Skywatch with seagulls

I'm not sure where gulls spend their nights but it looks like these are getting ready for bed.



To see what's happening with skies around the world, click here.

I've been busy and am playing catch up again. For some reason I didn't take many photos when the visitors were here last week but what I did take will have to wait for a few more days because I am heading off for a weekend of back to back dog shows.

Edinburgh is the venue on Saturday and the weather forecast is not good. I may take some convincing that dog-showing is a fun hobby when I am huddled in a wind-buffeted marquee with the rain lashing down.

There will be mud. There's always mud.

What not to wear

Jana, the accident-prone vizsla, (see here and here) broke her remarkably long run of wound-free months by getting a gash above her elbow last Thursday. (Don't enlarge the photo if you're a bit squeamish).



We are not sure exactly how she did it but it required stitching, which means two weeks restricted exercise and, worst of all, having to sport the dreaded collar!

"This is SO not me.
Do you have anything a little more understated..........in pink?"

Monochrome Weekly

It's been a while since I took part in Monochrome Weekly but I was playing around with some black and white dog portrait shots and quite liked this one of Gypsy.



I might not be around much because we have visitors at the moment but they may well provide me with some blogger fodder.

It's a jungle out there!

Well........maybe not quite a jungle but the warm weather we've been enjoying, mixed with the odd shower here and there, has allowed everything to flourish. Garden weeds especially!

The paths on one of the dogs' favourite walks have almost disappeared in places and the grasses are at my head height (5'2" in case you were wondering). I can push through it but imagine what it must be like from papillon level! Sadly, although the grasses are not impenetrable, the same can not be said for the nasty, sharp gorse, which is slowly but surely closing up many of the trails that we used to walk through. The keener rabbit hunters of my pack may be prepared to brave it but I'm certainly not! I can see a time when we won't be able to walk there at all.

Where did the path go?

Leaping skills come in handy here

Definitely a jungle for Louis




All that wildness makes for insect heaven

A Six-spot Burnet moth

Small Tortoiseshell butterfly

This Bumblebee was covered in pollen



Lots of seed production happening too

Doesn't the seed head make a lovely pattern?


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We've been to a few shows over the last two weekends and father and son, Louis and Desmond, kept up their run of success. At Turriff just over a week ago, Des won his class and Louis was Best Toy Veteran. Last Saturday was Tayside and Lochee Open show at Carnoustie where both boys got the same result and at Keith on Sunday Louis took Best Veteran in Show.

The boys with their winning rosettes

Goose fat not required

Well, we did it. We swam in the sea and survived to tell the tale. It may not have been like the Mediterranean but it really wasn't that bad.

Jana came in for a swim a few times, I think she was worried that we were heading off out to sea, but she wasn't that keen on all the pebbles and rocks. We'll have to take her back to our sandy beach next time.

Louis was also with us and obviously thought we'd lost the plot, after all, who in their right minds would want to get wet?! From the water's edge he loudly encouraged us back out and, when this failed, he took it upon himself to go and guard our belongings. At least they were high and dry.

"Come on in, the water's lovely!"

Just splashing about (not in distress, even if it looks it!)

Louis
"Swimming is for fools"

Jana takes the plunge

Jana has never been keen on water, paddling in the shallows was the most she could bring herself to do. Obviously nobody had told her that vizslas are supposed to love splashing about in water, she clearly regarded the wet stuff in much the same way as the papillons and they'll do their utmost to walk around a puddle.

That all changed today when she actually swam to retrieve a tennis ball and the fact that she kept going back in makes me think that she must have enjoyed the experience. We've had a spell of quite hot weather and the sea temperature must be higher than normal, this I can vouch for because, when I ventured in for a paddle, my feet didn't go numb within the expected two seconds! I even braved it as far as thigh level. The forecast is for much the same tomorrow so I'm actually thinking of having a swim myself! For those of you living in warmer climes, where blue skies and hot summer days can be relied upon, this may not seem a big deal, but believe me, swimming in the sea in Scotland is not for the faint hearted!

A natural at the doggy paddle

A snorkel might have come in handy here

A real water dog at last

A whole lot of shaking going on........