Sofasnuggles or out? Decisions, decisions...

Mum says that today is the day to wish everyone a WAGGY NEW EAR.

I have absolutely no idea why anyone would want a new ear - definitely not a waggy ear but I will do as I am told;

W A G G Y   N E W   E A R to each and every one of my fans.

Mum says we are off out again in a little while....but it is sofasnuggles time.....oooooohhhh.....I love my sofasnuggles time.......but.....going out again.....Yeah! OK then! Let's go....let's go....let's go......

A Real Black Labrador!

Barking mad humans!

After a workywalkies to Sainsbury's and back, we then set off workywalkies to a huge building; one of those with lots of seats inside - all rows of them up a slope, and a highfloor at the front. I got my own space next to Mum's seat. Mum says it is a wheelieseat space, but,a s there was no wheelieseat, I got to stretch out on the carpet!

After all the seats were filled up, the glows went dark and then some humans appeared on the highfloor with some doggythings. They looked like Dalmatians but they weren't real. The humans had their front paws in places I'm sure they shouldn't have been! Those doggythings were prancing all over the place and doing all sorts of strange things, but all in a kind of dog-like way. It was all very peculiar.

Then a huge doggything (like a Great Dane) appeared right beside me and the manhuman with his front paw in unspeakable places started to bark! It was a huge, loud, deep scary bark! I hid under Mummy's seat! I wasn't gonna get got by that barking mad manhuman! He was loud!

After a while there were loads and loads of Dalmatian puppythings on the highfloor too. and a hissing furball thing as well! My world was utterly crazy!

Mum and Dad had little pots of cold stuff. Mummy was really nice to me and let me wash up her little pot. That was super yummy and took away the scares!

In one bit of this weirdness, a manhuman from the highfloor came in the door beside me. He was yelling out something about finding the puppies. I think I made him jump a bit. He said something like 'Oh my dog! There's a real puppy here!' That made everyone laugh!

When it was all over, all the humans spent ages banging their front paws together. Then Mum harnessed me up again and I guided her out. Lots of humans, including lots of minihumans who were sitting in the seats, remarked about the 'real black Labrador' as I strutted my stuff for Mum.

three photos:

Me sitting in my special space beside Mum. There are lots of empty seats around. This was before everyone else came in to fill them all up.

Settling In.

Me sitting in front of a big flappy wall thing showing the black and white dotty dogs called Dalmatians.

Houndslow Heath!

Sausage, carrot and freerun! All added up to a pretty good day!

I got a bit of sausage from Mummy's breakfast. Apparently she didn't like it! She is so daft! How can you not like sausage? It was delicious!

The carrot was a treat from Ryan when we went for another visit, after leaving the human kennelblock.

The freerun was maybe a bit brief but Houndslow Heath is very sniffable! It was great to have a bit of a runaround before the long car ride home.

Now we are safely snuggled back aboard our floatyboatyhome.

Photo shows me standing on the grass where I was enjoying a good sniff to read the local weemail gossip.

Noshing and Workywalkies!

Well that has been a very different day!

Dad went and left us first thing this morning, and Mum was busy packing things into a wheeliecase. When Dad returned, he took the wheeliecase and other bags and things away. I then took Mum for a workywalkies via a doggy download area. When we had completed that, we found Dad again and he had a car! It had everything packed inside it. By everything, I mean EVERYTHING! Loads of stuff! The wheeliecase, another big bag and all the cushions from our old sofa (my old bed). It was only a diddy little car so I had to ride high on the back seat and on top of the cushions. i rather liked that! I could lie comfy and watch the world whizz by! I had to wear my car-bra of course, which was connected to the seat strap, so I couldn't move too far, but it was super comfy up there with a really good view!

Our journey took us on some of those huge roads that are supposed to be whizzy. Some bits were whizzy, but many bits were stoppy-starty-slow. I may just have got a tad excited when I recognised where we were at the end; We were at Debbi and Ryan's home! Ooooh! That huuuuuuge garden! Yessssss!!

