scary times a coming

Hello again! I feel like I'm always apologising for being a bad blogger but sometimes life gets too hectic. Entirely my own fault, for some reason drama seems to follow me!
So, I'm still in Glasgow and on Friday morning I will leave the safety of my hotel room to go back packing (OK driving but camping) round Scotland. Little bit apprehensive about this but its only for around 16 days and I guess I can always check in to another hotel if it all becomes a bit much. So taking the leap into the unknown is a scary prospect which leads nicely on to my news......
There are exciting things happening in my life right now and in a way I kind of have Marian whore face to thank. I mean, if she hadn't screwed me over I wouldn't now be in a position to do all this travelling that I've been doing. Although I would have rather have my cat obviously but if you're ever going to create a silver lining from a crappy situation, now would be an ideal time!
A wise man once told me to always do the things that scare you the most as that's when you have the best experiences and your life will never be boring. I've got to say, he was not wrong. Its getting a little easier as time goes on but the first step (getting dress and quitting my jb ) was probably one of the scariest things I've done but amongst all the crap that's happened, some truly amazing things have happened. I've found out that my friends are the most important people in my life and can totally handle a freak out among other things.
The trip to Scotland has been amazing so far as well, I did something I'd never done before, eat by myself in a restaurant which was terrifying but totally liberating. I've embraced my inner hippy and bought a moon cup ( more on that later once I've tried it out more), I've become vegetarian (I can hear Tim snort with laughter at that one!) But it just felt like the right thing to be doing not only from an animal rights point of view but from a health point of view also. More on that if that pans out too! But by far the most exciting thing to happen so far is two, count em, two opportunities to go abroad to exotic places! I know, opportunities like buses hey?! So anyway the first one was an ad I answered to go and help animal aid in India. They do amazing work giving veterinary treatment to stray animals and the second opportunity is a job in the Cayman islands. I know right?! The bloody Caribean! So whatever happens I'll be jetting off somewhere exciting at the end of October.
I'll keep you posted on that one too.
So, jealous of you going to Canada Marian? No because I'll be having my own adventures and I didn't need to trample all over someone's life to have them which makes me feel a whole lot better about everything.

Single girl and dog.

Now then, I would like to apologise for the one woman pity party I embarked on in my last post but if you can't have a minor breakdown in front of friends every now and then, well I don't know what the world is coming to. Anyway, I have gotten over myself, did the France thing for a bit which I will tell you about another time and have arrived in Glasgow on my mission to discover dog friendly places. The story so far.....

Travelling as a single female can occasionally be quite daunting but travelling with a dog on your own can throw out a whole new set of problems.

As a locum veterinary nurse, I travel up and down the country for work with my trusty sidekick, the blind, one eyed jack russell otherwise known as Ringo.

At the moment I am saving up to buy a camper van so the question of accommodation will be solved when on my travels but until then I have to rely on finding dog friendly accommodation and places to go especially when the weather is too hot to leave Ringo in the car (which he seems to love for some reason).

At the moment I am in Glasgow working for the Glasgow university small animal hospital and they have put me up in the ibis budget hotel which is not as horrendous as it sounds. The rooms are nice and bright, has a window that opens, TV, passable wifi and a shower and toilet in the room. They do charge a £5.00 supplement to have the dog but I don't begrudge paying that if it means I can have my best friend with me. The staff are nice and friendly but not overly in your face and the reception is open 24 hours a day. They will even cook you pizza when you roll in at 1am drunk as a skunk. So I've heard....

The selection of food available is not amazing but it's a budget hotel so what do you expect? But on the plus side they do sell alcohol and chocolate and there is an array of restaurants within the complex should you wish to venture out for food. Now, if you are travelling alone with your trusty sidekick and you fancy a spot of lunch in the sunshine I would steer clear of Frankie and Benny's in Springfield quay. I was turned away from their outside seating area because I had Ringo in tow even though I could see that they had let children into the restaurant who (in my opinion) are just as smelly and germ ridden as my four legged friend and about a hundred times more noisy. Hardly conducive to a relaxing dining experience. Thus rebuffed we went across the street to the Harvester where I dined on an adequate meal of fish and chips and Ringo sat quietly under my chair occupying himself with a dentastix.

The area surrounding the ibis budget hotel is not lush green fields to walk your furry friend but it is enjoyable to wander along the river Clyde and cross the bridge into town to see the Duke of Wellington statue complete with traffic cone proudly atop his head. Having said that, there is plenty of space to go for a late evening, pre bedtime wee walk with the pooch and several of the restaurants (chiefly the Harvester and Papa Tony's) offer take out menus that can be enjoyed within the comfort of your hotel room. Crolla's ice cream parlour also does pretty awesome coffee and ice cream.