Million Miles Trog!

The end of the world! The red-and-white-striped shop had NO bones! This is utter disaster! What am I going to do?

We cruised again, working locks and swingbridges on the way. The last one got us a serious soaking. The sky did huge leakies on us. I whimpered my most pathetic whimpers but there was no shelter. We just had to stand and endure it while the lock emptied to let our home down down down. As soon as Mum had finished pushy-pulling the the huge gate and Dad had chugged our floatyboatyhome out, the leadiesky stopped!

After Dad had finished tying up the boat's leads, we headed off to the train station just up the road. We went to Newbury where I had to workywalkies all across town - including to the red-and-white-striped shop. Then off for a million miles trog around Sainsbury's. I am pretty sure we went up and down EVERY blimmin aisle! I did try my bestest to alleviate the tedium but Mum told me to get my shnozzle out of the fridges! Humph!

Freerun.

zzzzzz..... Lazy snoozy day today.

Mum says it was appropriate to rest and recover from the last couple of days. Well, I've rested now. All recovered. Can we go out now for a nice long freerun?

Waddyamean that little freerun earlier was enough? It was nice. Agreed. It was just sufficient to prepare me for more snoozing in the human yummyery (with humanfriends Val and Oliver :) ). But....but....but.....I could very happily go for a few miles now......

Oh....OK.....sofasnuggles will do then!

Workywalkies - and then some!

Phew! Back aboard floatyboatyhome! Bone and bed! I am one pooped pooch!

I have worked my paws off today in that insanely busy London place! I have guided Mum for many miles of workywalkies around those oceans of human legs. I have endured (didn't like it at all!) a trip on a weird noisy growly bright yellow beastie thing that growled around lots of streets and then drove straight into the river! I had to climb up a really steep set of steps to get into that monster too! Getting off again was no problem though. I was VERY glad to leap down those steps again!

We then did some more workywalkies around the streets and along the pawmenade thing, then went into that big bubble that took us up in the sky and back down again. That was just a nice snooze time in a cool place for me.

Next, after yet more workywalkies around the streets, we went into a big building with lots of narrow corridors and kind of rooms with see through walls. Mum got a sort of talkybone thing and kept standing there with it stuck to her ear. Apparently it was telling her all about all the stuff behind the glass walls. She says it was very good Audio Description and that place was called the Commonwealth War Rooms; something to do with some bloke who used the rooms to direct some big argument a long time ago. I just thought it was really boring. I took every possible opportunity to lie down for a snoozelet while Mum was listening to her talkybone thing. I mean....when it is all behind glass walls, it isn't even vaguely sniffable to make it interesting! Mum and Dad clearly found it very good though. I did manage to absorb some fusses and admirations from lots of the gazillions of other humans in there.

Finally, we left there, workywalkiesded back to the humankennelblock where we had stayed, I got my dinner there, and then we set off to catch a bus, workywalkies a bit more, then catch a train back to home.

It has been great! A really welcome challenge to guide Mum through all those places and all those crowds. I am glad to be back though. My bone was waiting for me (well...Mum got it out of the cold cupboard for me anyway). I have enjoyed a bit of a relaxing gnaw on it, but it will have to save until tomorrow.....I just cannot keep my eyes open any longer! zzzzzzzz.........

6 photos

Me lying down on the big yellow growling DUKW Bus/Boat ting, behind the seat where the manhuman was doing all the yacketying into a black lollipop.

Posing in front of the Bus/boat thing with Mum and Dad.

Posing in front of the Bus/boat thing with Mum and the lollipop yacketyman.

Lying down inside the big bubble on the London Eye. Lying in front of Mum.

Close up of me lying down watching out of the see-through walls of the bubble.

Nah! Not worth staying awake! Eyes now closed but head still trying to stay up.

Tiny Kennel

We seem to be in this crazy busy London place again. I have worked my paws off weaving Mum through oceans of human legs! I did manage to weave her to meet a colleague for a brief sniff on the way! Heehee! She was a golden labrador whose name I didn't find out. She and i just did doggy sniff greetings. Well, it would be just rude to bypass a colleague without a greeting wouldn't it?!

To start the day, we did some cruising and some locks and some swingbridges, then Mum and Dad did some frantic packing of stuff into a wheeliecase, then we set off workywalkies to the station. It was mega hot and we arrived at the train station just too late so had to wait a while for the next train.