When we went inside, we found not only Debbi and Ryan, but Rosie and James and little microhuman Hallie too! It was great fun - loads of human yummies and, of course, some hoovering duty under Hallie's chair on sticks! She is soooo messy! Yummy!

After all the noshing, we went out walkies. We went into a big pen area with some strange huge toy things in. It seems that little Hallie really likes whizzing down a shiny slope thing. When she got to the bottom, I checked she was OK but she did it so many times, I stopped worrying and went off to investigate the place. I found a real treat - a bone, lying on the ground. Mum and Ryan were really mean to me though! They made me 'drop it' and I wasn't allowed it back again! Harrrrumph!

I had to take Mummy workywalkies to a little shop. It was getting dark by then, so I had to strut my stuff because a little bit dark to most humans is pitch black to Mummy! She couldn't see at all where to go. We did it! We went to the shop and found our way back again!

The cushions that used to be my bed on our floatyboatyhome were laid on the floor in the lounge. Hallie was having a great game to tumble on them. When she got occupied doing other things though (she was ripping colourful flappy stuff off of parcels) I reclaimed my old bed! It was a comfy snoozery for a while!

Now, after Rosie, James and Hallie have gone home and we spent a little more time with Debbi and Ryan, we have come to a human kennelblock. I have to admit that I am a tad pooped! Night night......

 

Cushion reclaim. This used to be MY bed!
Me lying with my front paws out n front of me, wearing my Santa bandana, on beige cushions in front of blue sofa.

Microhuman Hallie with a purple hat on. I thought it was a teddy but I wasn't allowed to play with it.
The hat is purple and fluffy with round 'ears' on it.

Study of handsomeness! A portrait of me looking to the left of the picture, wearing my red and white Santa bandana.

All the family!

Yummyery!

Loves, fusses, admirations, yummies and pressies! That has been my day today! :)

It all started off with a lie in, followed by a doggy download in the white fluffy slushy stuff that appeared in the no-glow time. Then we set off workywalkies. Mum may have had to remind me once or twice to 'keep mind on job'. Oops! But that white stuff is so much fun! Oh well, there wasn't much of it anyway and it was all wet and slushy. We went around some quiet bits of town - just to go walkies. Then we went into a human yummyery. Nothing special about that to begin with. I settled down beside Mum as usual. Then, just as I was drifting off for a bit of a zzzzz, two humans arrived. A manhuman called Timothy and a ladyhuman called Lindsay. Two of my fans! It seems they live in a floatyboatyhome that is always here in this Bumingham place. They were great to meet! I got ooooooodles of loves and fusses and admirations and yummies (well....a few yummies!) and a huge black bone-shaped toy. I also got to clean out their ears! Yummy!

That was a really good human yummyery visit! It was worth the lying down and being good! I do like to meet my fans! I hope we can meet again - and especially hope that maybe we can go freerun together with the two doggypals who look after them in their floatyboatyhome........

Here's a couple of photos of us.

 

Yummyery!

Loves, fusses, admirations, yummies and pressies! That has been my day today! :)

It all started off with a lie in, followed by a doggy download in the white fluffy slushy stuff that appeared in the no-glow time. Then we set off workywalkies. Mum may have had to remind me once or twice to 'keep mind on job'. Oops! But that white stuff is so much fun! Oh well, there wasn't much of it anyway and it was all wet and slushy. We went around some quiet bits of town - just to go walkies. Then we went into a human yummyery. Nothing special about that to begin with. I settled down beside Mum as usual. Then, just as I was drifting off for a bit of a zzzzz, two humans arrived. A manhuman called Timothy and a ladyhuman called Lindsay. Two of my fans! It seems they live in a floatyboatyhome that is always here in this Bumingham place. They were great to meet! I got ooooooodles of loves and fusses and admirations and yummies (well....a few yummies!) and a huge black bone-shaped toy. I also got to clean out their ears! Yummy!

That was a really good human yummyery visit! It was worth the lying down and being good! I do like to meet my fans! I hope we can meet again - and especially hope that maybe we can go freerun together with the two doggypals who look after them in their floatyboatyhome........

Bonkers Bunney has been Duffed Up!

Oooowwwww! That was not the nicest workywalkies!

