Rescued Mixup!

Workywalkies to get a bone.

Most of the day to do serious work on that bone.

Fun freerun this evening.

Yep! I think that makes for a good day!

The workywalkies started with Daddy giving Mummy directions. That meant I was in for a good challenge; new territory for just Mummy and me! We did it though! We found Morrisons and Mummy got me a bone! A very worthwhile workywalkies before the day got too hot. I also had to guide Mummy around a couple of other little shops next to Morrisons. That was a challenge too; they both had very narrow, cluttered aisles - too narrow for us to get through in normal side-by-side mode. I had to 'go ahead' many times, but I still managed to steer Mummy clear of the gazillions of obstacles with no mishaps! I rather think I earned that bone and it was yummy earnings!

It just so happens that we are moored right beside a pooch playground! What a shame!!!! We just had to go and explore it. Well....it would have been so rude to ignore such a wide open inviting place wouldn't it? That was a very welcome relaxing time in the cooler evening. I even found a buddy to have a brief play with; her name was Judy; 18 month old rescued mixup. I had a good little game of chase with her. Otherwise, it was just a nice time of fetch the ball launched by Mummy and just generally having a good old romp and roll in the grass!

7photos:

Getting my yummy bone from Mummy.

Most of the yummy juicy bits gone but it was tongue-hangy-out hot work so I paused briefly for a rest.

Freerunnnnnn! Big open green space, me with happy waggy tail and my ball, waiting for Mummy to come get it to relaunch it for another chase.

A delicious roll on the grass - but I kept hold of my ball so Mummy couldn't steal it.

Mum! Throw my ball again!!!

No Mummy......I haven't been eating the grass......

Playtime with Judy.

Shhhhhhhtoopid Nettles!

There's no better way to start the day that with a good game of chasing-rolling-boxing with a fellow Black Labrador!

Mummy harnessed me up and we set off along the towpath but only got to the next floatyboaty. There I simply HAD to stop to meet n greet Milo. Mummy saw sense and undressed me and told me to 'Go on then, have a play'. Well.... It would have been very wrong to defy that command wouldn't it? Milo was great fun. We had a good few minutes of chasing and rolling and a good old boxing match!

That set me up nicely for a good workywalkies. That workywalkies was along a two and a half mile stretch of towpath - most of it a bit of a challenge for Mummy-wobbly-2paws. Four paws - no problem! It was not just the rugged floor that caused Mummy troubles - it was the sticky-outy-ouchy-greenspikes too. I did my bestest to guide her around them but some of them were really long and beasty. She said lots of 'Owws and Ouches' and something like 'OWWW Shhhhhhhtoopid nettles!'. She now seems to have funny red bobbly patches on her back legs.

We then joined Daddy aboard floatyboatyhome for a cruise the rest of the way. No locks today, so a bit of a lazy one.

This afternoon, I got to share kisses with one of my fans! Cynthia came to visit and I got to share my sofa with her! While she and Mummy & Daddy did a load of the inevitable yackeying, I took the opportunity for a snooze under the table (it is a smidgen cooler there) but it was lovely to share some time and kisses and fusses - and Cynthia brought me a box of Gravybones! I like Cynthia! Come again!

3 photos:

Play-bowing with Milo on the towpath.

Boxing match with Milo.

Kisses with Cynthia.

Rumbling Floatyboat.

Oh But MuuuUUUUuuummm...... That is really mean - shutting the doors so I can't go inside floatyboatyhome. OK, it's nice on the backdeck but I REALLY want to go inside. It doesn't matter that I am dripping from my little swim........ the floor really needs a drink......

The doors stayed firmly closed! Huffff! I simply had to stay and just drip on the backdeck!

It was a welcome swim after four locks and a lot of waiting around while lots of other floatyboats went up and down before ours got its turn. Mummy and I had workywalkiesded quite a long way too. I think Mummy was a bit jealous of me getting to go splosh, but another floatyboat came along so the fun had to stop. Apparently it is not a good plan to swim with a rumbling floatyboat around!

After all that, my bed seems to have zoomed away the rest of the day. I just laid down for a few little zzzzs and suddenly it was dinnertime! How did that happen?

