7 January
It’s been a while since I put pen to paper – or paw to keyboard! I felt the urge to write this evening after spending a lovely day with some of my human relatives. Pam and Tom are Leigh’s sister and brother-in-law, and for some reason Leigh decided they needed a bit of caninecompany.
I believe she thinks they had been missing us whilst we were adventuring on the canal network last year; to address this, she thought, ‘I know, I’ll send the girls around to keep Pam and Tom occupied’. She has done so several times since we arrived at Tardebigge back in November.
Today was superfun. Leigh dropped us off around eight-thirty-a.m. She and Tom were on their way to Birmingham, where Leigh was delivering a conference for a German company she does some consulting for. In fact, last evening they were setting up the room, so Rosie and I spent the evening with Pam and tom in addition to all day today. Yelp!
Rosie and I human-sat Pam and Tom until around six-o-clock this evening. During these hours we had a good old nose around their house – Rosie loves to mooch around upstairs where she rolls on the carpet to ensure that no other visiting canine is in any doubt as to who is top-dog in this house. I tend to just follow Pam or Tom around. In fact I have quite befriended Pam (who I use to growl at – just for fun) and she tells me that I have become her friend and a ‘useful little growler’ too.
When she sits in her armchair Pam pops a blanket on her lap for Rosie and me to lie on. She then rests her I-pad on us. Now, although this is a bitofacheek, by using us as her I-pad stand it means that we can lie there, dozing away for a-g-e-s. It suits all three of us.
Whilst there today, Rosie and I caught onto the fact that, although Pam and Tom used to walk lots a few years back, they no longer do so; after a brief barkcussion we decided that, because we were spending a whole day with them, we ought to be responsible human-sitters and take them for a walk. They loved it. It’s a real feel-good-factor for us canines when we get back from a nice walk and the humans talk about how much they enjoyed themselves. Yelp!
I am quite enjoying the winter in the U.K. We have had some fabulous frosts and it’s very entertaining watching the ducks and birds trying out their skills at ice-skating; they glide, they skid, then they eventually flutter up on to the verge where our neighbour – or the man in the top-lock-keepers cottage – feeds them…on a twice daily basis.
The scenery here changes daily depending on the weather. Foggy days are quite spooky and make me think of ghostly goings on in the graveyard up by Tardebigge Church, sunny but shiveringlycold days make my heart skip a beat as I take in the views as far as Malvern (and Breedon in the other direction), rainy days make the fields appear greener and the already-flowering broom looks such a bright-yellow that I cannot fail to feel up-beat even when having to wear my Barbour – to stay dry!
We have had several narrowboats stopping off for a few days on the cut and I often wonder who lives on the boat and what they are doing here. It’s not so easy to find out during the Winter; boaters spend lots of time inside in contrast to the Spring, Summer, and Autumn when they mainly spend time sitting in the bow, stern, or even outside on the tow-paths. Snuggled up inside, stove burning brightly, with numerous cups of coffee or home-made soup on the go makes my humans realise that a simple life can be a great life. There are compromises to make, and there are things that drive you mad (little storage, wearing wellies when you are otherwise dressedtothenines, then having to change into heels in the car – Leigh, not Tom – banging your head if you are not careful coming down the steps into the boat) but on the whole it’s a wonderful life-style.
I guess that’s about it from me for now, possibly until we begin our next adventure (heading down to London). The only time we go for a cruise are when we mosey up to Tutnall to get the toilet pumped out, or take friends for a cruise up to Alvechurch for a bite to eat, so not too much to tell you!
Have a barkingly healthy and happy 2017…
Woofs, Martha xx
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