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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New Carpet

Well I’ve got a new carpet!  The back staircase to my own room and bathroom which I have been using since I was knee high to two cans of dog food was covered in lino.  I always found it difficult when I was very small but now that I am almost fully grown another difficulty has incurred.  When I go down the staircase I have to go at an angle otherwise it is too steep and I feel I am going to trip but it is when I come up that I have the greatest difficulty.  For some reason I stop half way up and then decide to make a “lunge” for the top of the stairs.  Unfortunately my claws slip on the lino and I get into an absolute panic before I get to the top.  Daddy says I’m simply frightened but I believe that I’m too sensitive and the noise of my claws skidding on the lino puts me off.

Nearly there!

Daddy and Mummy were very very kind and they arranged for carpet to be laid on the treads so that I now find it much easier to go up without slipping.  Here’s a photograph of me on the staircase and you will see exactly why I’m much happier.  In case you can’t tell I am smiling.

My new carpet

New Development at Inchmarlo

On Sunday Daddy and Mummy went out to Inchmarlo and after they had lunch and spoke to a number of Home Owners we went a walk all the way round Westfield, I am told the weather could be described as cold and bracing and they were well wrapped up with coats and caps and here is me in the altogether striding manfully about the site with no welly boots or anything.  But of course, it’s a dog’s life!

Daddy and I went up to the new development at East Park and we walked on to the site with Jack Crawford, Daddy and myself.  Unfortunately it had been very wet and with these massive articulated vehicles on site scooping up the earth, the ground was absolutely soaking and while Daddy was walking about holding his trousers up so as not to get the mud on his trousers, I did not have wellington boots and was walking in two inches of mud – it’s a dog’s life!

Not Feeling too Well

Not a good start to the morning, Daddy came down and into the kitchen, said hello to me and noticed that I hadn’t moved at all and then he noticed a pile of sick just outside my basket.  He was very nice and consoled me and said how ill I must have been and hoped I was feeling better.  When he walked across the kitchen he found that it wasn’t just sickness I had suffered from during the night because there was a pile of poo at the back door.  He was not pleased but because I was clearly at deaths door – from the way I looked anyway – he really didn’t tell me off too much but had it all cleaned up and into the poo bags before Mummy came down.

Winter Sunshine at Inchmarlo

When I came back to Aberdeen I of course was terribly keen to get back out to Inchmarlo to see all my friends since I hadn’t been out for two or so weeks.  So Daddy took me out and I went in and had two lovely hours with my friends in the Red Drawing Room. Then we went a walk all around Inchmarlo.   It was a very sunny day and it looked beautiful in the winter sunshine.

Inchmarlo House in the Winter Sun

Westfield and the Heronry

High Walk

Daddy had a meeting with Jack Crawford to look at additional car parking and signs at Queen Victoria Park so we went down the Little Walk and all the way round Queen Victoria Park with me leading the way and sniffing out where additional car parking might be provided.

Holiday in Edinburgh

Well I’ve been away on holiday again back to Edinburgh.  Pamela has had a new baby so Mummy went down and spent a week and a half with her , Daddy went down to London on business and also went to see the new baby, so I had a lovely time in Edinburgh with Jennifer, Graeme, Hamish and Cameron.

Relaxing on Holiday

I had lovely walks round a completely different area with all different smells and plenty of time to relax.  Graeme told Daddy that whenever he went anywhere in the house I would follow him and sit beside him, which is quite true because I just like being with people.

There’s only one disappointment, the new baby is called Oscar and I had rather hoped that it would be called Humphrey after me.

Santa’s Helper

Well, we have just passed another Christmas.  Before that I was out at Inchmarlo helping Santa. 

Me and Santa

One of the Home Owners volunteered to act as Santa Claus by handing out the presents to all the Residents in the Care Home and I was there in my capacity just to supervise that things went well. 

Present Time !

When it was all finished I got a treat from the Head Chef to thank me for all my trouble.  I went, as usual, into the Red Drawing Room with Karen and Jill and spoke to all my friends wishing them a Very Merry Christmas.

Christmas is Coming

Christmas is clearly around the corner.  Daddy bought a bronze statue of a bulldog which has been in the hallway for some years and at Christmas Mummy puts a Santa Clause hat on it.  Last year I was so small I couldn’t get up to it but this year when she put the hat on naturally I had to go and investigate.

It's Christmas

This week I was left behind once again while the Home Owners at Inchmarlo had their Christmas Dinner and Mummy and Daddy went out and joined them.  Here is a copy of the Menu, doesn’t it sound delicious?

Butternut Squash Soup with Exotic Spices, Apple & Cilantro Cream

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Melon Pearls with Winter Berries

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Traditional Roast Turkey & Trimmings

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Fresh Tagliatelle with Stilton & Mushroom

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Christmas Pudding with Brandy Sauce

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Chocolate Tart

Thanks to the Staff

Enjoying the wonderful food

Christmas Dinner

While they were enjoying the food one of the Home Owners, Mr Q, organised for some members of The Banchory Singers to come in and entertain them.

Enjoying the Entertainment

The Banchory Singers

I absolutely love music and when Mummy and Daddy leave me on my own in the house they always leave the radio on in the kitchen so I lie in my basket snuggled up nice and warm and listen to the music on Radio 2.  I heard the singers were very good and I would have loved to have heard them but oh dear me I was in the kitchen, not eating the Christmas dinner and listening only to the radio.  It’s a dog’s life!

Mummy took home some of the turkey which I had with my meal the next day.  It was very tasty.