Swim Bra

I can dive!!

Ahem......well.....I can go big splosh anyway.....

I took Daddy for a long plod this morning so he could put a big black bag into a big bin. After that, it was a snoozy-tongue-hangy-out day. That was until Mummy put my swim-bra on me and we set off along the towpath. I had to find a way to get into the canal to rescue my toy. Mummy threw it in! I kind of laid down on the edge of the bank, with my front paws in the water. But it was a straight-down edge. I don't do straight-down edges. I can't wade in from a straight-down edge! I squeaked my most pathetic 'I can't do it' squeak. Mummy just kept saying 'Go on....you can do it......in you go'. Well.....I simply had to go rescue my squeaky santa toy, so I plucked up all my courage and wriggle forward and then there was a big splosh! I was in! I was swimming! Yeaaaayyyy! It was bliss!

I swam back to Mummy and managed to scrabble my way out again. I got her with a pretty good big shake. Then she threw my squishy ball into the canal! So, I had to do it all again.....and again.....and again......

Each time I got a bit more brave and did a bigger splosh with less squeaking. Then, after a few goes at this, we walked back towards floatyboatyhome. There was a gap between boats and Mummy yet again, threw squeaky Santa in. I launched myself in to rescue him. I got him. I swam back to the bank but couldn't quite manage to scrabble out again. Mummy was trying to tell me to 'come here'. I think she wanted to use my swim bra to heft me out but I was having none of that indignity! I swam all the way back to where I was getting out before. That meant a good swim alongside 6 floatyboatyhomes, and a few gaps between them. It was a long swim, but I did it! And.....the bonus.....when I climbed out, Mummy was just in the right place for a REALLY good soaking with a superb BIG shake! Heeheeheee!

After that, and a good towelrub, we set off a-cruising, so I got to dry off on the back deck as we glided along. I did have to look after Mummy working four locks - all spread out with a cruise in between each. I was still wearing my swim-bra so Mummy just asked me to 'go ahead' and she followed my wagging flag. I looked after her. I showed her where there were holes in the bank so she didn't go tumbles!

Photo shows me lying down by a sign at a lock, wearing my blue swim-bra harness and bright yellow lead.

Can you Believe it - Even MORE Yacketying!!!

Reunited with my long lost love!

Today started with a boring workywalkies to take some stuff to a shop. How weird is that? Mum says it is a charity shop and they were grateful for our unwanted items.

The workywalkies got a bit better when we went past the way home and on to a quick trip around Tesco's. It was nice and cool in there so I snuck in a few lie-downs on the cool floor!

Next came a bit of snooze time back home aboard floatyboatyhome while Mummy and Daddy did some talkyboning and tippetytappetying.

After that, we started cruising. No locks. Just cruising. We stopped beside a big boat with no lid and a manhuman came and used a big squirtysnake to feed stinky stuff into a hole in the back deck. Then we went under a bridge and I got a tad excited! I knew where we were!

Daddy got the right message and moored us up. Yayyyhayyyy! We were at the huge garden where I found my buddy Amber the whippet! One very happy Oakley!

It was a bit to tongue-hangy-outy hot to do much zoomies chasing but it was soooooo great to be reunited and to lie together in that huge garden! This lasted all the rest of the afternoon and into the evening while the humans did a whole load of yacketying. They can do as much of that as they like when there is such a big garden for doggy-stuff!

Photo shows me lying down with Amber, honey-coloured whippet.

Yet More Yacketying!

Tongue-hang-out Sunday! The hot didn't stop the yack though! Blimmin humans! NON-stop yackety-yackety-yackety-yack-yack-yack! AAAAAAAaaaaaaaalllllll day!

Our humanpal Graham moored his floatyboatyhome just in front of ours and then came and called for us. Then, the yacketying started on the workywalkies to church (lots of fusses and admirations there - plus a bit of yummy hoovering. Shhhh! Don't tell Mum!), then yackety-yack from the church to the human yummyery. Then non-stop yacketying for the whooooooole time there - they even seem to manage to yack while they eat! No wonder it takes them so long to finish their dinner! Then Yaaaaackety-yack all the way back through town to floatyboatyhome. Hop aboard aaaaaaannnnnddd...... yet more yacketying! 