It was a good long walk - and most of it was a good tail-waggy challenge. All on completely new territory in this Bumingham place. We went into the big shoppyplace. Mum and Dad thought it might be reasonably quiet there because it is something called Boxing Day. It certainly wasn't quiet and I didn't find a single doggypal to box with. What I did find though, was that I got my paws trodded on and lots of humans did that high-pitched yelp thing they do when they are scared. It seems they were all scared of me! That made me sad and I really wanted to greet them all and show them how nice I am, but it just wasn't possible. A couple of manhumans even tried to climb up a cage-side fence thing beside the stairs as I got near them. Then, as were walking though a very crowded bit, I felt a big ouch when a manhuman lifted his back paw and thudded it at me. This happened twice but it was far too crowded to do anything except keep going to get out of there.

Mummy was really upset and worried about me, and I was worried about Mummy. We went and found a human's hot brown drink place so we could all relax and recover a bit. That was welcome for all of us.

Now, we are safely back home aboard our cozy floatyboatyhome and enjoying sofa snuggles. I have successfully duffed up my new cuddly Bonkers Bunny too. I shook him and chewed him to make sure he was properly Oakleyfied! He smells much more proper now!

Photo shows me in the corner of the Cafe Nero place, resting my chin on the arm of a chair while Mummy strokes my ear. I do love having my ears stroked!

Simply Gawjuss!

Woohoo! I hope you all had a good Christmas Day! I certainly did! Please may it be every day?

We went to a Church first - that was fun - there were loads and loads of people there. Mum says they were mainly African/Carribean. They were great - they were all doing a lot of front-paws banging and jiggety-wiggling about! I would have loved to join in but Mum kept me tucked out of the way! I got some nice fusses from many though!

Then, after a brief return to floatyboaatyhome so Mum and Dad could change their pawcovers, we set off on a workywalkies. Some of that was along towpath and some on streets. It was OK, but the destination was fantabulous!

We found a huge puddle. Mum says it was called Edgbaston Rezzavwhaaah. It was a FREERRUUUUNNNN! Yipppppeeeeee!!!! I got to run zoomies and sniff and swim and roll! I even found a delicious snack but I don't think Mummy was impressed! Her face went all scrunched up when she smelled my breath!

When we got home, I got some of those yummy little black charcoal biccies that Mum says were a good idea after eating such disgusting things. Note to self; Eating things like that means I get more yummies...... Noted!

I also got a major froth attack in the warm rain box! Mum says that grubby sand is not a good towel to use. It worked! I rolled; I got some of the drips off! What is her problem? Oh well....she says I now smell gawjuss! I suppose I can live with that.

One other thing I rather liked about today; I got pressies! I got a new cuddly - to replace HUMPhrey. Mum says this is Bonkers Bunny. I also got a huge carrot and a nice juicy bone! I didn't know which to attack first.....

Bangs and Thumps. Happy Christmas, Everyone!

Five miles workywalkies to and from church this morning! It was a very all-over-the-place route! It started off with what Mum called an extended route to a church very nearby our floatyboatyhome, but when we got there, the doors were all locked and nobody was in. So Dad got out his talkybone and apparently it told him where we could go to find another one. I'm not complaining at all! This meant and even more extended route!

We arrived a bit late - the human howling was already going on, but it didn't seem to matter. There were lots of really nice manhumans and ladyhumans and minihumans there. I got oodles of fusses and admirations! I wasn't too impressed with the floor though - it wasn't carpet! It was just cold concrete! Humph! Still, I had worked hard looking after Mum so I snoozed anyway.

We then took another convoluted route back home again. I like convoluted routes. They give me a good challenge with lots of 'find left', 'find right', 'find the crossing', etc.

During the dark time before this, we had a bit of excitement; Mum and Dad were all tucked up in bed, and I was zizzing well on my sofa. There was some loud humanbarking outside, then a load of loud bangs and thumps. Then I heard Mum barking a loud 'Oi!' and the banging and thumping stopped. I went to check that Mum and Dad were OK. Dad was out on the back deck, but came back in again and Mum told me 'OK Oaks. Back to bed'. I did, but I could hear Mummy tossing and turning.

