Staying upright

It keeps snowing. And when it isn't snowing the temperature drops to incredible sub zero temperatures. I had a dilemma. How to walk the dogs and stay on my two feet. An all time low came when Hamish decided to sniff another dog's bottom several yards away and I just slid along behind unable to get a grip.

I got good advice from a resident of even more Arctic conditions than these. "Get some snow grippers for your boots!" Grand.

The said grippers arrived yesterday. Out in the snow with the dogs and I have a fantastic grip of Scotland. Hamish sees a friendly dog and lunges forward, inviting him to play. I keep my grip on the ground ... and tip forward into a snowdrift.

Marvellous.

Keeping it up

Jings it's hard to keep this blogging thing up.

This account threatens to not be so much about balance as a list of excuses for tardiness ... so I'm not going there.

Being self employed is a bit scary at the moment. Talk of businesses folding and public service cutting back to the bone makes a freelancer a bit nervous. However, so far the fears have been unfounded. I have enough work. Not so much that I'm overwhelmed and not so much that I'm completely free of worry about the future but enough to pay the bills for a while yet.

But there's a little more space in my life than there was and I've been able to do something I've been wanting to do for a very long time.

I've started to write a novel. Actually this is the third novel I've written but the other two feel like practice runs. Maybe this one will be more of the real thing. Maybe not. It doesn't matter that much although I'd love to find my novelist's voice.

So the word of wisdom for me in these belt tightening days is to start doing something that costs nothing but fulfils a long held desire.

Maybe cutting back isn't so bad after all.

End of an era

Today we say goodbye to our caravan and take delivery of a motorhome.

It feels like the end of an era and time to acknowledge moving into a new phase of life.

In other words we're getting older.

Caravanning has been a hobby, a source of huge fun and a means of escape for many years. Lots of people don't understand why folk do it but for me it's been relaxing and healthy and a way of getting a break at a moment's notice at relatively little cost.

But it's physically demanding. On our last trip we had to ask men to help us lift the stabiliser arm on three different occasions. They were glad to help but we felt a bit uncomfortable.

The decision was made and a motorhome found.

So today is both exciting and a little sad. Sadie the caravan has been emptied and lovingly cleaned and we wait with nervous excitement for the changeover.

Here's to many more years of the open road.

Mr Brown and the B word

Politicians are not my favourite people but this week Gordon Brown went up in my estimation. Interviewing a woman who was whinging on about Eastern Europeans taking our jobs he was heard to comment that she was a bigot when he walked away. Sadly he forgot he had a personal microphone on and the comment was clearly not meant to be overheard.

He thinks he made a mistake - I think it might well go in his favour.

On holiday I met a lovely woman out walking her elderly dog. She was so pleasant that it came as a shock when she suddenly remarked that she couldn't stand those people who lived in the South East of England. I wanted to say 'So have you met all of them?'.

When we moved to Scotland thirty years ago I heard loads of people saying they couldn't stand the English. Fortunately they were in the minority and hospitality and friendship has far outweighed the occasional racist attitude.

It's the 21st Century. Racism has had its day. It has killed and injured enough people to last another millenium.

Mr Brown, for once you were right. Don't be ashamed of telling it like it is.

A dog's life?

I have two blogs. This one and one I write for Hamish our labradoodle. Somehow it feels easier to talk about life from the dog's viewpoint than my own. I wonder why? A lighter touch perhaps, a little less serious maybe, or is it that Hamish has a simpler view of the world? Who knows ... and frankly who cares?? Anyway here's Hamish's blog.

Happy reading...

Maybe it's because spring is near ...

We're on the lookout for a puppy. Hamish the labradoodle has been such a delight that we're ready to have another one. But a poodle this time.

It feels a bit like choosing to have a second child. Except of course we'll keep reminding ourselves that this is not a child but a dog... and how difficult that is when they are a tiny ball of fluff.

There are other obvious differences between choosing to have a child and a puppy but no need to state the obvious.

Speaking of which I was once given the Basil Fawlty award for stating the bleeding obvious when I worked for a big college that will remain nameless. Not one of my finer moments ....