I tried to show them the more sensible way to communicate when a couple of passing black labradors caught my attention. (Actually one of them stuck his nose right in Mummy's ear through the open window! Heehee!) I just hopped off onto the towpath, we exchanged quick sniffs of important places, exchanged a couple of weemails on the long grass and that was it! Done and sorted! But still the humans carried on yacketying!

Ugh! My ears hurt! I think I need to lie down on a cool floor for a while!

Fantabulous!

Apart from a bit of a shopping workywalkies, today has been all about hard work:

Some serious hard work on a huge new bone! Yummmmm!

Also, I have been working hard with Mummy on our shinydisks raising stuff. I'm not too sure how I managed it but it seems that my paws hit the right buttons to close our VirginMoneyGiving page. This was the one we had going for our BMTenkay whizzywalkies back in April. BIG WOOFY WAGGY THANK YOUs to each and every lovely pal who donated shinydisks to that. The support helped us to zoom around that course and, in the process, we raised a fantabulous £1,453.50 (I think that rather smashed our original target of £300!). That is just amazing! Thank you ooooooodles from Mummy and me.

That total has been credited to our total raised so far to sponsor another puppy to be trained to become another awesome Guide Dog to change the life of another Vision Impaired Person like Mummy. This brings us to the total of £4,613.99 - soooooo nearly there! We just need to tip this up to £5,000 and we can name a puppy in memory of Granny.

Mummy tells me that her barkday is coming soon - on 9 July. She tells me that she doesn't want carrots or boneos or chewsticks. Instead she would like anyone who wants to, to add to that Granny's puppy fund. So, if you would like to wish Mummy a Waggy Barkday then just click on 

 

www.justgiving.com/guidedogoakley3

Maybe I will get to enjoy her carrots and boneos and chewsticks instead......

Humanwoof!

Yesssss! I think I have Mummy well trained now! A good freerun along the towpath before starting workywalkies is most certainly the bestest way to go!

It has been a good day of lots of workywalkies, three locks and just chillin-and-a-cruisin on the back deck. I think I am liking this journey!

As we passed by one particular floatyboat, a humanwoof called out 'Hello Oakley'. One of my fans! Good priorities! I think there was a 'hello' exchanged between humans too! Heehee!

Six photos:

3 of me and Mummy working the locks,

2 of a certain very handsome lockworker in harness

1 of my fan's floatyboatyhome

 

Pawly.

Yayy! A towpath workywalkies that starts with a towpath freerun is the bestest kind of towpath workywalkies!

We set off this morning from floatyboatyhome with Mummy carrying my harness over her shoulder and my lead in her front paw but not connected to me! She said that, as the light was good and the towpath was really good and clear, she would let me freerun until I had done my big-busy. Well......Mummy still doesn't know if I actually did do that! Heeheee! I did go into some very long grass and some patches of those prickly green things that Mummy doesn't like (the ouchy ones).....Well....I wasn't going to tell her if I had downloaded was I? All she needed to know was that I hadn't left anything anywhere for anyone to tread in. Well...I don't do that if I can possible find a good hiding place where humans don't put their back paws. I managed to keep her guessing for quite a good distance! Heeheehee!

Mummy did eventually rumble that maybe I might have already emptied and so the freerun game came to an end. It did turn into a lovely workywalkies though; two and a bit miles worth of it! This was then followed by a nice cruise, then a couple of locks.

We have moored up right behind some humanpals. Tony and Pat were with us in Newbury. Tony made some nice fusses of me but Pat can't do that. Apparently I would make her pawly. She is a lurjick. I don't know what a lurjick is but I so wanted to show her my loves and tell her I care!

2 photos

Me waiting atop a lock with my lead keeping control of a square bollard.

My cruising position - supervising the water as it glides by.

Admirations!

Team towpath on a mission!

It seems we are heading somewhere. Mummy says we are going to be cruising almost every day for the next three weeks or so. She says we will have lots of locks to work and lots of miles of towpath to workywalkies. I'm liking the sound of this!