This morning, Daddy was doing something called 'mending' on the flappywalled thingy that goes over the back deck. Mummy seems to be having a bit of a bad eyes day, which is why I had to look after her extra special.

We are all OK though and Daddy seems to have managed to succeed with his mending.

So, I will leave you with a photo of that funny little blinky tree that Mum put on the bow. I can't get ot it to water it there!

Mum and Dad would like me to pass on a Very Happy Christmas to everyone. I will pass on my Woofy Waggy loves too.

Our "Happy Christmas" Tree.

His Nibs!

Our first workywalkies around this Bumingham place today was a bit of a mix. The workywalkies around the streets was great! A good challenge on all new territory. The destination was a bit boring though - but Mum and Dad seemed fascinated. Mum says it was called the Bumingham Pen Museum. I thought a pen was somewhere to go wee! Well, I had a spending pen when I was a puppy! But, it seems this pen is some kind of stick to squiggle with.

There were some nice humans in there so I got a bit of a fuss but otherwise it was just 'forward' 'Wait' 'Forward' 'Wait'.....Dad stared lots at the big flat walls of squiggles and yacked to Mum to tell her what all the squiggles were telling him.

In another room, there was a nice manhuman who yacketied a lot but also got Mum to feel lots of little shiny pointy things (apparently they were called nibs). He also got her playing with some strange toythings and they made thumps and little bangs (not scary ones). Afterwards, he gave her the nibs she had 'made'.

When we got back, Mum did something very peculiar: She got a little tiny tree in a deep bowl and she wound a long tail all around it. Now that little tree is on the pointy end of our floatyboatyhome, next to Arnold the yellow duck and it has lots of tiny lights on it! Weird!

2 photos:

Me in harness guiding Mum outside the Pen Museum.

The 3 little shiny pointy nibs that Mum made.

Pyro Twerp!

Today has been a very lazy zzzizzy day. Welcome after yesterday's lockfest and last night's disturbance

In the middle of the night, there was a whole lot of crackling and popping and banging going on outside. Mum came to my end of floatyboatyhome and squinted out. She then called out to Dad who also came to look out. Apparently, the manhuman from the floatyboat immediately in front of us had a big hotbox thing going outside, but it wasn't in a box! It was big and bright and scary. Apparently he kept throwing more and more stuff into it to make it bigger and brighter. Mum was all scared. She doesn't like burny-roary-crackles.

Dad said that some manhumans came called Firefighters but they didn't fight the fire. They just checked it was safe and left. The boatymanhuman kept on going with it all night. This morning, some more of those firefighters came and made it all go a huge big hissyhuff as they poured big bowls of canal water onto it. Apparently Mr boatymanhuman was nowhere to be seen. He was naughty to have left his bumfire unattended! The Firefighters were not happy! All the mess has now been cleared away and all seems safe and peaceful again

On a much more exciting note: Although today has been a really quiet lazy day, Mum tells me that she has signed us up, using her tippetytappetytoy, to do something called the Brighton 10K. She says this will be a long workywalkies - just her and me - along with thousands of other humans too, and it will be in April. I think I am liking the sound of this. Mum tells me it is our next adventure to raise shinydisks for Guide Dogs. It all sounds very exciting!

I Must Have Been a Good Boy!!!

Twenty six yummy locks!

Mummy says it was twenty six blimmin hard work locks. I don't know what her problem was! 'Find the beam .... Good boy' = yummy. 'Find the paddle ... Good boy' = yummy. 'Find the bollard. Good boy' = yummy. The rest was just a bit of a workywalkies between the locks (6 miles or so) then sit and wait.....

Mummy seems a tired now! Oh well... sofa snuggles = always good!

Satnav redundancy!

Squishyface. It seems that is my name this evening!

Enjoying sofasnuggles with Mummy after working my paws off looking after her today. Firstly a towpath workywalkies ending at a lock that we haven't gone down. (Apparently we will have lots of them to do tomorrow!), then around this new town area (Mum says it is the outskirts of Birmingham) to find Aldi's. Dad was the satnav on the way there and I took care of Mum with all the 'find the kerb', 'find left', 'find right', 'find the crossing', 'get the button' etc etc. Then, after doing all the shopping and then the 'find the way out', Mum asked me to 'Find the way home'. Dad's satnav services were redundant!

