Welcome to my blog

A welcome from Humphrey

Hello there. My name is Humphrey and I’m the new therapy assistant at the Inchmarlo Retirement Community.

This blog will describe my life as I train for my new job. All of the experiences I have and the new friends that I make will be posted here, and you can drop in at any time to see how I’m getting on.

You can see the most recent updates if you scroll down the text on this front page. Alternatively, you can view the archive on the side of this page to see some of my older posts. 

However, if you want to start from the very beginning and get the whole story, you can view my first-ever blog post here.

Feel free to leave a comment and say hi,

Humphrey

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Our Garden Experiment!

My expertise in gardens and plants was called up recently at Inchmarlo when Daddy and I met Jennifer Brodie of Remin to supervise the planting of a selection of plants. 3 boxes of garden flowers were planted in normal earth and 3 boxes of the same flowers except volcanic rock dust had been added to the earth. Daddy had met Jennifer at the AECC 2 months ago when he was told that she had set up a company called Remin Scotland Ltd., which provides earth mixed with volcanic dust, which she believes provides a better result when the plants bloom. Because we have so many plants and flowers around Inchmarlo, Daddy thought he would offer the use of Inchmarlo as a testing ground. Last week our Head Gardener Jim, Jennifer, Daddy and I went and supervised the boxes. The Press & Journal sent out a photographer and it will be fascinating to see the difference in the growth and flowering of the plants with the volcanic dust compared to the plants without over the next two months.

Show House Open Day

You will remember this photograph of me when the houses at Pinecrest were being built. We were having an open day on Saturday and a number of people have said they would come. It was a very nice day and so I suggested that Daddy should get a series of photographs of the house so that people reading this blog can see just how spacious it is. Two bedrooms, one en-suite and a third bedroom or study. The first batch of 8 houses are all sold and we are about to start building on the second batch of 4 houses which will be identical to the first row of houses albeit slightly further to the east, all with south views.

Here are the photographs.

Fun with Charlie and Oscar

It has been a busy week. Pamela was up with Charlie and Oscar and as usual, I have kept very, very busy. They seldom ever stop moving about, playing with things or coming over and giving me a cuddle and I, in turn, give them a paw because I love the underside of my front legs being tickled.

I joined Daddy and Oscar and on another day Daddy and Hamish and we walked all round the Den with either of the boys being very good and holding my lead. They walk much quicker than I do because I like to stop and sniff at everything. There has been a notice in the Den for a little while to say that there is a deer in there and owners walking their dogs are asked to keep them on a lead. I’m not exactly sure what a deer is but I can guarantee that I wouldn’t be interested in doing anything other than having a sniff of it. So, the deer is perfectly safe with me.

 

Out and about with Daddy

My goodness, what absolutely wonderful weather we have been having.  When we went out to Inchmarlo yesterday and went into Inchmarlo House I couldn’t go and speak to my friends because they were involved in a singing session.Home Owners come up every year to play the piano and the other residents join in a sing song. It really was very nice to hear. Daddy took me outside and wanted me to go up to Pinecrest, our new development in which all the houses in Phase 1 are sold, but I just would not walk up the hill.  Daddy tells people that when I don’t want to go somewhere I put my two paws out in front of me and will NOT MOVE!

Home Owners come up every year to play the piano and the other residents join in a sing song. It really was very nice to hear. Daddy took me outside and wanted me to go up to Pinecrest, our new development in which all the houses in Phase 1 are sold, but I just would not walk up the hill.  Daddy tells people that when I don’t want to go somewhere I put my two paws out in front of me and will NOT MOVE!

However, last Sunday afternoon, Mummy, Daddy and I were walking through Hazlehead Rose Garden and we came across another Bulldog and his owners.  We had smelt each other some time ago and his Daddy said that he does the same thing if he does not want to go somewhere.  So clearly, it’s something that we incredibly well bred English Bulldogs do.  When we don’t want to do something, we make our opinions very clear!  We walked back down the path to visit Dawn in the Sales Office and then back up to the house.  Daddy had lunch which he enjoyed very much and Head Chef Colin told him that the Dining Club had taken place recently and I got a little piece of the rack of local spring lamb – naturally without the red wine jus – and it was absolutely gorgeous.  The Dining Club is organised by Home Owners who take it in turn to choose the menu and the wines for their dinner in the Green Drawing Room.

Sunny March visit

Well, we’re into March now and we went out to Inchmarlo again, once more it was a gorgeous day.  Daddy and I took a walk around Westfield and had a look at the terraced banking on the north side.   We looked at the thousands of plants that have been planted in the banking over the years and they are all doing very well.  It’s just gorgeous – but of course, the sun always shines at Inchmarlo!

Daddy went into the house and one of my favorite residents who had been in the hospital for a short spell asked how I was. Daddy told her that I was in the car and he would go and bring me in which he did and I spoke with her for quite a while and went around everyone else in the Red Drawing Room and the Picture Gallery and spoke to them all. We all had a lovely time.

