I was very happy to hear those words that are music to my ears, "Want to go for a car ride?" Off we set one early morning to visit Auntie Alison and Uncle Brian up in Angus. It was great to visit once again, as I am sure they miss me guarding their house. I was saddened to see that my favourite bean bag chair was no longer there though - rumour has it that it exploded one day! Good thing I wasn't there, as I am sure I would have been blamed. Ah, such is the life of a dog.
Our biggest adventure was visiting a wee village called Catterline (I was told we were going to Doggerline, just to make me compliant, but Catterline turned out to not be as full of cats as it sounded, so all was good.)
I could drone on and on, but I think maybe I will let the photos do my talking, with a few pithy comments added. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed being there while they were being taken by Mr. Photoface.
Love to all,
Dougal
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| Our first view of the cove at Catterline. |
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| And, looking the other way! The waves on the beach were very noisy, which we thought was odd, but the beach is all pebbles that are moved by the water coming in and going out, so they all bump against each other and make a racket. |
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| We get to visit with Stuart Buchanan, a friend of Alison and Brian and the fellow who lent a guitar and amp to Bob for our stay in the flat. The less said about how much I enjoy being serenaded by the guitar, the better. I am looking out to sea, itching to get to the beach. |
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| Finally, down to the beach, where I was allowed to run free - well, until we found a dead seal against which I almost joyously got to rub and roll, but Rick grabbed me before I could. Drat!! How often will I get that golden opportunity? |
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| I thought better of going out on the breakwater, as the waves were just a wee bit too big for me. |
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| Rocks and waves, Dude!! |
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| Alison says this is a "bothy," which is a small cabin used mainly for fishing. Some bothies in Scotland are left open for hikers to use if they need a place for shelter or sleep. |
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| Auntie Alison kept losing a stick in the water, so I had to keep retrieving it for her. I wonder if she realizes that retrieving is not in the job description of a Terrier. |
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| Honestly, you would think she had never held a stick before!! Still, Dougal to the rescue. I am such a well-mannered and gentlemanly dog. Wait, do I hear snickering???? |
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| A calmer spot along the shoreline. Gotta love them rocks. |
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| Off in the distance is a lighthouse, as you can see. We didn't go to visit it. |
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| If memory serves, that gap in the rocks in the foreground is where that seal was. Bob thought is was a dark log and was going to stand on it to take a photo. Put a camera up against his face and he loses all sense! |
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| The gang on the beach. I am on my lead, as this is after "seal-gate." |
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| Stuart is an artist, and this is the inspiring view from his studio. |
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| Stuart Buchanan - artist and all around nice guy. You can see some of his work here at http://www.scottishartpaintings.co.uk/artist-stuart-buchanan.asp |
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| Inside Stuart's studio. I think he had just told Brian something about how independently wealthy artists are, which is why everyone was laughing! I didn't get the joke, but laughed just to fit in. Human humour isn't always easy to understand. |
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| The studio, which has been used as such for many years by other artists preceding Stuart. |
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| Stuart's commute to his studio. Boy, one false step and you are in the bay! I'll bet the traffic reports are boring. |
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| This is where we had lunch in Catterline, and when I say "we," I mean all of us, as they allow dogs in the bar part, which is only as it should be. A big "paws up" for The Creel, and the chips that came my way. |
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| On our way back to Alison's, much later that day, we stopped at this pub in Letham. Not only do they allow dogs, but they know how to treat a canine customer, as I was treated to dog biscuits and a lovely bowl of the water they have on tap. Everyone was watching the 6 Nations rugby final match, where England won but lost the tournament (it's a long story), which meant that Ireland won overall. Hooray!! I treated everyone to a round, or at least would have if I was paid for all the good guarding work I do at home! |
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| I am keeping this as a blackmail photo. While "they" say that I was just jumping down, I think the evidence looks suspiciously like Auntie Alison knocking me off Rick's lap!! Sort of the "smoking hand," if you will. |
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| I think in this photo I am waiting for my next biscuit treat from the lovely barmaid - oops, sorry, the "non-gender-specific food and beverage serving human." |
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| And so, all good things must come to an end, and we head home in the car from a wonderful weekend. The guys stopped for crisps along the way and gave me some, but not quickly enough, as the drool spots on the upholstery indicate. Totally in their control to prevent - just hand over the packet! |
