Hiking Weekend

Hi folks, welcome back to my blog :)
I thought I would update you on a thoroughly enjoyable hiking weekend in and around Roslin and Rosewell..

On Saturday I went for a leisurely walk near Rosewell, on my travels I met various friends , and some not so friends.
My first encounter was with a talking horse, which I later figured out, was not actually talking but instead was carrying a passenger, and it was this lady who was in fact talking to me from the back of the horse. That really thew me for a bit.

Later on my route after returning some horse equipment that was found on the road to a nearby stables I encountered a new breed of dog - farm dog !!! du du duuuuu. Yes iv met friendlier beasts, had to make a sharp exit from there, with teeth chasing my rear end. - Gees you do someone a favour- and what do get - a bite in the backside- that's what.

Sundays constitutional was in fact a hike around Roslin Glen, a few major highlights were; good swimming , lots of friendly dogs, and a traumatic experience with a bridge.

To set the scene, unlike you human-beings, dogs don't walk with their heads up, they litterally walk with their nose to the ground, so when you come across open rung stairs and bridges where you can see through the floor , its enough to make you go weak at the knees. I tried many options to avoid going over the bridge, but there was no way around. My owner tried to pull me up the stairs on my lead first of all, after that didn't work, she tried to push me up the stairs from behind,but no luck. Then, came the biscuit trick. Oh yes they get that low!...owner and friend enticing me to the top of the stairs with of all things 'chocolate biscuit' but still no way. By this time a reasonable audience had gathered at the bottom of the stairs, and were giving much encouragement. In an act of desperation my owner and friend took off my lead and ran off without me, forcing me to attempt the bridge. I did swallow my fear, and did make it up the open stairs only to find that the bridge was made of wooden planks and I could see down between them!!! well as you can image, I hit the deck...tummy flat to the boards, legs like jelly...I was doing a convincing impression of a fur rug. I couldn't turn back, that would mean tacking the open stairs again. I tried to turn around very slowly but the moving ground made me giddy and sick. I just froze, belly inches form the wooden planks, gallons of white water gushing past 100s of feet below me, it was terriffying. (ok,ok, so it was only 20 meters high, with a trickling stream below, but im allowed some artistic licence this is, after all, my blog). On the bridge now, there had also gathered a small crowd all giving lots of encouragement, 'good boy' 'well done' 'come on, you can do it' etc etc. I stalked my way slowly across the bridge, inching bit by bit further to the far side, crouching low, tail down, ears flat and back- as one by-stander put it - "SAS style".
Eventually reaching the other side I was met by a thunderous applause from the crowd, lots of cuddles and praise, I felt like a celebrity. "thank you, thank you very much, im here all week", "Grozny has left the bridge".

After all that excitement and trauma I needed a stiff drink - we stopped at a nearby pub for a bowl of water and a bite to eat.
I fared little better crossing the bridge back again on the way home, and again I attracted a crowd of well wishers - by the time I got home to my couch - i was out for he count :)
Id like to thank owner and friend for a thoroughly enjoyable weekend.