Dog Blog: Lynx’s Diary (4)

Friday 20th August

Me scoffing fish 'n chips

Richard sez we can only have a holiday if we’s done some work so me and Lou went into the office. We done checking drawin’s, well, walking on drawings and we done quality control on Marks and Spences sosidges – they do knickers, in the same shop! What if they got into the sosidges? Best to check them all reely…

We’s worked so hard that we got fish ‘n chips for lunch – I loves fish ‘n chips. Lou loves them too – she carried her dish all the way up the stairs but when she got to her duvet the food was all gone! Was a mystery! Sneaky Richard had picked up all the bits she dropped on the stairs – I did offer to help…

Tuesday 31st August

I’s so tired – I’s been on holidaze with Lou, Auntie Sue and Richard. I thought that holeedays were s’posed to be re relaxin’ but I put me head down for a snooze and when I wakes up we’s in a new place. So I had to stay awake to watch – I might be be missin’ sumfin. Lou told me to take it easy, but I’s a big handsum boy – there might be some nice laydeez out there AND there was a cat on the towpath.

I's got a job - Richard would never get into the lock if I wasn't doing directions....

I’s going off Auntie Sue, she’s so b-o-r-i-n-g.

I says to her “Auntie Sue, pull over there’s a cat on the towpath”,

she says ‘no!’

then I says “Auntie Sue, let me out, there’s a bambi deer over there, it looks delicious cute”

she says ” I don’t think so….”

I gets no fun at all!

Auntie Sue brought me and Lou some hot duck back from the chinese – it was sooo luscious, even better than hot chicken. Auntie Sue says that if I can catch me a duck then she’ll cook it, so now I’s got get busy lookin’ for ducks.

Just a quick little chase, pleeese

Ooh, I’s been on the train as well – was good – I looked out of the window and the trees was whizzin’ past. Lou was scared so I had to show her how to be brave. I’s done car, boat and train this week – Auntie Sue sez maybe she should hire a heleecopter for hounds……

Monday 30th August

I went to a big boatshow, there was lots of nice laydee greys there – I likes Blushing Bella – her grandaddy was my great-grandaddy! We had nice matching black glossy coats and we looked very smart. Lou grumbled and said “hands off, that’s MY boy” – s’ok, I was jus’ lookin’, honest…..

Wednesday 1st September

Is my birthday only Auntie Sue didn’t realise until tonight – was ok tho’, me and Lou had already scoffed most of a hot chicken. She said she’d cook me a haggis on Saturday to celebrate properly. Haggis is made of  animal bits – it sound luscious. Is must remember to dribble on the carpet so she doesn’t forget.

Me on the train 🙂

Me and Lou gave fusses for money today – Auntie Sue says we’s a pair of tarts – I ‘spect thats a good thing. We woz with other hounds at Tesco, makin’ shoppers fall in love with us so they’d give Greyhoundhomer lots of money and maybe take a hound home. Auntie Sue got rid of the jam – good, I don’t like jam! Some nice shoppers bought us some treets – we scoffed the lot – Auntie Sue said they should have gone to the poor doggies in the kennels not to spoilt hounds like us. She don’t understand – we was usin’ lots of energy being fussed and layin’ on just one sheepskin each.

I woz a bit tired after that – me and Lou had a long snooze before running round the garden to check for wabbits, then we had to have ‘nother snooze…

Thursday 2nd September

Me an Lou is slave labour – we been in Richard’s office all day – we had to chase squirrels out of the park before we even got to the office and then again at lunchtime, we got sosidge sandwiches but is that a fair day’s pay? We’s worked ever so hard….

Friday 3rd September

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Tiller to the right a bit, Richard....

Richard, take the span between the green arrows.... (you don't want VTS barking channel 22 at you!)

Auntie Sue, I's awful worried, did Richard get my directions?

My girl Lou likes to scoff as well; actually she says I'm her boy....

I's sneaking a little kip - hope they don't move too far while I's sleepin'

Ooh ooh, is that a duck?

Me and Auntie Sue on holeeday...

I's keepin's an eye on fings....

Lou woz scared on the train but she's ok if she stickes her head under the seat - I likes looking out the window!

Me an' Lou down the pub - they got carpet but we still needs our sheepskins....