When we arrived at this lock, I got to enjoy a good game of chase with a lanky lurcher called Sid. It seems he lives on a floatyboatyhome too and is moored the other side of a cage by the lock.

Photo of me lying on my bed on the sofa with my head on Mum's leg. My jowls are all squished across her leg.

 

 

Mummy says that today was the last day for posting calendars to arrive before Christmas. We still have a few left but obviously cannot guarantee delivery now until next week or perhaps the week after, but we would really like them to go and to raise some funds to help to train another puppy to be a life-changing Guide Dog like me.

So, we have reduced the price to just £7.50 now for the few remaining calendars. Please please just click on the link below and place your order. ALL proceeds will go to Guide Dogs UK via my fundraising account. The bonus is that you can have a super handsome dude to admire on your wall all year!
www.guidedogoakley.org.uk/shop.html

Crunchy Water!

Crunch....crunch....drrrr....crunch...ping...pyoing.....crunch.....

That has pretty much summed up today as we have 'cruised' through all the lumpy water. There have been some places where it has been all normal wet water, but a lot of it has been all flat and shiny on top - until Dad shoved floatyboatyhome along to crunch it all up.

I helped Mum to work 5 big locks but otherwise, it has been a fairly lazy day. Dad said the towpath was too slippy-slidy to risk workywalkiesing, so I kept him company on the back deck while Mum did some of her 'domesticals' inside.

Photo shows me sitting atop a lock keeping a watchful eye on Mum as she does that hefty windy-uppy stuff.

Packing in the Wood!

Dinky! That's what Mum says I am. A dinky labrador. Well, I think I am even dinkier now! 8 miles yesterday and another 6.5 miles today!

Today's outing was much easier though. No muddy fields. No clouds on legs. No slippy pavements. Just a few stretches of slippy towpath and a bit of a hike along a road-with-no-pavements, and we got home before dark! Much more leisurely!

It was another visit to another big house. It seems that this will be happening more. Mum says it is because we belong to something called the National Trust. It seems that this National Trust lives in all these big houses. They all seem to smell kind of intriguing and they all have nice humans in them. I can't say the houses are particularly doggy-interesting but the human fusses are always good!

Today's house was apparently called Packwood House. It has lots of indoor trees that I wasn't allowed to water. I had pose by one of them with Mum. the photo is below. There were loads and loads of trees outside too but it was too wet and cold to go explore. Mum says we will go back another time so we can explore the huge gardens. I like the sound of that plan!

On the way home, I got to enjoy a lovely freerun along the towpath including a bit of a zoomies session with a little Jack Russell puppy called Flora, and, a bit further on, with a very muddy spaniel who was just too much fun to stop to worry about exchanging names!

Me and Mum, and another blimmin indoor tree I'm not allowed to water!

Talkybone and Frothmonster!

8 miles! A lot of it in gloriously squishy mud! Heehee!

We set off to a church. That was all good. I met some wonderful new humanfriends there; it seems they all have impeccable taste; they all adore black Labradors! Nice humans! Good humans! There was nice carpet to snooze on too. That always makes the humanhowling seem better!

The workywalkies to get there was a good challenge. We started off on the towpath but then went onto a road. Some of it had no pavements so I had to guide Mum in the road. I never really like doing that but we survived. There were lots of patches of slippy ice so I guided Mum carefully around them whenever possible. There were several bits that were very big and very slippy, so I took Mum off-kerb to get around them. She was very impressed with me!

After all the yacketying following the service, we set off again but didn't just 'Find the way home'. We went the other way. This took us on a very challenging workywalkies route on a fairly busy road with no pavements. We had to walk a long way at the side of the road and 'Tuck in' every time a vroomer came towards us - this meant lots of tucking in! Eventually we found a 'Find right' which took us along a long road where we could walk along the grass beside it. That was better. There were two bits where there was a big cage in the floor of the road but we had to go through a gate beside it. Cars went a loud DRRRRRR across the cages. That was a bit unnerving! Finally, we reached a huge house with a straight puddle all around it. We went across the bridge over the puddle and then inside the house. Mum says the house was called Baddesley Clinton.