The only shady place with a seat for Mum and Dad was out in the car park (except for the one inside the station but that was pongy - human weemails are not nice!). So, to while away the the time, Mum got me to 'hup' onto the bench and she attacked me with a grooming session. She just happened to have it in the wheeliecase! It was a bit cooler on that bench because it had holes in it to let the air circulate so Mum let me stay up there as there was nobody else around who might have wanted it. I just couldn't keep my eyes open! Well.....Mum calls us hobos as we are of 'no fixed abode'. Hobos sleep on park benches. So I was doing the right thing!

Soon enough though we were on a very crowded train and I had to crawl under the seat to get out of the way. We then had to change to another train, via a bit of a workywalkies and a ride in two of those magic world-changing boxes. The second train brought us to London. Then it was more workywalkies and bus-rides to a humankennelblock.

Our kennel is tiny. Mum calls it a pod. Dad says it is a Premier Inn Hub. It is OK though. I got my dinner in the pod! In fact I got it early! Then, after Mum and Dad had been in the warm rain box and I had enjoyed a bit of a snooze under the cool hufferfufferthing, we went off out again! This time, we did a combination of workywalkieses and bus rides, and then we found Debbi! She led us to a human yummyery, then on to a big old building. Once inside there, I got to abandon Mummy and I went off into a room with some of the workyhumans to get ooooooodles of fuss and admiration for the evening while Mummy, Daddy and Debbi went into the big room with seats up steps to watch something called a show.

Then it was workywalkies again, byebyes to Debbi and then bus ride and more workywalkies back to our pod kennel!

Photo of me asleep on a blue metal mesh park bench type seat outside Midgham Station.

Proper Day!

Proper Sunday
 
Workywalkies to church. Carpet to snooze through all the humanhowling. Workywalkies home again. Wonderful 4 and a bit miles FREERUN with plenty of swims on the way. Then a big juicy bone!

Proper happy Oakie!

Skyfuzz

Yayhayhayhay! Oakleyworld is finally the right way up! This is the life I am supposed to be living!

We have cruised. We have walked the towpath. We have worked locks. We have moved to a new mooring. I have snoozed the afternoon away on the towpath. I have meeted and greeted many passing pooches. Yesssss! This is what Oakleys are meant to do! Well... this Oakley anyway!

Well......OK..... I suppose in true Oakleyworld the walking the towpaths bit should be workywalkies in harness. Today, though, and probably only today....Mum has let me enjoy freerunning the bits we have walked because it is all VERY familiar territory for her and the fireball was high in the sky but tempered by a bit of skyfuzz, so just perfect lighting for her. I even got to sneak in a quick cooling swim on the way! That meant that, when I got back aboard the back deck of floatyboatyhome, I washed the deck too. I do like to be multipurpose!

One of the passing pooches that I meeted and greeted was a little 11 week old Springer Spaniel puppy named Morgan. The photo shows her lying down beside me and me looking down at her. I was very gentle. She was very soft and fluffy.

Kanoodle Time!

Coffee Morning. That's what Mum called it.

Kanoodling Morning. That's what it was! Heehee!

Workywalkies to the bus stop, then workywalkies on new territory - a road with no pavement into a place called Thatcham Garden Centre. That was vaguely familiar. We've been there before but not via that route in. It was a good challenge. As we crossed the car park, I spotted my pal Harley, fellow black lab Guide Dog. Suddenly I was a bit faster guiding Mummy! Ahem! There were some familiar humanfriends there too - but most importantly Harley! We are expert kanoodling buddies!

After a little while another colleague arrived too. A golden lab x retriever named Daisy. She is only a youngster at just 2. We did a fair bit of kanoodling between us. It really is the best way for any self-respecting Guide Dog to pass the time under the table while our humans do all that yacketying. Daisy is a bit of a goody-4-paws though. She didn't do the commando crawling under the table that Harley and I have perfected to overcome our humans' insistance on pulling us apart from time to time. (Apparently this coffee stuff is supposed to stay in cups but kanoodling causes it to cover table tops!). So what we actually ended up doing was that Daisy and I were able to lie next to each other and have a good old ear-and-jowl-chewing session and Harley commando crawled over to join in whenever he got the chance. It was a happy morning of furry-fellowship!

