Gloucestershire, Jul14

I spoke too soon! Almost as soon as we got back to Oban, Susan was planning another trip! She was invited for a job interview at a Falconry Centre near Gloucester a few days after our return to Bangor (we had a dog show to attend with Wish first).

We travelled by train on the Monday and were Couchsurfing for the week with Irvine. Tuesday Susan went to her interview and I stayed at home - after my recent trips being gobbled by things, I didn't fancy my chances with 300 birds of prey! She returned to say that it had gone well and she had been shortlisted to attend a work day on the Thursday, which was a brilliant achievement. Wednesday Irvine had the day off work so we planned a full day of outings with another Couchsurfer, Andrea. Susan has always wanted to visit the home of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust at Slimbridge, so when Irvine told her it was just down the road, that became the first port of call! It was really good, with well laid out paths and areas for the different birds. I don't think I've ever seen so many birds in one place before! I was safe from being gobbled because you can buy grain to feed the birds, so I think they were all very well fed!



After spending the morning at the Trust HQ, we headed back for lunch before going out in the afternoon to explore the Forest of Dean. Susan has been here once before, many years ago when she went with her mum to pick up Shimmy from her breeder. On that occasion they didn't spend much time in the area so she was very excited to see what was there. Irvine took us to the places he used to hang out when he was a kid growing up in the area, and we found some really lovely walks with stunning views over the Severn Valley. From one, using binoculars, we could even see his flat in Gloucester!

I made another friend, but this time a much more pleasant fellow, called Duck. We posed with eachother at the Roman Road, supposedly the last piece of original paved Roman Road left in the UK. Duck was telling me that he goes to work with Irvine every day, but he rarely gets to go on adventures as Irvine works hard during the summer so that he can spend his winters abroad (he doesn't like the cold and dark.) I think Duck was a bit jealous of all my adventures so I told him I'd post this photo of us so that it looks like he gets to go on some too!

Towards the end of the day, we visited Symonds Yat Rock, a magnificent outcrop that overhangs the Wye River. We all got rather excited when Susan heard a Peregrine Falcon flying overhead and spent a few minutes watching it lift on the air currents before disappearing into the distance at a great height. It was sunny when we arrived but dark clouds were soon rolling in so we beat a hasty retreat before the storm hit.

Irvine suggested grabbing a Chinese from his old village and eating it at one of the other viewpoints, which we all agreed was an excellent idea! Thankfully it rained really heavy for about 10 minutes while we were waiting for our food, then it dried up into another pleasant evening.

Susan had a lovely day at the selection work day, but unfortunately was unsuccessful in gaining her dream job. Still, plenty more to try for, I'm sure, and now that she has a driving license I'm sure we'll be able to go on lots more adventures which may aid her job search.

Scandinavian Summer

No rest for the wicked, as they say!

Susan was offered an amazing opportunity to work in Sweden this summer doing fieldwork on Flycatchers (small black and white birds). Everything was a little rushed as due to our adventures in Scotland, and a few busy weekends, she lost track of time and was once again reduced to last minute packing! She almost left me behind!

We flew to Stockholm then caught the train to Uppsala, where she was spending the weekend before journeying south to the research area on Öland. We had a lovely time exploring this city, which has a rich history. 

During the field season, I didn't get out much as Susan was so busy with the birds. I was most upset when she left me behind on her day off, when the team went to explore the north of the island. Still not really forgiven her for that! I did get out a couple of times though.
The first was an afternoon when we went snake hunting at Ismanstorp, an ancient ringfort near one of the fieldwork sites. Fortunately for me, they didn't find any snakes, but because of the time of year, there were many, many orchids flowering in the field. I couldn't resist having a sniff of a few, as well as posing beside a baby Oak tree... on seeing the photo, Susan's dad suggested that she take me back in a few years and let me sit in one of it's branches! Brilliant idea, Andy!

The second was a trip to the mainland city of Kalmar, where we visited the castle. Now, you all know me, I have a thing for cannons, so I couldn't resist climbing up for a better look. The view was pretty nice too, aiming the cannons towards the south end of the channel.