First stop was a human yummyery where I was able to sneak in a smidgen of hoovering. Then, we went around the big house. It smelled really old and fascinating. There were panels all around the place with squiggles all over them. Daddy seemed to spend ages looking at these squiggles and yacking to Mummy, who was standing still listening. I just had to wait at each stage while this went on. I did have a sit down in a few places, and I attempted a bit of a sniff in others. On the way around, several humans told Mummy what a good boy I was being! I managed to invite myself for some fusses along the way too. There was a huge tree inside but I wasn't allowed to water it! Instead I had to sit and pose beside it while Dad pointed his one-eyed-clickybox at me and Mum!

When we left the house, I was very glad to find a tree outside! Then we set off for the workywalkies home. We didn't go back the way we came. We went across loads of huge fields - very muddy slushy icky slippy fields! I think Mummy found it really hard going and I also suspect Dad didn't exactly find it easy either. My four paws had no problem with it of course! In some of the fields, there were posts with funny little things on top. They looked like potential playmates but they didn't move, even when I 'hupped' to greet them.

I rather wonder if we didn't actually go the way we were meant to because Daddy kept looking at his talkybone and then looking around.....hmmm....I'm not complaining at all. It was great!

There was one bit where Mum let me enjoy a freerun. That was welcome and gave me a chance to release some pent up energy! This freerun ended though when we reached a gate and went through it into a field full of white clouds on legs. I soooo wanted to run and play with them but Mum put my noseband and lead back on. Spoilsport! This meant she was able to keep my head lifted up too, which meant that I couldn't hoover the delicious nugget snacks from the ground! Double spoilsport!

Eventually, we got back onto road and, by this time, it was getting dark, so Mummy was struggling. Back on harness, I did my duty though and looked after her. Again, it was road with no pavement so Daddy used a bright light on his talkybone to warn vroomers that we were there, and we did LOTS of 'tuck in' as they came towards us.

Now, we are safely back home, the hotbox is glowing nicely, my harness, lead and headcollar seem to have been fed into the frothmonster machine, and my dinner has been gallumphed! Now it is bone-o'clock while Mummy goes into the warmrain box. Then I think the sofa is going to be a perfect place for snuggles.

Mummy is rather pleased with me today!

2 photos. 

Me and Mummy beside the indoor tree with colourful balls all over it. I wasn't allowed to water this one. Nor was I allowed to play with any of the balls!

Me up on my hind legs trying to say hello to a carved wooden bunny on top of a pole. There were lots of these in the shapes of lots of different birds and creatures.

What a Quandary!

Slip-sliding underpaws and crunch-grinding underboat. The towpath is really slippy and the water was very lumpy-crunchy as we cruised. It was really noisy inside floatyboatyhome. It sounded like a huge beastie monster growling and trying to chew his way in. I was a bit squeaky-scared, but Mum seemed calm and unworried so I tried to follow her example. Mum was busy tippety-tappetying at the table while Dad was driving us along. I really was in a quandary - should I be inside with Mum or up on the back deck with Dad? I needed two of me! I had to keep zipping between my two dutiful places!

Mum has had a manhuman yacketying all day from the little round grids in the wall. Sometimes humanhowling has come out of them too. The manhuman said that there is only a few days left for getting things posted for Christmas. That means that you need to get your order in really quickly now for my calendars. Mum says we are now heading to some place called Birmingham, where I will have to take her to find a Post Office to send the last few orders.

So, if you haven't done so already, click on this link and get ordering so you can have me hanging on your wall all year and providing useful spaces for you to squiggle your important appointments.

www.guidedogoakley.org.uk/shop.html

Worthwhile Yumminess!

Yayy! We've moved! We've worked locks - 10 of them! Team towpath crunched and slip-slidied into action!

