So on Wednesday afternoon Gail had the bright idea that, in the hope of gathering some good material for this week's Nature Friday post, we should walk from our home (as per government guidelines) to the mouth of Aberdeen harbour, the favourite location round here for dolphin spotting.
It's quite a long walk today, so I hope you've time to trot along with us.
First of all we go down the hill and under the railway bridge,
Then across the River Dee,
Past the boat clubs, all closed for the duration of course, and along the south side of the river (tidal at this point).
There's plenty of activity at the business end of the harbour - North Sea platforms still need supplies, even if the oil companies are virtually paying to have the oil taken off their hands right now.
We see some traditional Aberdeen businesses too.
Beyond the supply bases and the delightfully whiffy fish processing operations, we finally reach the small beach area at the harbour mouth. But sadly the dolphins seem to be socially distancing themselves out to sea today, so we proceed on to the lighthouse.
A little further along and here we are, overlooking the huge harbour expansion works. This project, to create facilities for cruise ships and for decommissioning oil platforms (an interesting combination...) has been underway for about three years now. Delayed already, the Scottish government has now closed down all construction work because of The Virus so who knows when those cruise passengers will have the opportunity to gasp in admiration at the sight of rusty old oil installations being ripped apart...
I remind Gail that, absent any dolphins, we still need something for Arty, Jakey and Rosy's Nature Friday blog hop. Spring is slow to arrive at windswept headlands jutting out into the North Sea, and the only flowers we can find are these hardy little coltsfoots (coltsfeet?)
Coltsfoot might be a relevant flower for these times. According to Wikipedia, the plant has been used by herbalists to treat respiratory illnesses. However, as your resident Boffin, I feel compelled to point out that there seems to be a lack of scientific evidence for its efficacy in humans, and as it is known to contain toxic compounds too, it's probably best avoided.
For those interested in maps etc., Gail has been having fun with Google Earth and below you can see today's route to the harbour and back, indicated by the red line (a round trip of just over 5 miles).
Happy Nature Friday and STAY SAFE folks!
PS from Gail: I just want to reassure Bertie's readers that in choosing our 'walks from home' I am being careful to select routes where I am confident we will meet few other walkers, and where there is plenty of space to keep the required distance apart.
So the other day Gail and I made the two mile walk from our house down to the mouth of Aberdeen harbour, and she decided this big patch of daisies would make a nice feature for Rosy and the LLB gang's Flower Friday.
Gosh if you had any idea how patiently I stood on the steep slope while Gail awkwardly manoeuvered herself into a crouching position to take the pictures showing the North Sea in the background.
And you know I even refrained from laughing when Gail stood up again and realised she'd been sitting in a bog...
Gail and I did have a little dispute about what type of daisies we were looking at. Of course, when Gail consulted the flower book after we got home, she decided that I was probably right, and they were shasta daisies (a garden escape) and not oxeye daisies.
PS Is it wrong to find it funny that the latin name for the shasta daisy is leucanthemum x superbum?
I know you'll all be bored with hearing about my podiatric issues, but I had a bit of a setback last week, when the horrid cyst thingy on my right front paw reappeared.
So it was another trip to vet Katrina. We came home with a bucketful of antibiotics, and with these and yet more gentle paw washing I am again slowly recovering my bounce.
I indicated to Gail that although I did not feel like walking too far, I would appreciate a change of scene at the weekend, and she kindly agreed to drive me down to the wee fishing village of Johnshaven, about 30 miles south of Aberdeen.
It is a sleepy place, especially in March, but of course I found plenty of interesting things to sniff out.
Someone with a cottage by the shore has an unconventional idea of garden ornamentation, don't you think?
You will of course deduce from the sandstone houses that we are south of that most important geological dividing line in Scotland, the Highland Boundary fault.
Gail liked the nautical theme of this front door, and politely requested that I pose in front of it.
Which of course I was happy to do, on the promise of a 'baked cheesy oatie (wheat free)'.
I'm please to report that, unlike when I was younger, Gail now trusts me not to be jump recklessly off harbour walls and into the sea.
Although in truth it was more fun deciding which bit of fishing equipment was most in need of 'decoration'.
Next weekend Gail and I going off with friends to stay at Inshriach, a big house on the edge of Cairngorm Mountains. (We went to Inshriach once before, many years ago, you can read all about how that went if you click here and here).
I am hoping my paws will be in better shape to tackle more adventurous walks by then.
Friends, I know that many, perhaps all, of you live in places where the summers are warmer than ours here in Aberdeen.
And maybe you will think I am taking the 'cup half full' thing a bit far when I say that there are advantages to living in a city where hot days are rarer than icebergs at the Equator. But please bear with me.
The thing is, if we do, by some fluke of the jet stream or whatever, actually experience properly warm weather, all normal rules of behaviour are suspended for the duration, and this can be to a pup's advantage.
