WARNING
This entry contains violence and animal cruelty issues. If you're a sensitive, animal lib vegetarian type person, look away now.

Bertie finally caught a rabbit.

He seemed surprised, after the initial excitement (growling, squealing, thrashing around, dying etc). He seemed particularly surprised that after the rabbit was dead, it kind of stayed dead. He poked it with his nose a few times and stood back all eager, as if waiting for it to start the game again. I waited for him to bring his prey to my feet in tribute, but he didn't. He got bored with it in about two minutes and that was that. I hope some lucky fox is feasting on it right now.

OK the veges can look back again.

I went sailing this afternoon, since it was sunny and there was a nice breeze. Oh, and it's the first day of summer. On the morning walk Bertie and I took a stroll along the marina pier and watched Ian, one of the instructors, teaching a kayak class. "Going for a sail?" he said, "Great day for it." So I did. I went home and got my wetsuit and dinghy boots and cagoule and gloves and went for a sail.

I made a mess of launching -- the wind was quite strong, an easterly, and before I could get the rudder down, I was blown on to the pier. It's a bugger getting out of this -- the sail is trapped flat against the jetty. One way is to raise the centreboard and capsize, then walk the boat out (thigh deep in sticky black mud) before relaunching. But happily the sea scouts were out and about, and their support boat towed me out of trouble.

The sail itself was fab, nice and bouncy and exciting. I just cruised up and down the river, getting very wet. Sailing in a wetsuit really makes a difference on the Forth, it's cold even now, and even on a sunny day like today. I "parked" without too much palaver -- it can be tricky coming in with a strong wind, you have to let the sails out enough so you don't come in too fast and crash onto the slipway, but not so much that you end up drifting into the pier. I managed not to do either. After I'd put the boat away, I went off to find someone to confess to -- I'd noticed that the sail was torn, where I'd hit the pier and the mast had dragged across it.

They were very nice about it, just said these things happen, we'll just get it mended.

What else? Not a lot. I've scanned a lot of photos, done the garden (but not the lawn), cleaned the house, been for a few more expeditions. I love being on holiday. I'm sooooooo relaxed. I might go away for a few days next week, if I can be bothered that is. I'm thinking of going to Callander, it's not far away and there are lots of forest walks etc for Bertie.