A fishy business..

When Gail comes home from work she has a habit of telling me the news from the office (whether or not I asked). Last week, her Perthshire-based colleague Beth was apparently all excited to be attending a big event celebrating the start of the Scottish salmon fishing season. Beth's husband is a ghillie on the River Tay.

Well yesterday Gail and I went for an amble along our local salmon river, the Dee, but failed to spot any anglers standing in the icy waters. After the walk we passed by a shop in Banchory and, noticing a 'dogs welcome' sign on the door, went in to have a look round.

In one quiet corner of the shop, I spotted some interesting activity and called Gail over to have a look...

Within seconds I was surrounded by admirers.

"Ooh a fox terrier!"
'Such splendid dogs, we had them when I was a boy."
"What a fine specimen, this one, so alert."
"A real terrier, bursting with character."

All true of course.

Rather rudely, I thought, Gail interrupted my new fan club to ask about the equipment on the table.

We learned that we'd chanced upon a fly tying workshop and these men were engaged in the delicate art stitching together assorted feathers and fluff in the hope of fashioning a lure that will prove irresistible to our notoriously wary salmon.

Oh, and apparently the fish on the Dee can swim safely for another couple of weeks, as the men (it almost always is men) with the rods and flies are not let loose until 1st February in this part of Scotland.

I shall report back from the river next month.

I'm going on a diet RIGHT NOW!

Gail is back home and I have had a quick scan through her holiday snaps.

I had imagined there would just be endless boring pictures of people riding bicycles.

So imagine my excitement when I came across this.

Yes that's right, a wee chihuahua. Apparently he belongs to a Russian lady who sat next to Gail on the ten hour flight from Seattle to Frankfurt. 

You know, I'm sure there would be room for me under one of those airplane seats. I don't see my long legs and the fact that I am one kilo over Lufthansa's weight limit as an obstacle; do you? And Gail says I have an enviably strong bladder.

I would even be prepared to diet.

Ah, and now here I have found proof that it's not safe to let Gail out of my sight. Look at her, riding her bicycle over Tacoma Narrows Bridge...

OK, there were lots more bike photos too (I'll spare you) but eventually I found something of real interest.

Can you believe Gail didn't bring a packet of these yummy sounding potato crisps/chips home for me?

I mean, for sure they would be an excellent component of a calorie controlled diet designed to bring a wire fox terrier's weight down from nine to a flight-friendly eight kilograms?

I suppose I had better show you the gift I did receive.

 Hmmm. Wow! Totally delicious.

The diet starts tomorrow…

PS from Gail: readers in the USA might be interested to know that our planned bicycle tour, in the Chelan/Omak/Twisp region of Washington State, was hastily reorganised due to the wildfires raging through that area. We ended up riding further south, east of the Cascades, overnighting in Ellensburg, Yakima, Richland  and Othello (for slideshow click here). The skies were hazy and we could still sometimes smell the smoke. We also fitted in a hike near Mount Rainier, went kayaking in Puget Sound, and some days just relaxed. It was all good.

Best Not In Show

When I was a tiny wee pup, it was determined that I would not be a show dog. Something to do with the set of my tail or the shape of my head being wrong, I believe.

Now we are not in this household virulently anti-dog show or anything.  I can promise you, Gail spent many hours in front of the telly this weekend transfixed by Crufts, trying to figure out what on earth the judges are looking for, and muttering things like "but surely that labrador that came
second was a bit fat", and "I just can't imagine why the gorgeous Samoyed didn't get placed....."

But I do know I am more than happy to be able to spend my sunny spring Sunday afternoons gallivanting by the River Dee with sound of salmon plopping away in the background, and not a care in the world.

PS Gail is ridiculously pleased that she 'caught' a salmon leaping in the final photo (top left). You're right, it is not very impressive but, to keep the peace, I decided to humour her and show you anyway.

Toodle pip!
Bertie the Diplomat.