Near the end of the time, Daddy arrived to join in with the yacketying. Then, when my buddies has gone, I had to go back into work mode guiding Mummy around that garden centre place. There were so many trees and bushes that really needed watering but Mummy wouldn't let me! I had to save it all for the big tree in the car park! After that we then went to a place with lots of those big white homes on wheels before returning to floatyboatyhome.

After my dindins, it was back into uniform and off on another workywalkies. Daddy had disappeared again, but we found him at the end of the walkies - at a human yummyery called the Old London Apprentice. They are doing good stuff there - raising shinydisks to sponsor a puppy and call it Ola. Ken the nice workyhuman there remembered me and I got to 'hup' at the bar again to greet him!

Now, back home again, it is most definitely sofasnuggles time. 

 

Me kanoodling with Daisy - just our heads visible with our noses smooshed together.

Harley joined in too - two black heads and Daisy's golden head all with noses together.

 

Stolen Toys...

Mummy has gone berserk! She has been doing all sorts of peculiar things today:

She has put pretties in the boxes on the roof of our floatyboatyhome. She also put loads of dark crumbly dirt stuff in them - from a bag.

She spent ages stroking the outside walls. She had 2 cloths and a big bottle of gloopystuff. She used one cloth to smear the gloop all over the wall, then the other cloth to stroke it all off again!

She has been doing a whole load of bangbangbanging with a big lump on a stick. She has been bashing the life out of loads of squares. this seems to have stuck them together and now they are all in one big mat on the floor of the bow deck. So, the day before yesterday, this deck was all stinky with new grey stuff. Now it is all blue, red and green in squares.

Along with all of this weirdness, she has done the most terrible thing! She has stolen a whole load of my toys! They have been lying on a rug on the towpath, along with a few other things, with a flappyrectangle with squiggles on it. Apparently, the squiggles tell people that they can take away these items. And they have taken some of them away - including my toys! Hooooowwwwwllllll! She says they were all toys I don't play with. She says I have plenty left. She says it is all raising shinydisks for Guide Dogs. Well, OK. People did put shinydisks into the little dog-shaped box. That bit is good.

But....but.....but.....but....MY toys! Mum! How could you?

Mummy's Gone Berserk!

'Find the bank'. 'Find Wilkos'. 'Find Lidls'. All the old haunts here in Newbury.

In the bank, my bum gave quite a spectacular bounce when the workyladyhuman reached to the place where I know they keep a pot of doggy-yummies! My tail did a very good and efficient sweep of that bit of floor too. But, apparently the pot was empty! How could they? Hooooowwwwlllll! And after my bestest sit too! I had to settle for one of my usual treats from Mummy's pouch. It helped a bit to overcome the upset!

Wilkos was a tease too. There was a little hoard of minihumans around that pic n mix sweeties area. There were litttle yummies aaaallll over the floor - pink ones, yellow ones, white ones, brown ones, red ones, green ones........Mum was megamean! She wouldn't let me get ANY of them! She kept a very tight 'head up' hold on my lead and noseband! Huffffff-double-huff! Then we just wandered up and down the aisles - over and over again. Apparently Mum was searching for some specific hooks or something but couldn't find them. It takes her ages to scan the shelves at the best of times, but hunting for a tiny packet took forever. The workyladyhuman that Mum asked wasn't helpful. She just said 'Oh...errr... I fink they're on the back wall'. Mum gave up! (Phew!)

Lidl's was a little more interesting yet normal. Mum failed to yield to my attempts to guide her into Pets at Home on the way. She really is stubborn sometimes! In Lidl's I had to work quite hard keeping her from bumping into people. it was crowded in there!

Daddy had gone off and left us for the day and so, when we got back to floatyboatyhome, Mummy went berserk. She started emptying cupboards and doing loads of that squirt-wipe thing, then rearranging the contents of the cupboards and putting them all back in different places. She also seems to have packed a load of my toys into a bag.....should I be worried?!!

Daddy came back and I got to take him walkies while Mum finished putting home back together again. Now it is time for sofa snuggles. I have been showing Mum my best view! She says she doesn't really appreciate having a weapon of mass destruction pointed straight at her! I have no idea what she means.

Phhoooeeeyyyy! Who did that?

