Was she fibbing?

I saw this photo on Gail's phone a few days ago and I thought she was fibbing when she claimed she'd been out on another bike ride with her friends in NE Scotland.

Surely she had taken a quick flight to a beach somewhere warm and sunny. Portugal perhaps? 

But then I saw a second photo and concluded perhaps she hadn't been fibbing after all. 

Gail says the photos were taken on the coast at Whitehills, near Banff. And now it's perhaps the turn of my Canadian readers to be confused! They will be wondering what has happened to the Rocky Mountains. Very rapid erosion perhaps? Swallowed by a subduction zone?

Just to clarify - Banff in Scotland (the original Banff, incidentally) really is by the sea, and has lovely beaches nearby. Or so I'm told, although I'm still waiting to be taken there...

Meanwhile here's a picture of me bouncing along the bonnie banks of the River Dee yesterday afternoon, when Aberdeen was a chilly and haar enshrouded 12ºC but ten miles inland at Drumoak we entered a different and delightful climate zone.

To be honest, I don't so often feel bouncy these days. But I still have my moments! 

Fun in the Sun in Scotland. Yes Really.

Gail says I owe you an apology for putting pictures of such unappealing humans on my last blog post, a shock perhaps when you normally expect to see cute little me and perhaps some of our lovely Scottish landscape.

Well today, and especially as it's Monday morning and you might need cheering up, I am going to redress the balance and show you photos of me out and about enjoying a rare (VERY rare) Scottish heatwave. It's been over 23ºC!

On Friday I went for a bicycle ride with neighbours Mike and Kirsty and their dogs Bonnie and Jack, and then later Gail and I travelled north to Macduff, right by the sea, to stay a night with Gail's friends Molly and Neil. I'm also showing you some photos of a sandcastle building contest on Banff beach, just by Macduff.  For some reason, I was made to stay in the house when this event was taking place, although Gail later reported that other dogs were present. SO unfair. Anyway, Molly's daughter Nancy and her friend Sorley won a box of chocolates for their magnificent effort, well deserved, as I'm sure you'll agree when you see the pictures.

On the Old Deeside Line

I lead, Kirsty follows

The humans refresh themselves, we are left in the shade with a big black stranger

At last, some attention. From Kirsty (she's a V.E.T.)

The return leg. And muddy legs...

At Macduff beach, I join Neil, plus lurcher Maisie and collie Jess, for a paddle

Post-paddle legs

Molly and Nancy hard at work on the sandcastle - Sorley supervises

The prize-winning construction 

 Sorley (holding the prize) and Nancy

The sandcastle meets the fate of all sandcastles...