly two years old. 

And then I observe how, well into her seventh decade, she's been acting like a big kid all week just because we have a few inches of snow. 

Domestic chores have been neglected, paperwork has piled up, errands remained unrun, all just so Gail can go out and play in the Winter Wonderland that is NE Scotland right now. She says the snow probably won't last long and it's important to seize the moment.

OK. I admit. It has been fun. 

Especially when the sun came out for our walk around Dunecht Estate on Wednesday afternoon and the snow was all sparkling and powdery, the silver birch bark glistened and the skies were crystal blue.

Or even better on Thursday morning, when Gail's cycling group deemed the snowy roads not safe for two wheels (hooray!) and instead Gail and her friend Anne took me for a magical walk through the shifting dunes of Forvie Nature Reserve (momentarily stabilised by snow and ice), and onto the deserted beach where the only disappointment was the complete lack of other dogs to chase.

Happy Nature Friday! 

Nordic Nobby

Finally, Proper Snow! 

First thing Monday morning, Duthie Park had a covering of about two inches.

After persistent flurries throughout the day, a ski-able amount had accumulated, and Gail's friends posted this photo from nearby Kirkhill Forest.

What are we waiting for Gail?

I'm thrilled to report that I did not have to wait long, and on Tuesday morning I was invited to join Gail and her friend Anita for a cross country skiing outing on nearby Hazlehead Golf Course.

Gail is thrilled to report that Nobby passed his first proper try out as cross country skiing companion with flying colours. He behaved like a perfect gent throughout the two hours Anita and I were enjoyably swooshing around the golf course. He didn't bark at the skis, run off, chase after other dogs or get in the way, and he even endured the obligatory snowball removal process at the end of the outing with good grace! 

Forest comparisons

So Gail has been going on and on about all the splendid forest walks she enjoyed in the Puget Sound area over Christmas and New Year.

Apparently the trees were bigger than here, the ferns and mosses more abundant, the fungi slimier and the stream crossings more challenging.

Soon I'd heard quite enough, and it was time to go out for a walk and remind Gail that we have lovely woodlands here in Aberdeenshire too. 

And there's still one thing we do even better than Washington state...

MUD!! 

A suggestion for friends in the Pacific Northwest

I was shocked, yes SHOCKED, to learn that on one day, when Gail was staying in Tacoma with her friend Marse, the two dogs DB and Josh did not get a walk, JUST BECAUSE IT WAS RAINING A BIT!

Now I have checked up on the weather statistics for that particular date - it was Tuesday 2nd January - and found out, yes it did indeed rain all day in the Pacific Northwest region. However, I am also aware that we are not here talking about Florida-style thunderstorms, Oklahoma tornadoes, Gulf Coast hurricanes, monsoons in Mumbai or Shetland Island gales. Rather we are dealing with heavy drizzle and light winds.

What do we do in Scotland on such a day? 

Do we stay indoors all day? 

We do not. 

WE USE AN UMBRELLA! 

Gail has this pretty, flowery one (we hope the flowers, together with the weather theme, will help qualify this post for Nature Friday).

It is larger and more robust than one of those telescopic affairs that ladies can fit in their handbags, but not as heavy as the typical golfing umbrella. There is a handy handle which can be hooked over the arm when the human needs to use both hands, for example when holding a lead while picking up dog poop.

With such an umbrella, your human can take you out for a rainy walk and her coat will stay mostly dry and her shoes will not end up saturated. She will not even have to flatten her hair by wearing a hat.

I highly recommend such an item to Gail's friends in the rainy part of Washington State.  

Your dogs will thank you for it! 

 

We're delighted once again to join the LLB Gang's always wonderful Nature Friday blog hop.

The much anticipated debrief on DB

So Gail, let me remind you of our deal. I permitted you to give me a thorough bath and shampoo upon my return home and now, while I cuddle up all clean and fluffy on your lap, you are to tell me about how badly your friend Marse's dog DB behaved during your stay in Tacoma. Right?

Oh Nobby, but surely you first want to hear about what a splendid time I had with Marse, her kind and generous extended family, her lovely, entertaining friends and all three of the dogs, not just DB. And the comfy 'beach house' by Minter Bay, the delicious food (including some 'interesting' experiments with a new air-fryer), the beautiful - if admittedly rather damp - walks through the moss and fern-rich forests, the glimpses of majestic Mount Rainier, and the short but invigorating kayaking sessions?

Er, frankly Gail, no. I just want to hear about how DB is naughtier than me.  

Nobby, this is very mean spirited of you. Especially as DB cannot answer back (unless he trains his human to help him comment on this blog by logging into her Google account). I absolutely insist on first telling you about the two twelve year old pups also present, Josh and Charlie. 

Well OK then (sigh...)

Josh is a fine hiker despite his age and altogether a Good Boy who will only occasionally wander off and not return when summoned. Look, he even carries his own water and food in a little backpack (as does the much younger DB). 

And then there's dear Charlie, Marse's niece Zealon's beloved golden retriever. He is a big soft sweetheart who is suffering from tumour in the mouth and other health problems but still enjoys being petted and cuddled and never ever complains.

Enough already! Time to hear about DB. I gather he is a noisy passenger in the car? 

This, Nobby, is undeniable. DB is quieter after he has been for a good long walk, but at other times a muzzle is required to reduce the decibel level to a tolerable whimper.

Oh dear. I expect you are now grateful that I am always completely silent and calm when travelling. 

You have a point Nobby. 

And how are DB's manners when out on the trail? 

Well Nobby, like you, he's a good, strong and willing hiker. His encounters with runners and cyclists can be rather fraught - one might say his conduct is erratic, a word I often use to describe your  performance at your agility training sessions...

Gail, we are supposed to be focussing here on DB's bad behaviour here, and not my rare moments of mischief.

Let me see, what else then? He has the ability to rip to shreds any stuffed toy within ten seconds flat, but to my knowledge has never, unlike a certain wire-haired fox terrier, chewed up a pair of spectacles, a bank card, a parking permit or a pink highlighter pen.

Going off message again Gail! 

DB is, I think, rather large to be a lap dog but he doesn't know that. He is perhaps a little too affectionate with the kisses on the mouth, but that's hardly a crime, is it Nobby?

I guess not. Actually he sounds quite a decent chap. As does Josh. Oh how I would love to meet them both one day. I think we could even teach each other a trick or two. 

Now how much is that plane fare to Seattle again?