Say Hello to Uncle Frank

This is me as I have never been before (fish don’t count). This is me holding my newly born (four weeks old) puppy, Uncle Frank.

Growing up I never had a pet. My father discouraged any suggestion of a pet, and I can’t even remember if my sister or I brought the subject up – pets were just something that all the other people I knew had. It was not my family and was exclusively so. This might shock some of my readers too, especially those in Canada, where having a dog is fourth after Hockey, Tim Hortons and pancakes. And that’s not even a cultural stereotype, it’s brazen iron clad fact. Uncle Frank (Frank for short, emphasised by my parents, once you get to know him) will join the ranks of Mr. Benson, Logan and Hurley, all familial pets in the Shields-Draycott-Gamble-Cookson-Holden... gaggle.

Hurley is a soft coated wheaten terrier poodle mix. Both Logan and Benson share the same father – a mountainous black Labrador, and are various types of chocolate Labrador.  Uncle Frank, the son of Ellie and Tam, a yellow and fox red lab pair, will become the first pet I will ever have had.

Am I ready to have a dog, you might ask, seeing as I really don’t know what I am letting myself in for. I am not sure – that’s part of the fun of course, but it’s something that I have became convinced of recently, that my quality of life would dramatically increase with a dog and Connie agrees with me. It’s another adventure and I am pretty stoked to have a puppy (!!!!).

Admittedly, I did enjoy having a cage for a while. Uncle Frank will have to make do with sharing it with me.

Going Back to Glasgow

Back when I started this blog, in late 2006, I was embarking on the first part of a rather crazy journey; my degree was ending, I had just moved out from my parents house, and was slowly coming to terms with my first ever “proper” professional job. In the life span of this blog there has been some pretty important up-heaveals – moving to Aberdeen, my new job, personal circumstance changes, and later moving to and returning from Houston, Texas. In that time, there has been plenty to write about, and now that my life has reached an almost satisfying plateau, it’s time for me and my partner to up root and move on – this time, back down south, for we are moving to Glasgow this summer.

It’s moving home for me, and a big nervy adventure for Connie, because we are leaving the city I grew to call home over the past five years. I am transferring to a new home, a new office, and a new lifestyle – a much more self sufficient, healthy, social life style. One that I have missed, but worked hard to carve out in Aberdeen.

The move has meant that for the first time we will be living amongst my family and friends. The realisation that upon driving back to Aberdeen last week that this would be a trip long forgotten soon was jolting, but rather welcome. Do I know what will become of my life now? Is this the next stage in the platuea?

No, of course not. In fact, just to spice things up, in the past week Connie and I have made some pretty large strides – she was awarded leave to remain in the UK and we have made a commitment to a yellow Labrador puppy. This final point will become more important in the coming months. I’d expect that this blog will become somewhat of a dog-blog, with stories and tales exclaimed on here.

In the end, I never know what will happen and that excites me. It scares me, but it scares me into action. Glasgow is where I grew up and I can’t wait to get back into things I used to do – Scouts is one that is becoming more and more likely. Imagine this blog, five years later, going full circle.

I just don’t expect to end up living with Hyder, Duff, and working for Rock Steady again... though you never know.

Wednesday Graveyard: Turquoise Hexagon Sun

Here is a playlist in Spotify that is based on Boards of Canada. It's mostly IDM with a few other genres overlapping, and in my eyes is a damn good playlist. Have a listen, won't you?

It'll expand your mind.