Today was all about locks. Eleven of them spread along about two and a half miles. We had a nice lockyworkymanhuman with us all the way so Mummy didn't have to go across to the other side of the locks. Jim did all of that. Jim had doggy biccies in his pocket too! I like Jim!

I got to sit and wait a LOT while all the windy-uppy-windy-downy-pushy-pully stuff went on. That meant I simply had to absorb all the fusses and admirations from all the passersby and other floatyboatypeople. It was a tough job, but it had to be done!

Three photos:

1 Dishwasher prewash service poised for action beside the breakfast table. Apparently the little brown things are called Bran Flakes. Apparently they are good for my botty. I think they are good for my tummy! Yummy!

2 Me workywalkiesing Mummy along the grassy towpath. This was a bit of a challenge in places as the ground was quite rough and jagged in places, so I had to keep Mummy on the good bits as far as possible. Also, there was a lot of overhanging greenstuff. I had to try to keep mummy away from it because when she touched it with her front leg, she said lots of 'Ouch'es and other things I don't think she is supposed to say. It seems that some of the greenthings make human furless areas go all blobbly and ouchy.

3 Me lying atop a lock supervising.

Eat Myself!

Mummy threw Oaks into the canal and the quacking featherballs gobbled every bit! She said it was good for them. She said it was not for me. She said doggies don't eat porridge oaks. Well, I think I should be allowed the chance to judge for myself whether or not I would like to eat little bits of myself! Hufff!

Niffy Bum!

I need to file a report ....... to the pooch police......

Mummy is a right old cruel..... wicked...... meaniemeaniebum!

I took Daddy on a long walkies this morning to the mouth-drips shop. He got me the biggest bone ever! Meaniebum Mummy has shut it away in the white chillycupboard!! I can't get at it! HOOOOOOWWWWWWLLLLLLLLLL!

She says I have a bad enough case of bone bum today, so I have to wait a couple of days before I get to munch any more! How cruel is that??

I have registered my protest; I sat down and got a strange little tickle of the botty. Then the air turned a bit niffy so I walked away and left Mummy to steep in it!

Boydoggy Playstuff!

Wowwweeee! Now that's what I call a superduper Sunday!

A nice long workywalkies to church, meeting and greeting lots of humanpals, a snooze on the carpet through all the humanhowling and yacketying. That was all a good start. Then came a little more workywalkies to get to a FREERUN! Then a bit more workywalkies back to floatyboatyhome. That was only a very brief visit home though - just long enough to hop aboard, then hop off again (I think Daddy collected some bottles of human drinking water), then another walkies. This led us to the most fantabulous whole afternoon of poochplay with my buddy Jasper! Ear-chewing, jowl-tugging, chasing and rolling and errrr..... well..... you know..... boydoggy playstuff!

I did have one surprise; in Jasper's garden I found a huge blue cushion. I jumped up onto it...... except it turned out it wasn't a cushion..... I ended up IN it ..... up to my belly in water! Oooops! It got me a great towelrub though! Heeheee!

Photo shows Jasper and me having a good boxing match.
Jasper is a white and grey staffie x frenchie. We are in Jasper's living room by the sofa which has Jasper's Mummy, Jan on it.

Below is a link to a short video of us playing!

https://www.facebook.com/GuideDogOakley/videos/2182809051733783/

Headswell!

Mummy says this re-tyring process thingy could take a couple of years or so because it is going to be difficult to find another dog as awesome as me!!!! (Ahem…. headswell!). But I am wondering if today has been a bit of a practice. Today has been all about a couple of leisurely walkies and a lot of bone-work! I think I can cope with this idea!

Photo shows me lying on a towel on the wooden floor of floatyboatyhome, with my front legs wide apart and a big juicy bone in between them! Yummy work!!

New Dog!

We've been inspected...Checked-up-on....assessed!

Mummy's talkybone dingalinged, Mummy yacked to it, then it was action stations; harness on, lead on and 'let's go'.....