Photo shows me lying on my back on the sofa beside Mum - my bum is pointing toward her and my back legs are so elegantly spread apart!

Andrews...

Puppy kanoodles! Heehee!

I took Daddy walkies first then came back to floatyboatyhome and took Mummy workywalkies. First of all, it was a Team Towpath workywalkies - working all of ONE lock. So that means we have cruised again. Now we are beside Victoria Park, but I haven't been allowed to go play (yet.....)

I then led Mummy away and left Daddy to tie up the boat's leads. We went along the towpath. I have to confess I was a tad ploddypawsyfied....Mum was a tiny bit miffed with me.... she may just have said rather a lot of 'huppup' commands to no avail. I was bored! This route is sooooooo overfamiliar now! And we ended up at Dullelm! The most boring shop in Oakleyworld! Mum usually does Sooooooo much of that browsing thing in there that I just have to lie down at the end of each aisle and let her get on with it.

Not today though! We went in the door and Mum said 'Find upsteps'. I did - then negotiated our way around those horrid poles at the top of the stairs. Then she said 'Find left'. Well .... Left is the yummyery! We went left. 'Find a seat'....Yep. Done. Then!........a little buddy arrived! Guide Dog Puppy in Training Zak! actually, he is not exactly little anymore but he is great fun though. Then another tiny buddy arrived too. Humanfriend Jenni was carrying him in her front paws. His name is Andrews and he is only tinyweeny - 11 weeks old golden Labrador. Mum says he is a really chunky little lad. I just looked after him and let him chew my ears and muzzle! It was great fun. We were all only allowed to lie down and kanoodle. It seems that humans don't approve of doggy play proper inside yummyeries. But kanoodling was great to do with two little prodigies, even if they are not glorious black like me!

I had a little more spring in my step on the workywalkies back, even though I did endure a tiny bit of browsing in the store before we left.

When we got back to floatyboatyhome, Daddy was on his knees, scraping and stroking the bow deck, and all the stuff that lives on it had been evicted onto the towpath. He then made a horrid stink with a whiskerstick thing that he used to spread stinky grey stuff all over the deck surface.

Pphhoooooaaaarrrrr! It pongs horrid! I had to go in and out via the back deck for my necessary ablutions!

Photo of me lying on the floor of the Dullelm yummyery with a sleepy Andews puppy beside me.

Red and White Stripes...

Vvvvvwoooowoooo......vvvvvwwoooooowoooooowoooo..... that was the song sung to me by Benji the Beagle in the shop that I took Mummy and Daddy to this morning. Benji was doing a fab play-bow to me while he was singing this song. His humanmum, the workyhuman in the shop, was telling him to shush though. I was harnessed so I knew I couldn't play but I sooooooo longed to. I did get to sniff-greet Benji but that was all. I did get praise from Mummy for being a good boy! I suppose that helps a bit to make it less miffing that I couldn't play properly. Apparently two pooches playing in a paint shop would not be desirable!

This came after a walkies across the park and along the towpath, including a delightful, if brief, playtime with a Border Collie, a Westie and a Labradoodle. I had to take Mum to 'find the control box' at the swingbridge. Dad then brought our floatyboatyhome through and we are now moored up almost in town.

The workywalkies continued on from Benji's shop, around town, then to the big dark room with seats and a moving picture wall....Oh! and little crunchy clouds. Well, it had some crunchy clouds when we went in. They were all gone by the time the funny little round things with faces stopped being on the big wall. (Mum says it was called the Emoji Movie. I just thought it was loud but yummy).

My bone seems to have shrunk rather significantly over the last couple of days. I must make sure I get Mum to the red-and-white-striped shop again very soon......

Friends and Sploshies!

Yippeeeeee! I got to take full advantage of this hugenormous garden!

I took Mummy and Daddy walkies across the park to get to the car to go to church, then back again. I got tethered on my megalong lead for a while. I was a bit miffed about that, but Mum said the fishermen wouldn't appreciate my interference! I would not have interfered! I would simply have helped them by dealing with the yummies that they throw into the water. I would have been far more efficient at the job than they were! Huff!