We had a visitor first though; a manhuman called Richard who brought a parcel. It wasn't an exciting parcel though - just a new door for our hotbox. Richard was a nice manhuman though. He did good ear rubs and fusses! After he left, I took Daddy on a walkies to assess the canal. The verdict was good! Daddy said we could cruise. Yayy! So, after Mum had taunted me with the smell of bacon (not an atom of it fell my way. Huff!), we set off. Mum didn't harness me because she said it was still too icy and she couldn't be sure of being able to walk beside me on the path. So, progress was slow as she picked her way very carefully along the towpath. I was a very good boy even though I was on a long lead; I still looked after Mummy and showed her the best way to go to avoid the really nasty slippy bits. I found a few invisible slippy bits (Mum called them black ice patches) and I stopped and indicated them to her by nuzzling her knee and then sniffing the slippy bits. She was super pleased with me for doing that.

Working the locks was yummy work! Mum called it training / retraining / refresher work. I don't really care what it was called, I just enjoyed the yummy I got each time I did a 'find the beam', 'find the bollard', 'find the paddle'.... and did a good boy 'sit' at each one. 10 locks, 2 beams at each, 2 paddles to find at each and a bollard or two to find at each one ..... Yep! That was worthwhile yumminess added up!

After all the locks, we got to enjoy a bit of a cruise. It was a tad noisy as floatyboatyhome crunched through the frozen water. I sat on the back deck watching slices of canal drift past.

Three photos:

 

Handsome gleaming dud.

Cruising - watching the slices of water slide past.

Mummy's helper at the locks.

Slippery Ice....

Oopsie! Ahem! Hang head in shame ..... and tail.....after it has finished wagging !...... It seems I rather forgot my manners today......or maybe I just didn't hear Mum calling me and blowing my recall whistle........not once.....of the many times she (apparently) blew it frantically........Ahem.....Oh dear!

Daddy came skidding along the towpath to point out my mistake......but you see, those two passing poochpals; a pair of flat-coat-retrievers - father and 5 month old son......they were just SUCH fun to run with! And their manhuman just kept on walking way on down the towpath, so I just kept on running with the boys.......

That towpath was super skiddy today. Even my four-paws couldn't go in the direction they were supposed to. This made Mum laugh megalots when a passing whippet came along and we tried to play chase. Mum said I was like ScoobyDoo because my legs were going ever so fast but they took me absolutely nowhere! When I did get moving and then tried to stop, I slidded into Mum's legs! I think she forgave me!

We have cruised but only two locks. Here is a video of our floatyboatyhome crunching through the ice to get into the first lock.

 

Before the ice breaking where the canal surface is all solid and flat.

After where it is all broken up into big shards and sheets about 1.25 inches / 3.2cm thick.

Don't Forget your Calendar!

Still here! No floatyboatyhome-move today. The canal has still been keeping a tight grip. The sky has been leaking too so it has been another stay-in-and-snuggle day.

I did get to take Daddy walkies to a shop but it was really slip-slidey on the towpath. Even my usually-steady four-paws were whizzing off in directions they shouldn't have gone! Mummy stayed safely at home.

Dad says that we should be free to cruise again tomorrow so we will be able to get to a post office to dispatch some more calendars.

If you haven't ordered yours yet then you need to do it very soon. Mum says there are still a few left but we are running out of time to get them posted in time for Christmas.

Just click on the link to order. There really are superb quality calendars with a new photo of me every month to grace your wall, plus a clear calendar with space to note important dates on. ALL proceeds will go towards sponsoring another puppy to be trained to be an awesome life-changing Guide Dog like me.

www.guidedogoakley.org.uk/shop.html

Major Surgery.

Somebody stole the canal water and replaced it with flat crunchy stuff. It trapped our floatyboatyhome! No cruising today! In fact, not even any rocking about. The featherballs have been skidding about on top of the water outside.

So, apart from taking Daddy for a nice leisure walkies, today has been a very lazy day of snuggles and bone-munching!

I did try my paw at a bit of surgery though. I have performed a major abdominal operation on HUMPhrey. He seems to be rather slimmer now!

5 photos:

1 Me with a disembowelled teddybear and 4 of the frozen canal outside our boat.