Great! I thought...... 'Let's go find Tesco's' Mum said.......Ugh! How boring! Ploddypaws mode deployed! Sniff destraction attempted - with limited success.....But we didn't actually go to Tesco's - we kept going 'Straight on' past - through the twitten and on all the way to the busy road. We got to the bleepycrossing where we sometimes go across, I checked with Mummy, but she said 'Not today. Straight on'. So straight on we went...... all the way to the end, then to the bleepycrossing there. Then I had to 'get the button'.  Yummy! I do enjoy being asked to 'get the button' those buttons dispense worthwhile rewards! Then it was across the road when the bleeper bleeped. I got all hopeful then that we would go straight on and into the twitten system where I've got to freerun before. No though. Mummy got it all wrong and insisted on 'Find left'. That meant more plodding along the pavement with quite a few stops at kerbs. Then it was a 'find the towpath' - that meant a right turn and a 'find the steps', then 'Downsteps' and 'Find right' along the towpath and back to floatyboatyhome.

When we arrived at floatyboatyhome, Mummy removed my harness and lead and then I spotted a familiar blue fursubstitute top on a ladyhuman that I remember from a while ago. She is a Guide Dogs Mobility Instructor (or Obey Me Or Else OMOE) called Micheala. She is really nice! I gave her a special demonstration display of my best side as I had a good roll and rub on the towpath before getting aboard floatyboatyhome.

After that, it was time for me to retreat to my hideyhole under the table while the inevitable hours and hours and hours of human yacketying went on. At least the subject of the yacketying was important: ME! It seems that I am still doing OK, but I think I heard stuff about something called 're-tyre-ring' sometime in the not too distant future. I am sure I heard mention of Mummy beginning the process of 'going on the waiting list for a new dog'........ Hooooooowwwwwwwllllllllll! I am really not sure I like the sound of that ..... although I did pick up on something that implies that means I might get a buddy to live with. Mummy assures me though, that, for now, I am still her hairy hero and her number one boy and nothing is going to happen anytime soon. Phewwww! That's OK then. I don't think I want to be re-tyred yet.

Photo shows me lying down aboard floatyboatyhome, beside OMOE Michaela, with Mummy behind me.

Not Impressed!

That was the bestest ever visit to Tescos!

I thought it was going to be really boring, so I confess to a bit of ploddypawsing! However, it turned out to be good that I did. If I hadn't slowed Mummy down, we would have got into the shop much sooner and I would have missed Ziva.

Ziva is a four month old me! Well, nearly.... she isn't quite like me - she has a bit missing in the 'important' area. I think that is what makes her a girlie and me a boy. That doesn't matter though. What matters is that we had a fantabulous time kanoodling while our humans had a yacketying session. What those humans don't know is what I was saying to Ziva in doggyspeak! Hahhhaaaa! Heehee! They will ever know the secrets I let her in on.

Later, Daddy was a meanie; he went out without me! I was not impressed! I had to stay and look after Mummy! Well... that bit is OK, but I was still not impressed about being left behind. It seems that he went to one of those mouth-drippy stripey shops. He came back with a bag that smelled utterly delectable! Most of its contents went into that chilly cupboard that makes everything go all solid. I managed to forgive Daddy’s meanieness though when he gave me a big juicy bone! The rest of the day seems to have passed by while I did my best to shrink that bone. I have done quite well but I will save some for tomorrow!

5 photos;

3 of my kanoodling meeting with little Ziva.

1 of my afternoon job on that bone!

Snipsnipsnipped

Work first. Play later. Mummy says that has always been her motto. Well, it was mine today too!

It all started off with a workywalkies to the bus stop, then a bus ride, then a looooooong workywalkies to 'Find Sainsbury's'. It was a hot workywalkies that made my tongue hang out all the way. It was uphill and downhill and uphill and uphill again.....Then, Mummy was about to walk straight past Sainsbury's. 'Straight on' she said. Well, I gave her 'the look' that said 'Err...I don't think so'. Then I looked left and gave her a little tug left - and she called me a smartybum! There, to the left, was a huge Sainsbury's! 'Told you so!'.

When we got inside the shop it was all lovely and cool and Daddy disappeared for a few moments, so I took the opportunity to have a lie down on the cool floor. That got my tongue back inside my mouth again! Mummy produced a kind of squidgy flat thing out of her bag and it popped up to make a bowl. Mummy then got out a bottle of water and drank some of it herself from the bottle while I had a slurp at the share that she had poured into my little squidgy bowl for me. Sharing is always good!