After a while though, they packed up and went so I was released. Mum started off by playing ball-launcher fetch across the park. I humoured her for a couple of throws then grabbed my chance and zoomed off, ball in mouth, into the river! Heehee! Mum then brought out my swim-fetch toys and did a good job of tossing them into the water for me to go fetch back.....many many many times over! I did a proper good job of getting her nice and soggy too - not just a big shake but a full-on rub around her back legs! Heeheee! I think those things she calls Jeans look much better in the darker blue shade!

I was just beginning to get tired from all the swimming when I spotted humanpals coming across the field. I raced over to greet them but then didn't seem to keen to fuss me! 'Eewww! You're all wet!' is not the most endearing of greetings is it? Huff!

Gradually, throughout the rest of the afternoon, many humanpals from church arrived - and a pooch pall too - Bella the tiny Springer Spaniel who brought her humans Mark and Bev with her. It was a fab afternoon. I got to play duck-and-dive with a biggish minihuman who thought he could get my ball off me. No chance! I can duck and dive much faster than he can! It was great fun though! It seems that all these people came to make sure we are leaving! There were lots of those strange humanhugs things going on! I just enjoyed the freedom and relaxation! Even when the sky started leaking!

Team Towpath Back in Action!

Holibobs over but happy to be back, especially as I've got a huge new bone and we have cruised to moor in the bestest place in Newbury!

I had to wake Mummy and Daddy up this morning. my stomach was eating me from the inside out! I was soooooo starved! Mum says the tickydisk said it was 9.30. That means my breakfast should have been two whole hours before! Well....OK..... I needed a wee too ......but.....I was proper starving! I'm sure I should've got at least double portions for the delay. I didn't though. Hufff!

Having just about survived that starvation, I took Mummy workywalkies. Back on the old stomping grounds I really wanted to check out all the local gossip in the weemails, but she wouldn't let me get away with many sniffs. Huff! I did manage to sneak in a few though - at strategic gossip hubs. I even managed to exchange messages at a couple of them! It was a good walkies into town. The most important stop in the town centre was the red-and-white-striped shop where Mum got a backpack full of torture including sausages. Most importantly though, she got me two nice big bones! Yippee! Next stop was a good one too; Pets at Home! Yessssss! Hoovering just had to be done in the Pic-n-Mix aisle - it is important to leave the place clean and tidy! My supply of treats is now replenished. Life may now continue! The third stop was Lidl where Mum got me guiding her alongside the trolley. She got carrots! All is good with the world!

At the checkout I got to 'hup' to meet n greet my buddy Jerry at the checkout. I like Jerry, he does good ear tickles! Daddy met us in there and so we got a lift home in the car with all the shopping.

We stayed home just long enough for Mum to put the shopping away and for me to make a start on my yummy bone! Then we went off out again in the car to Beeancue. We went into the garden bit, but Mum wouldn't let me water any of the plants! Instead Mum and Dad put loads of little boxes of colourful nose-ticklers into a trolley and then we took them home in the car. They are now all on the roof of our floatyboatyhome! How weird are these humans?!

Daddy connected up the squirtysnake and squirted it into the hole in the deck. Then when the deck had drunk enough, Dad used the squirtysnake to water the roof - and he tickled it with a bristlestick too! (yep! definitely weird!). The water was pouring all over the back deck. I kept my bone and me safely inside!

Once all this peculiar behaviour was finished, we set off cruising. That meant that Team Towpath was back in action! Yayyyy! Workywalkies along the towpath working the locks and the bridge! That is what Mum and me are meant to do! Just 2 locks and the one swingbridge, but it was great to be back doing our thing!

Now, we are moored beside Northcroft Park once again! I may have got just a tad excited as we arrived! I may just have squeaked a bit! Errhemmm! Oops! Ahem! I was a bit miffed though when Mum tethered me! She muttered something about not wanting a soggy doggy tonight...... I don't know what she could possibly have to worry about! I wouldn't dream of getting soggy.......I might think about taking a dip...... but that's not really getting soggy........Meanie Mummy!

Photo shows me - just the top of my head - nose downwards - munching a huge knobblyknucklebone on turquoise rug.

Squished! Several Times!

HOME! We made it! What a day!