I was with Daddy and Julie in her office when I heard Daddy tell her that he had been to see one of our recently arrived Home Owners who told Daddy she was very happy at Inchmarlo.  Everyone had been extremely friendly and helpful to her while she settled in, isn’t that nice to hear!

Looking Gorgous

Daddy and I have been back and forwards to Inchmarlo.  We were out there yesterday – 23 January –  and while there was a cold nip in the air the sunshine on Inchmarlo house and the various other neighborhoods made everything look just gorgeous. As usual I went into the house and was taken round and spoke to all my friends.  After I did my social interaction with my friends Daddy and I walked down to the sales office, spoke to Dawn and walked round Prince Albert Way through Queen Victoria Park and then back up to the main house.

Two or three Home Owners stopped me and said “Oh this is Humphrey, I have seen your blog” and we had a lovely chat and then met another couple from Queen Victoria Park where one of them had what I would call a Zimmer on wheels. Again, we had a nice chat and they said how handsome I was – naturally. But I’m used to that!

You may remember that my photograph was taken up in the show house with Julie and young Kieron, well it just shows you what a fantastic sales person I am in that this week two additional houses in Pinecrest have been reserved!

Stubborn Bulldog

Well I’ve had a very busy Christmas and New Year.  I’ve been out to Inchmarlo numerous times, and wished the residents a Happy New Year. I’ve also been down to Duthie Park, the beach and to Hazlehead Park.  I’ve met 3 other bulldogs and my goodness, they are handsome beasts!

Last week Mummy and I walked through the Den and met one of our neighbours with two dogs, one was a beagle type dog with enormous ears which must get very messy when drinking water or eating sloppy food!  My goodness, he was very aggressive to me and I can only assume he was jealous of my sleek good looks!

We met a young bulldog in Duthie Park recently and he was doing the same thing that I started doing about 6 months ago, that is if I don’t want to go somewhere, I put my two front legs out in front of me and just go rigid!  Daddy has said that neither of his 2 previous bulldogs acted like that, but the bulldog in Duthie Park did exactly that and his owner told us he was under a year old, so this must be something bred into my breed.

Daddy and I went out to Inchmarlo on Tuesday and I got out of the car and made for the main house to speak to my friends.  Daddy wanted to go and visit a new Home Owner who had just moved into one of the new houses at Pinecrest, but I simply put my feet forward and wouldn’t move.  Daddy knew he had been beaten so he turned around we and went into Inchmarlo House and I saw all my friends.

The New Show House

Well the show house is now finished, so I decided to do my usual inspection and I went up with Julie and her daughter, Kieran, and my goodness was it spacious! The local builder, Frank Burnett, has done a first-class job and I’m absolutely positive that the homeowners who are either in already, or are about to move in, will be very happy with the finished result.

These houses are slightly different from previous ones in that there is a third room which can either be used as a study, or alternatively as a single bedroom.

You’ll notice there is something funny about my feet. It’s not that I am ill or anything, or that they’ve expanded, but when people visit the show house with the new carpets, we try to keep them as clean as possible and allocate these plastic bootees, so I insisted that I too should wear them, so I could show that I do my best to fit in with everybody else.

 

My New Friend Tara

I’ve been out at Inchmarlo a few times recently and the last time I was out, there was a very young girl called Tara in the reception area with her mother and her grandparents who they were visiting. I, as I always do, went up to say hello and she drew back very quickly, obviously nervous about me. We were told by her Mummy that in due course she would like a dog and I thought she must get over her fear of animals if she wants her own doggy. So, off I went speaking to other people in reception. I went all the way through to the Picture Gallery and the Red Drawing Room speaking to many people, afterward, I came back and went up to Tara, this time she didn’t look nervous. After a little while, she took the initiative and we became friendly, so I think I did a good deed by helping her get over her fear of dogs. I regret that I didn’t ask Daddy to take a photograph of the two of us together – one very young girl and one very handsome bulldog!

Fine Dining Club Christmas Dinner

Daddy collected a carry-out for me from Inchmarlo. Earlier this week a group of Home Owners, The Fine Dining Club, had their annual Christmas Dinner. The Fine Dining Club has been operating for a number of years, organised entirely by the Home Owners who take it in turns to Chair the dinners, select the menu and the wines. Naturally, I cannot attend because I’m not allowed in rooms when people are eating – which I understand – a little – because back at home I sit with Mummy and Daddy the children and grandchildren when they are eating with no problems what so ever. However, Head Chef Colin is very, very kind to me and while I cannot be present I do get to sample some of the left-overs. The Menu this time, selected by the Home Owner chairing the dinner was:

Vegetable Terrine with Smoked Salmon and Champagne Sauce.

Seasonal Game Casserole with Port and Red wine

Pheasant, Quail, Mallard Ravioli and with Venison Sausages, served with Game Chips

Followed by Apricot Frangipane Tart, Chocolate Mousse and Pistachio Pudding.

By jove, that sounds attractive! Now the only bits, you understand, that I would fancy are the Pheasant, the Quail and the Venison sausages, so Head Chef Colin very kindly gave Daddy a carry-out which he took home, and I have sampled most of it. As somebody called Colonel Sanders used to say it was “Finger Licking Good”.