Boat Blog: River Wey (1)

Monday 23rd August

New Haw to Cartbridge

It was the first ‘proper’ day of our holiday today and I woke up heartsick and weary – it’s been such a busy and emotional few weeks. On top of Blue’s demise, one of my uncles died last weekend and it’s been a bit dismal, with that low-level dread when the grim reaper is winnowing out a generation. It didn’t help that the boat also felt weighed down by the National Trust’s pedantic cruising regulations!

Moorings in New Haw - we used to moor in front of nb Twig back in 2006

Thankfully we didn’t have any guests on board today – much as I enjoy the company, I needed a bit of peace and quiet. Luckily there’s plenty to be had on the Wey – it’s a largely rural river, though the noise of the M25 and the A3 occasionally intrude. We took our time getting started – we weren’t in any particular hurry. We moved to the water point which serves the online moorings and filled up until we spotted Fulbourne on the move. We asked whether she’d be interested in sharing locks and then hastened to catch her up. We needn’t have worried – we caught up with her a little further along, the river was blocked by a fallen tree. The National Trust team was clearing the tree but appreciated Richard and David’s help with pulling the heavy branches from the water. It was a convenient stop, we had a leisurely lunch but the dogs couldn’t get out to investigate (not that they were bothered) – the water was far too shallow and we were grounded several feet from the bank, as was nb Fulbourne. When the tree was finally cleared, nb Fulbourne had trouble coming off the bank – in the end we gave her a tug – the first of many!

We bobbled along the canal, following nb Fulbourne’s steady progress round the shallow, narrow and twisting river. When they moored up outside the New Inn in Cartbridge and made gestures suggestive of a drink, we assumed they were suggesting a pint so we moored up behind them. They were actually stopping to visit the shops for some basic supplies but in the end we all decamped to the pub. We had a great time, swapping cruising tales (many shared – several convoys on the Thames and last year’s BCN Challenge). nb Fulbourne had an extra crew member today – a young lady called Beth, daughter of a previous Fulbourne shareholder and a fund of local knowledge.

We’d found out that the Basingstoke Canal is open as far as Woking – around 10 lock miles. The locks have to be booked as they’re worked by a local lockie who needs to caulk them to prevent water loss. The trip has to be done over two or three days, though there is mooring, and room for winding, in Woking. We weren’t sure whether to spend the time on such a short trip – Beth told us in no uncertain terms that Woking wasn’t worth the bother so we decided against it this time. We’ll wait until the far end of the navigation is open – we’ve heard that it’s very scenic and we hope that it does open again one day. In the meantime, residents of Woking, convince us, why should we spend 2 cruising days in and around your town!

Queuing for the tree-clearance...

The pub was very convivial – one of the kids on nb Fulbourne is desperate to have a greyhound – Lou and Lynx helped her cause no end, being extremely cute and well-behaved at the pub. As always they got a lot of attention – they met an enormous deerhound/bearded collie cross at the pub and persuaded it’s owner to give them a big fuss while her husband distracted their giant hound.

We didn’t eat at the pub this evening. Richard’s sister Danusia and new husband Martin came to pick us up and take them to their place in Farnham. Richard was going to sort out their computer in exchange for a barbecue supper – deal! Martin owns a yacht and they’ve just had their first proper holiday on board. As you might imagine, toilets were a major topic of conversation i.e. why narrowboats are so civilised in that department compared to yachts. Martin is fighting a, uhm, rearguard action (sorry!) to keep his yacht – we keep telling him he’d be better off with a narrowboat (though not at sea, obviously!).

We had a lovely evening and they kindly drove us back to the boat where we had a quiet night’s sleep. We would have time to resume the toilet discussion the following day as they would be joining us for the next stage of our cruise….

Photoblog:

We’ve included a few photos from yesterday – it was such an epic day that there just wasn’t room to put all the photos in!

The sign for the Wey is a bit overgrown - look out for this sign!

Looking back towards Thames Lock - the entrance to the Wey...

Coxes Lock and the impressive mill development

The M25 at New Haw - the noise of the traffic moving over the bridge joints is strangely musical...

Ooh, that tree was a proper obstruction - didn't look so bad from further back...

Typically leafy green navigation..

Tha Wey have a few low footbridges...

Floodgates...

The ruins of Newark Priory - the scene could have come out of a Wordsworth poem....

And you could just imagine Jane Austen haunting this place...

An ancient building having a little lean...

There is some dredging going on!

So scenic....

Lovely views...

Himalayan Balsam is a real problem along the Wey - it's taking over the towpaths and migrating into the surrounding meadows

Old and new lock gates at Cartbridge Wharf - the New Inn is just round the corner from here!