We were forever and ever and ever on buses and trains. It started with a bus ride from almost outside our kennelblock in that HeadinBurger place, then a short workywalkies weaving through the oceans of human back legs again. Next came a brief ride in one of those magic boxes (the ones that change the outside while the doors are closed, so, when they open again we are somewhere different). Then came the forever train ride. It was a mega squishy train ride. Not a comfy train ride. Mum and Dad were a bit stressed because several manhumans were rather unfriendly and unhelpful at the station and getting onto the train. instead of getting to sit in the disabled people's seats, where I get space to lie down properly, we were squished into a tiny place. There were just the two seats for Mum and Dad and I had to squidge myself into the tiny space underneath the seats as best I could. There wasn't really room for a labrador under there though, so I had to spill out into the space where Mum and Dad's back paws belonged. This meant that we were all very uncomfortable for the whole 4 and a half hours. Mummy and Daddy were not very happy and that makes me sad too! We were all very glad to get off when we reached that crazy busy London place.

It was great to get out and do a little workywalkies to find the bus stop (and a tree! Phew!). The bus journey was a bit squashy. I had to squeeze right up onto Mum's back paws to allow a minihuman's wheeliesieat to fit in the space with our wheeliecases too. It was OK though. At least I could sit upright, which is more than i had been able to do on the train!

When we got off the bus, we were at another train station. This one is apparently called Pawdington. I took Daddy for a brief walkies while Mummy stayed to look after all the bags. He made me sit beside this strange hard teddybear with a hat on. Then by a bench seat with the same teddy on it. This teddy was eating but it didn't smell very interesting. Apparently this Pawdington Bear is very famous!

The final train journey was a lot nicer. There was a nice manhuman at the station who helped us to get into the posh seats. I had space to stretch out in comfort under the table! Yippee! Mummy and Daddy were happier too. When their mouths go up at the corners it makes me happier too!

At the end of aaaaaaallllll this journeying, I got to workywalkies Mummy all the way from the station to our floatyboatyhome in its floatyboatykennel. Daddy came with aaaaallll the baggage in a taxi. We arrived at the same time!

It is good to be home! We have had a huge adventure and it has been fantabulous. But it is good to be home.

Sofasnuggles time! Most definitely! Mummy......legs please....pillow needed here.......

3 photos:

Mum and me in front of the big red train that had us all squished up. This in on the platform at Kings Cross Station.

 

Me beside the very hard Pawdinton Bear.

Me by the seat with Pawdington Bear on it.

 

Well Chuffed, or Well Choo'd (Chewed).... ?

Steak! I got steak! YuuUUUuuummmmyyyy! It was only a tiny morsel. Mummy saved it for me from her dinner. She said it was a little treat for our last day of hollibobs. It was super yummylicious! I think I rather like steak!

It was at the end of another day of lots and lots of guDug..guDug on the trains and lots of bumpety bumping on buses too. We got a bus from our humankennel in Avoch (pronounced Ohch) to In The Mess, then I took Daddy walkies (well, a dog has to do what a dog has to do!) while Mummy looked after allll the luggage. Then it was workywalkies to the train station and onto the guDug...guDug. Apparently, it should have taken us all the way to this Headinburger (I think I would prefer a burger in tum!) place. It didn't though; it stopped in some place called Pawth and the grid on the ceiling told us that it wasn't going any further. Something to do with no driver. So we had to get off and go to the other side of the station, wait a bit (a welcome chance to take Mummy workywalkies to find a suitably dry tree that needed watering), and then get onto another guDug..guDug train for the rest of the journey.

We finally reached HeadinBurger and then it was more workywalkies to find a bus. There were humanlegs everywhere! It was waaaaaay crazy-busier than last time we walked that street. I had to work my paws off looking after Mum and guiding her through it all! It was a good challenge! When we got on the bus, I found Mummy a seat and we set off. A couple of stops later, a very wobbly manhuman got on. He was talking all burred and couldn't stand up properly but he made a super fuss of me in between all his wobbles! Mum says he was sozzled. I just thought he was nice....

The bus dropped us off in a place we've never been before and we had to find our new kennelblock for tonight. I was glad to get to our kennel - it was past my dinnertime! Mummy sorted that out for me and I wasted no time in dealing with my bit of the duty. Then it was off to the human yummyery downstairs. I enjoyed the snooze without the guDugging while Mum and Dad noshed. That bit of steak was just the perfect wake-up though!

