A breath of fresh air from Scotland

Welcome to "Man with two dogs" - the family website for dog owners and dog walkers.

This is my countryside diary which appears each Saturday in the Courier & Advertiser newspaper.

Archive for September, 2009

Grey bandits

Saturday, September 26th, 2009
Weekly

THE BEDROOM window is sometimes the best vantage point to watch the domestic wildlife as we get dressed in the morning. Right now a whitebeam tree, which would have been planted originally for ornamental purposes, is mobbed with blackbirds and thrushes feeding on its juicy red berries. It provides colour and pleasure in the springtime too when the pink blossom flowers. (more…)

Written for Weekly |

Getting to the bottom of things …

Saturday, September 19th, 2009
Weekly

WOOD HEDGEHOGS aren’t wood and aren’t hedgehogs either, as I found out several days ago. The Wood Hedgehog or Urchin of the Woods is one of our woodland mushrooms and although they are quite common I’ve never knowingly seen one before. They are identified by the spines instead of gills on the underside of the pale cap. (more…)

Written for Weekly |

Great road north

Saturday, September 12th, 2009
Weekly

‘DAYS OUT here and there’ are something the Doyenne and I look forward to. (more…)

Written for Weekly |

Charlie is my darling ….

Saturday, September 5th, 2009
Weekly

BONNIE PRINCE CHARLIE has been on my mind lately.  In this Year of Homecoming I’ve heard no mention of him – one of Scotland’s symbolic historical figures.  I suppose the principal objective always was to celebrate the birth of Rabbie Burns, and Scotland’s success in the quarter millennium since.  Success was something that evaded “the Prince in the Heather”. (more…)

Written for Weekly |