 At the end of the field season, we returned to Uppsala for a weekend before touring for a bit. This time, I got to go looking for Vikings, and was happy to spend a day at Gamla Uppsala, or Old Uppsala. This site has many burial mounds for ancient kings, which are quite hard to walk up (thankfully, Susan had my rucksack with her so I hitched a ride on her back).

In the background of some of these photos you can see the spire of Uppsala  Cathedral, which dominates the very flat landscape.

After a weekend in Uppsala, we made a 24 hour stop in Stockholm, where unfortunately we were so busy sightseeing that Susan didn't actually take that many photos! Here is one of my from the City Hall (where they award the Nobel Prizes every year).
Susan was very happy though, because she managed to finally see a Swedish Moose at the Open Air Museum called Skansen. I just wish we'd had enough time to explore it fully because we literally ran round the Native Animals part (it was fun watching the bear cubs play rough and tumble), then had to go back to pick up bags for our next venture.

As if spending the whole summer doing bird work wasn't enough, Susan had decided to volunteer at a Bird Ringing Observatory called Kvismare. She must be crazy as she was getting up at 2am to go out ringing every day! You'll be pleased to know that I retained some sanity and enjoyed snoozing until she got back at around 10, when she would go back to bed for a few hours, leaving me to explore outside. I was amazed at the different birds they had here compared to what we have at home, and made friends with some of the locals.

Thankfully, this craziness only lasted a week, then we were back on the train (a double decker!) and this time heading to Oslo. Having a little more time here, Susan actually remembered to take some photos, and we had a great time exploring the city while trying to stay cool. I think that was the plan when we visited the Fram museum, dedicated to Polar exploration. I made a few furry friends with the bears and tried my hand at sailing the ship (someone forgot to lift the anchor so we didn't get very far!)

On our last day in Scandinavia Susan decided to visit the Natural History Museum, but it didn't open til 11am! So we spent a couple of hours wandering around the Botanical Gardens which surround it, and I had a lovely time relaxing on this grassy sofa.
I also made a new friend that reminds me of the owls in the Harry Potter films. My friend was on a perch in the cafe courtyard and seemed most annoyed at everyone enjoying fresh cookies, cakes and waffles without sharing them with him. I was also conscious that if he was feeling hungry, I might become a snack, so we left him to his jealousy and went in search of more ancient friends.
I spoke too soon! Not sure if we found Rexy, or if Rexy found us, but either way, I was gobbled! Thankfully, after many years of display, he was missing a few teeth so I managed to escape without losing a limb!
All these adventures had taken their toll on me, and I found a really cosy bed to have a snooze in while Susan was having a look around. Unfortunately, the occupant came back before I could get comfy and I had to beat a hasty retreat before being gobbled again! What is it with all these museum pieces wanting to eat me?

 Anyway, we both made it back to Scotland in one piece. Don't know about Susan, but I'm all journeyed out for now - looking forward to a few months at home getting back into routine and catching up with all my old pals.

March Madness

Well, I was scratching my head to remember what my March adventures were like, then Susan kindly found these photos to remind me!
I wasn't allowed to join in the fun and games of the Hen Weekend, which by the smell involved lots of girly pampering. And I decided I was safer staying in the bag for Crufts - far too many crazy people and dogs for my liking!
I thought that would be us all travelled out for a bit, but the end of March saw Susan packing her bags again for another trip north. This time she was going to be Bridesmaid at her friend Adie's wedding, and I know she was really looking forward to wearing the shoes I helped her pick out in Chester. For some reason, she decided to make a "holiday" of it and went up a week before she was needed - something about being on hand if anyone needed help last minute. As it was, the wedding plans were going smoothly, so she had a week off and we planned a few adventures!
Her mum suggested a drive up Glen Coe to see the snow, and maybe do some photo shoots with the dogs. I tagged along as I've never been to this really impressive landscape before. We stopped at a lay-by to take some photos, and I struck a pose away from the edge of the waterfall (it looked cold!) Susan's new puppy, Wish was also wanting to have photos taken, so Susan decided to pose with us both while her mum took some photos. It was very nice, and we attracted a bit of attention from other drivers as they went past on the main road.