Afterwards, I took Mummy and Daddy workywalkies a little way along a very busy road and then we found a parkyplace. Well....it would have been so wrong to ignore that wouldn't it? Ooooohhh! I did enjoy that little freerun! All along a path beside a stream - and I was nice to Mummy - I did manage to 'stay out of the water'.....just.....it almost dragged me in but I thought I would show Mum that I do know what the recall whistle means!

Now....If I get a little tiny bit of steak at the end of a big hollibobs like this one......would I get a big bit of steak at the end of a little hollibobs?

2 photos

1 me trying to snooze by Dad's back paws, squeezed in behind our big wheeliebag

2 Me sitting looking very hopefully at Mummy coz she opened the purple backpackbag that I know had my treats in it!

 

 

Trapped and Frothed!

Furbal Essences Beautiful Ends! Alledgedly this is a much more acceptable aroma than FishRot Essences. I hugely disagree but do I get a choice in this matter? NOPE! I got frothed! Mum lured me into the warm rain box here in the humankennel. She got in with me then shut the door. I was trapped! She even kept the door shut when she told me to 'big shake' so I couldn't even reap my revenge by decorating the whole room!

Haarrrrruuummmpppphhh! My ends smelled peerfectly wonderful after that delightful discovery on the beach! That warm wet frothy assault was quite uncalled for!

Mum says she is trying to work out how to wrap me completely in something called Clingfilm when I go freerunning so that she can just peel off whatever I roll in. Heeeelllllppppp someone please!

Grott Bags!

Soggy Doggy Day.

We went workywalkies to the bus stop, then rode on a big bouncy bus for a long way (Dad says the buses are coaches around here - that's why they bounce extramuch). When we got off we were apparently at some place called John O Grotts. Well the leakysky was very grotty! I like water when I can get into it but when it tries to get into me it makes my head and tail hang down all sad. Then the water drips off the end of my nose.

We went inside as much as we could - into shops and yummyeries. Mum asked me to 'big shake' outside each time before we went in. I was a good boy and did do a big shake when asked to but I thought it was a bit mean. A big shake inside is much more satisfying when there is lots of stuff to decorate with spatters.

We were meant to be going on a big bobbyboat to check out the wildlife apparently. We didn't go though because the manhuman said the weather was too bad. So, we went into a final yummyery, where Mum and Dad both had pointy things with cold slurpystuff on top. I sat very patiently at Mum's paws and waited. I may just have left a little extra puddle on the floor in front of me coz that little pointy thing made my mouth drip rather seriously! Mum surrendered to my gaze of starvation and let me have a taste of the end of her pointy thing. Oooooooohhhhhh YYYUUUUUMMMMMM! Maybe she does love me......

The long bouncy bus ride back ended at a biggish Tescos - the most important bit of workywalkies of the day: We got me some more food! Well, thank Tescos for that! I don't want to run out of nosh!

Mum says I still have workywalkies to do this evening. Apparently we are going to one of those places where noisy moving pictures happen on the huge wall and there are little white crunchy clouds to hoover from the floor.......

Photo shows Mum, Dad and me beneath a sticky-up pole with lots of sticky-out sticks on top. Apparently it says John O Grotts on top. Mum wouldn't let me send any weemails at that post! 'Inappropriate' She said. But it is clearly a very strategic point for humans (loads of them were using one-eyed-clickyboxes at it). So, if it strategic for humanses then why can't it be strategic for pooches too? Huff!

Injun Buffy!

Positive guiding! That's what Mum says I'm doing super well at! Well! I can take that praise thank you very much. I'm just enjoying doing my job in new places. It is all much more exciting and interesting than plodding around the same old familiar streets. Everything smells so different here! Even Mum says so! She says the air is clean and fresh. To me it is carrying a million different stories and I want to read them all!

Today we took a very short workywalkies to a pointy church where I got oodles of fusses. I think it was a bit of a happy novelty having a pooch in the pews!

After that, we went for a bit of a wander around town, then back to our kennel for a brief while. Then Mum stayed to rest her paws and to deal with some clicketyfingersing stuff while I took Dad for another exploring session.

After my dinner, we set off workywalkies again to find a human yummyery. It made my mouth do some serious dripping. It smelled soooooooo good. It must have been good - Mum failed to drop anything more than a couple of those tiny white long dots. I dutifully hoovered them but they were not what I was smelling! Mum said it was called an Injun Buffy or something. There were some big round crunchies called poppadogs. She even failed to drop crumbs from them! Huffffff!