We were in there for ages - mainly for Daddy to get some new leg-covering-fur-substitutes. He went into a little cupboard, came out wearing different legs, then went back again, emerged a second time wearing different ones again, then, after a third disappearance came back wearing the original ones again. WHAT was all that about? Oh well.... it got me some fusses and admirations from other humans going in to do similar changes.

When we got home again, Daddy went outside and snipsnipsnipped the grass all along by our floatyboatyhome. Then he got a pot of really stinky blue gloop and started dipping a whiskerstick in it, then used it to stroke the sides of home. Humans are just completely unfathomable!

A bit later, after my dinner and Mummy and Daddy's dinner, we got a visit. It was Jasper buddy again! Oh - and his Daddy Adrian too. This time we didn't get to play outside (apparently blue wouldn't be a good doggy colour), but we did enjoy a good riot inside floatyboatyhome for a few glorious minutes while the humans did a load of yacketying.

Two photos: 

 

Me workywalkiesing Mummy at a kerb, waiting to cross the road.

Jasper and me having a good ear and jowl-chewing session.

POOCH PARTY RIOT INVITATION

POOCH PARTY RIOT INVITATION
This Thursday 14 June 2pm
Winfield Park, Rugby
Meet near the humanpups play area.
All Guide Dogs, Puppies in training, Brood Stock, Retired or Withdrawn GDs, and petpals welcome.
Bring your humans too.

Wrong Kind of Play...

Jasper came to visit! Yayyyy! We had a riot! Only a limited riot (Mummy failed to remove my super long lead - she burbled something about being too close to a road!), but a great ear-chewing, jowl-tugging, rolling, romping, kanoodling fantabulous riot!

From time to time our humans complained about something they called invasion of personal space..... well.... they were the ones daft enough to be siting on the floor in our playzone! It seems that a Labrador and a Staffie x Frenchie is a bit too much on one human lap! It also seems that human noses don't appreciate wagging tails in such close proximity! Heeheeheeheee!

This all came after a workywalkies to visit old humanpals at church - and back of course. The bestest of fusses and bellyrubs came from minihuman Livvy. I love Livvy - she is VI like my Mummy and hopes that she will have a Guide Dog like me one day.

Oh- err- I suppose I should mention that Jasper's humans came too! It was nice to clean out Adrian and Jan's ears, and Lizzie was fun too!

Three photos:

Delectable bellyrubs from Livvy and her brother Noah.

Chillin with Jasper (it didn't last long - there was way too much fun to be had!)

A brief break in proceedings while Jasper had his collar felt by his daddy. Apparently 'That' kind of doggy play has to be stopped! Huff!

Doggy Riot anyone?

Anypup in Rugby up for a playdate?

We are back! We are in Rugby, moored by the parkyplace (Mummy says it is called Brownsauce or something). I seem to remember a rather wonderful Guide Dogs Riot time in Winfield Park when were here before. I'm sure I could persuade Mummy and Daddy into another one! Mummy says we will be here until the morning of Monday 18 June.

Soooooo........ how's about it pooch pals? Who's up for a good old romp in the park in the next few days? Or maybe..... just maybe....... if you can't all make the same time then I might just manage two...... it would be a hardship but.... well...... I think I could manage it!

Tell me when you might be free....

Scraped, Scratched, or Squirted!

Five and a half miles of towpath toddles, six big locks, lots of to-ing and fro-ing at the locks, a few fusses in the process, a bit of cruising and a nasty long dark tunnel of doom.

After we moored up in tonight's garden (lots of long grass and hedges to sniff and water!), Daddy went up on the roof of floatyboatyhome. He was making some very peculiar scrapey-scratchy noises. Then he used a whisker block to stroke the roof. Then he used a funny little whiskerstick to stroke some stinky stuff onto the bits he had scrapey-scratched.

While Daddy was doing that weird stuff, Mummy was doing oddities too: She was taking the windows out of their sockets and stroking them with some green squirt and a load of white floppy squares. She says she can't see how streaky they are now, but she says they feel clean.

I will never understand these strange human behaviours. I kept out of the way. I didn't want to be scraped, scratched, or squirted!