Next stop was the turn off for Glen Etive, which stretches all the way back to Oban almost! We didn't go down the road, but Susan wanted to take some photos of the Sianworth Show Team posing with Buchaile Etive Mhor in the background, one of the most photographed mountains in the UK. While her mum was getting the dogs ready, I snuck a quick shot at the mountain, which was very impressive with all the snow. We had to be careful with the dogs, as there were some deer around and they make for a good chase.
Now, I love Susan's dogs, and I like to think they like me too. But I'm not so fond of this new young upstart she has! I was sitting admiring the view, minding my own business when she grabbed me from behind and proceeded to prance around like a loony. After Susan managed to stop laughing, she retrieved me from the jaws of this demonic dog and carried on with the photo shoot, keeping me nearby to protect me. Unfortunately, Wish had other ideas. She must have been hungry because the amount of drool on my fur was worse than when I have my annual bath, and I was worried that I might have icicles!

After retrieving me for the third, or maybe the fourth time, I decided to stay in the van while Susan finished taking photos. Her mum thought I would have made a good distraction for the dogs, as she'd left their toys at home... HMPH! Good to know that I'm useful!
The drive home was nice though, with some spectacular scenery to drive past. I took up my usual position in the front of the van and really enjoyed the view.

A few days later, Susan persuaded her brother Tom to take us for another road trip, this time heading north east to the Cairngorms. Unfortunately, when we got there it was raining quite heavily so we made a short stop for buying postcards then headed to Boat of Garten, where we had a lovely lunch at the The Osprey Cafe, run by her friend and ex landlord from University.
Then it was back on the road, following an old Military Road that Tom thought would be good to drive. I'm not sure Susan understands his passion for cars, but I think she enjoyed herself. I saw lot's of wildlife but didn't like to ask if we could slow down, just a little bit, to get a better view. After a while, Susan recognised where we were and asked that we go for a short detour to visit the Linn of Dee, a favourite hunting ground of Queen Victoria's. There is a really nice river with some pretty waterfalls, so we stopped at the top car park and went for a stroll.
After the storms, a few of the trees had been felled, so I got a bit distracted counting the rings on this old tree - I reckon it was well over 100 years old!


On our way back to the main road, Susan decided to post the postcards she'd bought at Aviemore, and because she is part of a large community of "postcrossers", she decided to get Tom to take a photo. I must say that I quite enjoy helping her to choose and write cards for people around the world, and love reading the back of all the postcards we get back. She has even put me on some, so I seem to be travelling even when I'm tucked up in bed! Maybe she will use some of these photos for her next personal postcard.


 Tom has a nice car (despite Susan calling it an old banger because it's as old as he is!), but unfortunately it doesn't have a Simon seat, so for me to watch the view, I needed Susan to hold me up. I think she kept snoozing, as I missed quite a lot of the breathtaking landscapes, but she woke up around Glen Shee and remembered to take some photos.  Despite all the snow at Glen Coe just a few days before, the snow cover here wasn't really enough for skiing so the slopes were quiet. Susan said that a few years ago she saw Snow Buntings and Ptarmigan up here, but there was nothing but deer on this occasion.

There was some argument about the best route home, but as Tom was the driver, he decided and took us on a very nice road past another landmark that Queen Victoria would have visited, namely Queen's View, just outside Pitlochry.

It's quite a view from the viewpoint and I was getting a little dizzy from the height. After a couple of photos, I thought it might be a good idea to move away from the edge and sit on the information rock, but came over feeling all weird and ended up taking a tumble! 

Thankfully, Tom doesn't hate me as much as I thought he did, and he helped me back up again, before giving me some tips to overcome this sudden onset of vertigo. I was thankful for the tips, as the setting sun made this a really beautiful place to spend the evening. Part of me didn't want to leave this amazing place, but we needed dinner so decided to get on our way.

Oh, and I can't believe it's taken this long for Susan to get a photo of me at the World Famous Pink Shop that is in her village!