All Blacks who are not All Black!

Home again! It has been a heck of a day though!

It started with the torture of being under the table while Mum and Dad failed to drop any of their bacon. Then, we set off, complete with wheeliecase, to the bus stop. One very bumpy bus ride later, we then workywalkiesded a little way to a huge building. Mum says it was called Richmond College. The workywalkies then continued for miles around the corridors and into a huge hall. There I found a fellow Guide Dog buddy called Skye (black fluffy Labrador x Retriever) and a Golden Labrador x Retriever called Toby. Toby is a Canine Partner. His Dad is a wheelieseat user and Toby helps him.

There were many humans there too. Lots of them were wearing black eyeflap thingies and were playing with a big blue ball with a jinglybell in it. They were throwing that ball along the length of the room. I'm sure I could have caught it much better than some of them did, but Mum wouldn't let me! Huff! It was great to sneak in some kanoodles with Skye and Toby though. We had to do some posing for one-eyed-clickyboxes too. Apparently some of the humans were famous. They were manhumans called the New Zealand All Blacks. Well..black is the bestest colour!

We all then went on a huge bus to a human yummyery. It was a bit cramped under the table and the floor was like outside floor - cold and hard. I got a bit bored and fed up so I did my chin-on-Mum's-knee thing. It did eventually work; I got to take Dad outside for a doggy necessarium trip. Soon after that, we all piled back on the bus again and went to a huuuuuuuuuuugenorous field with gazillions of seats all around it. Mum says it was called Twiggenum Stadium or something. Toby, Skye and I got all excited thinking we might be in for a fabulous freerun together. We were disappointed! Harrumph! Instead we had to watch all those All Blacks that weren't all black throwing a funny pointy-ended ball about. We sooooo could have played that game with them.........

These All Blacks then came along in a line and used markysticks to squiggle on some of those pointy-ended balls. I got some nice ear rubs from some of them. Mum seemed really please about getting their squiggles on a ball. She says she is hoping it will raise some shinydisks for our Sponsor-a-Guide-Dog-Puppy-fund. More posing for one-eyed-clickybox stuff brought us to leaving time.

Most of the group we were with got back on the big bus again, but we went workywalkies again a little way around that huge place. Then along came a car with two humans in it that made my tail wap my sides! It was Debbi and Ryan! Yippeee! Ryan got out of the car and so I got to greet him, but Debbi was in the driving seat so I hopped up onto the seat next to her, that Ryan had kindly vacated, so I could greet her too! Heehee!

I then had to squish into the paw-well of the back seat with Mum and Dad and we went to another human yummyery. After enduring that, I finally got my picnic tea outside in the carpark. Then, we left Ryan and workywalkiesded with Debbi to a station. A very nice manhuman led the way down lots of steps to the train platform. The train we got was strange though. It had seats all along the edges and it stayed indoors! We were in a huge long tunnel! It was very noisy and rattly and bumpy. I didn't like it much. It was quite a long ride and it got very squishy as more and more people got on each time we stopped. Eventually, though we got off. It was mega hot! Another nice workyhuman met us and showed us the way to one of those magic boxes that changes the outside when its doors close and open again, then on through lots of long hot corridors to another train-in-a-tunnel. That one wasn't so long. Yet another really nice workyhumanman met us when we got off that one and showed us the way in and out of several of those magic boxes and through oodles of long corridors, until we finally reached the real world outside again. I was sooooo glad to find a tree!

Next came a good challenge of a workywalkies weaving Mum through the dark streets of that crazy London place to find the station. As it was dark, I had to really strut my stuff. Mum really can't see anything in the dark. I did my job super well and got yummy proof that she was pleased with me!

We had to wait around for quite some time at the station, before we got on the train to come home. I was glad to find carpet and space to lie down at Mum's paws for a good snooze. Mum and Dad were yacketying with a nice ladyhuman called Lucy all the way. I got some lovely fusses from her! After a little while, I thought it was time to warm up Dad's back paws, so I had a little stretch then moved over. Just a few moments later a manhuman came through and asked Dad if he would need assistance at the station when we arrived! It seems he thought I was Dad's Guide Dog! Ooops! It made mouths go up at the corners!

When we arrived at our station, here in Rugby, I did a perfect 'Find the way out' and there at the exit, was that manhuman! As soon as he saw me guiding Mum, he realised his daftness and said lots of that 'sorry' thing! Apparently it was all very funny and so more mouth corners were up! I like uppy mouth corners. They make my tail wag too!

Now, after another good workywalkies, guiding Mum in the dark again, we are safely back home aboard floatyboatyhome and the hotbox is glowing nicely. Just perfect for well earned sofa snuggle methinks!

5 photos:

Posing with the New Zealand All Blacks who played Goalball.

Bored under the table.

On the train with Lucy and Mum.

On the 'tube' train.

Meeting and greeting Toby the Canine Partner.