Knucklebone on the Towpath.

Four miles of very pleasant walkies - just because we can! Mummy says that without me she would not / could not even think about doing such a thing. I looked after her though and we had a lovely wander along the towpath, over a bridge and then along another towpath - and back again.

This afternoon, Mummy sat on a chair on the towpath, beside floatyboatyhome and did loads of her crowshaving thingy. I kept her company by doing some serious work on my bone. It tastes much better on the towpath!

Photo shows me lying on the towpath (a narrow strip of earth with long grass either side) gnawing on a big knucklebone. In the distance is our neighbour-floatyboatyhome.

Crowshaving.

Do Not Disturb
Serious work underway

I am carrying out some important research. I am Chief Cushion Tester. I think I need to gather more data before I can reach a fully and properly evaluated conclusion. I may need to take occasional breaks throughout the day, such as for the purposes of my other research projects: Bone Testing and Towpath Sniffing, but I estimate that this particular project is likely to take most of the day.

Photo shows me lying on the sofa with my head and shoulders on the multicoloured cushions that Mummy made by doing all that crowshaving stuff!

Swallowed by a Tunnel!

I had a very special time with my Mummy this morning. Just the two of us went for a leisurely stroll to the wonderful Millennium Woods. It was a nice morning - not too bright but not too dull, so Mummy was able to find her way along the towpath and up the hill, then around the trail in the woods. That meant I got to freerun! Yayyyyy! I was a good and caring boy though - I didn't stray far away from Mummy. I kept her within my watchful reach. I showed her where the canal sticks out into the towpath, so she didn't fall down the hole. I also went 'upsteps' at the bridge carefully beside her to make sure she was OK on them - they are a bit tipsy-twisty. It was just a lovely, relaxing time of wandering and sniffing - and, of course, I got to catch up on some local gossip via the weemail network!

At the top of the hill, there is a patch with no trees, but lots of long grass and a couple of human sitteries. Mummy made use of one of them and sitted for a bit. I just had a good old sniff around for a while, then had a lie down in the long grass. Just chilling out with my Mummy!

That was a good start to the day. Just nice before a leisurely cruise - lying on the back deck watching the water ripple by. We did get swallowed up into a nasty tunnel for a while. I joined Mummy inside for the duration of that bit. We don't like those horrid dark, drippy, cold tunnels. We survived though and came back out into the light again. Phew!

Seven locks all in one flight rounded the day off rather nicely!

2 photos

Me lying in the long grass at the top of the hill.

Me lying on the back deck watching the water go by.

 

Oooooodles of Yacketying!

Afloat again! Back home aboard floatyboatyhome.

Aaaaannnnndddd......RELAX!

It has a been a loooooong day that started with a serious failure on Mummy's part; she had bacon! She failed to drop even a single atom of it my way! Harrumph! Next , after bag-packing and car-loading, came a workywalkies to 'Find Teri'. I found Teri, no problem, and she did all her usual clickyclunky, crunchy ouchy things to Mummy and Daddy. I don't understand why this seems to make their mouths go up at the ends! It worries me! I have to keep a very close check on proceedings and they often say 'Ooooh' and 'Owww' and 'Ouch' as she is doing her thing. She is a very nice ladyhuman but she won't ever get me hup on her torture-table-bed-thingy!

Then began the long car-ride home. The chillyhuffer was welcome - it was super hot in Bournemouth. The first half of the journey got us to Newbury where it was much cooler. I had to workywalkies Mummy along the road, over the bridge and along the towpath again. This time, after stopping for a yacketying session with a ladyhuman we have met before, we went on towards the park moorings. There we found Peter and Lin; our dear humanfriends from Canal Ministries. I got to snooze on the floor of their floatyboatyhome while the humans did oooooodles of yacketying. A brief freerun around Victoria Park was very welcome after that; just what was needed to set me up for the second half of the car-ride back to home.

Now, Mummy has unpacked all the bags again, I have taken Daddy for a little walkies to the Co-op and back and now I am ready for MummySofaSnuggles time. MuuuUUuum.... put that tippetytappetytoy away and shove up a bit on that sofa......