Nature Friday strike

Perhaps my friends can tell me how I am supposed to come up with a Nature Friday posts when it has been raining heavily in Aberdeen almost every day for the past two weeks, the riverside paths are flooded, woodland walks deemed too muddy and down by the sea you get blown off your paws.

And then on the one day this week when it finally stopped raining, all I got was a pre-dawn walk skirting the puddles in the park, before Gail headed off to meet her friends for what looked like a fun bike ride. 

Oh, Gail has reminded me that she did take me for a sniff around Dunecht Estate and the sun put in a brief appearance. I guess this is the closest I'll get to a nature post this week...

I trust my friends will have more to show today than tussocks of soggy grass and trees bare of leaves...

River path realignment

Back in Aberdeen this week, Gail and I took a gentle stroll along the river bank, from Duthie Park to Cults. 

The stroll might have been gentle, but the forces of nature were much in evidence. And not only in the wind that is blowing my ears aloft in the picture above.

Since last walking here, winter storms have flooded the path, toppled several trees and deposited new layers of sand where mud used to be.

Part of the path has now disappeared in the river, and when I started to show a bit too much interest in peering over the overhanging bank to the fast flowing water below, Gail decided it was time to clamp on my lead. 

But soon I was released again, and was scoping out a route through the trees while Gail photographed the debris swept up by the floodwater.

Before heading back I enjoyed one last session of grubbing around in newly exposed tree roots - always an excellent place for locating interesting smells and delaying the return home, I find.

Happy Nature Friday friends! I wonder if Nature has been remodelling your local landscape lately?

PS Yesterday I celebrated living with Gail for one whole year. She says it's been "quite the experience..."

All things are relative

Since I am a young and energetic pup, and Gail does not have to rush off to work these days, quite often we extend the morning walk round Duthie Park to take in green spaces on either side of the River Dee, next to the park. 

It's always good news if, when we reach the SW corner of the park, Gail clamps on my lead so we can cross the main road and the bridge over the river and I can expect a fine gallop along the broad grassy paths though the trees and across the recreation ground.

On Friday morning it was raining heavily with 25-30 mph winds thrown in, and I'll admit I wasn't sorry when, after a very quick peek at the swollen river, we returned home (although not before the wind had turned her exceptionally robust 35 year old golf umbrella, survivor of many previous storms, inside out). 

The stormy weather continued all day and night. By Saturday morning I was starting to get restless so I persuaded Gail that we should try the park extension walk again, the rain having eased off, if not the wind. 

Well this was the 'green space' on the south side of the river.

And here's the low lying recreation ground where dogs are permitted to roam when the football players are absent. 

So (sigh) it was all a bit of a washout again.

In the afternoon Gail drove me inland a few miles and promised me a walk along what should be a "relatively dry" forest track.

Hmm. I guess she did say "relatively".....