Take last night. Most unusually, it was still over 20ºC when Gail and I went for a late evening walk around the harbour mouth area.
We were not alone.
Other dog walkers, golfers, frisbee throwers, photographers hoping for sight of a dolphin, kids bravely venturing into the always frigid North Sea, cyclists, joggers, Polish workers from the fish processing factory relaxing with a beer, students tending a barbecue…. you name it, they were out there enjoying the (relatively) balmy conditions.
And I am pleased to report that one group of giggly girls were not paying attention to their half eaten picnic on the wee beach by the harbour wall. So I decided to help them out (don't you just hate food going to waste?) And I must say those sausage rolls were most delicious.
The giggly girls just giggled some more at the sight of this happy wire-haired fox terrier licking flaky pasty from his beard, as Gail tried unconvincingly to reprimand me, while herself failing to suppress a smile.
Although Gail did not see fit to record this particular episode on camera, she did take some other photos on our walk, and I hope these will give you a flavour of our one day of Aberdeen summer.
(You will just have to imagine the flavour of the sausage roll.)
It was only last week, wasn't it, when I complained to you about Gail impinging on MY walk time by stopping on the way to the park to talk to HER friends.
It gets worse. Quite often she talks to complete strangers too. And then blames me 'cos she says before she had a dog, everyone just ignored her!
Take yesterday's outing as an example.
There I was, with Gail, enjoying a stroll around the wee headland at the mouth of Aberdeen Harbour, when a couple carrying a map stopped beside us. Below I faithfully report the ensuing conversation.
(The lady to her husband:) "Regardez Gaston, c'est Milou!" (And then to Gail) "Oh, excusez moi, excuse me, is zat duerg zee same teep as Tintin's duerg? C'est un Fuerx Terrieur, n'est-ce pas?"
Gail: "This is Bertie, and you're right, he's a wire-haired fox terrier, like Milou. Although we call Tintin's dog Snowy over here."
"We av a duerg at ome too, and ah am meessing eem. But, pleez, can you tell me, is zees zer place where we seez zer Duerrl-fins?"
"Zer Duerrl-fins? Oh, (light dawns), the DOLPHINS. Yes it is. You can quite often see them playing at the harbour entrance.
"And av you seen zem today?"
"No, I haven't, the sea is a bit rough just now. The best time for dolphin spotting is in summer at high tide, especially when the water is calm."
The lady translates this to her husband, then proceeds to ask about the ruined building behind (was zees un chateau?) the boats in the harbour (are zey feeshing boats?) the structure in the water nearby (eez it an uerrl rig?) and Gail gets sucked into a lengthy explanation of the history of the Torry Battery, the difference between fishing boats and vessels for taking supplies to oil platforms, the need to dredge sediments from the mouth of the harbour and the fact that the oil fields are over 100 km offshore. All this is again translated to husband and elicits supplementary questions. Then Gail asks if they are visiting and lady says their daughter is studying in Aberdeen for a year so they came over from France to see her. Then Gail says she once had a French student lodging with her and what a lovely girl she was and, on and on it went...
I think you would have got bored too.
P.S. Gail, who does not always appreciate the subtleties of my writing, has just asked if I am looking for a new career as Inspector Clouseau.
(Video clip included to bring a smile to any despondent Scottish rugby fans...)
It occurred to me the other day that, although we live less than two miles from the Aberdeen City Beach, whenever we visit it, we always go by car. So I suggested on Sunday that perhaps we could walk there just this once.
Gail raised an eyebrow, said this was hardly the most scenic of walks, and despite being August it wasn't exactly beach weather, but if I insisted, then it was OK by her.
I did insist. So off we went.
We headed north through Ferryhill,
Then down past (but thankfully not into) the Veterinary Surgery,
And eastwards across to the harbour.
OK I admit the tanks of drilling mud at Regents Quay are not picturesque,
But finally we made it to 'Fittie', Aberdeen's quaint old fishing settlement, which is...
….Right by the beach!
Hooray. Time for a run!
Here we see some Staffie owners sporting typical Aberdeen beachwear (if you zoom in you might spot the goose pimples on the bare calves...)
By the amusement arcades and cafes the gull are poised to swoop.
The funfair was in full swing as we set off back inland,
We returned via the City Centre,
To admire the Union Street's granite buildings (and ignore its derelict shops).
By the Music Hall we turned on to Crown Street and past the former Post Office building,
Full marks to the Brentwood Hotel for their bright display of geraniums.
And finally it's onto the home straight.
Well I enjoyed the walk anyway. I hope you did too.
First there was Hamish the Westie. Then there was Bouncing Bertie. Now we have new WFT puppy Nobby. Will he be Nice Nobby or Naughty Nobby? Watch this space!