I endured that torture just long enough to get me out for a much needed wee, then another workywalkies leading to a very welcome freerun beside some huge crumbling building beside the rocky beachplace, and with some delicious long grass all along the way. Mum says she hopes it will sort out my parpy problem! I don't know what she means! There is a bit of a nasty niff that keeps drifting around but it is fine if you just move away! Mum blames it on the beach-cleaning that i did yesterday when I went off on a mission across the rocks. It was tasty but I'm not telling what it was. That is my secret. Anyway - what has yesterday's snacking got to do with the niffypuffs today?

The freerun ended when I had to go back to work to guide Mum back to the kennel via a long road with no pavements. We stopped off for a bit of a rest on the pawmenade where we sat and watched the hotball fall down the sky. Well....Mum and Dad watched it rather more than I did. I was rather more interested in watching the pair of Samoyeds walking about across the way!

Photo shows Mum sitting on the pawmenade wall with me lying beside her with my front paws dangling over the edge. Mum is gazing out to the ocean, my head is turning hard to watch over my shoulder.

Bye Bye Bobby!

The adventure continues!

Bye bye bobbyboat. Hello long bus ride then long train ride. Worth it though...... we are now apparently in a place called Thurso, in another human kennelblock. After arriving and getting bags all into our kennel, we set off for a welcome workywalkies explore. It led us to a BEEEEEEAACH!! YAYAYAY! Big flat sand for big crazy zoomies! Ooooh! that was good to do!

6 photos of me on Thurso Beach:
1 There is beach to my right
2 There is beach to my left
3 I shall choose THIS pebble
4 I shall dig it and dig it and dig it
5 I shall dig it some more....
6 killed it!

+3

Bibbly Bobbly Boat!

Loch Oich Oik! That's what Mum called me! Or, she said maybe it should be Oachley's Loch Oich.....Whatever....... It was a tad chilly but worth it! Just a few ball-fetches and then off for a nice leisurely freerun along a track through the trees. That meant loads of weemail exchange opportunities. I'm getting to grips with the lingo here now.

All that was after a very lazy snoozy morning in our very bibbly-bobbly bobbyboat. The sky was very leaky and the air was super huffy, so bobbyboat was bibblybobbling all night. We were OK inside though - it was just a bit jiggly and noisy.

We went for a bit of a cruise across this Loch Oich again today after the air stopped huffing so hard. It seems it was a journey for Dad to use his one-eyed-clickybox. That meant I got another leisure walkies! No complaints there!

We are now back at the bobbyboat kennel where we started and I took Daddy out again this evening and we came back to find Mummy had packed everything into bags and wheeliecase again. it seems this is our last night of bobbyboat holibobs.

I was super helpful to Mummy this evening. She was doing something she called making-a-packed-lunch. She opened little round things of tuna. The smell made me drip very seriously. Mum needed to drain the water out of it and the only place for it to go was my bowl! Well....it just had to be disposed of didn't it? Yummylicious! Then, when she had finished there was a round mixing bowl thingy that needed to be washed up. I did a very good and thorough job of it! Mum says I am seriously spoiled. I thing I was simply being super helpful! Sluuurrrppppp!

2 photos of me swimming in Loch Oich. In both, I have my new yellow big ball in my mouth. in one I am sideways on with reflections in the water beside me. In the other I am facing forward with sploshes of water droplets spraying up above my nose.

 

 

Bobby Booby Bobby!

Nope! Can't find this Messie Monster. I've searched and searched today.

 

Apparently it was my last chance before leaving Loch Mess. I had taken Mummy workywalkies to the frothysloshmachine room and we had a few minutes to wait for it to finish sloshing all the fursubstitutes. There just happened to be a beach right beside the building. Well.....I couldn't waste the chance for a dip could I? So, in I paddled. I looked and I blew bubbles and I even had a bit of a dig in the pebbles under that chilly water, but no Messie. That puddle is a bit big though - maybe Messie was on the other side......

We have bobbed away from Fort Augustus in our little bobbyboat. It really did bobbabout too! That water was lumpy bumpy today! We are now moored up beside some funny little tiny pointy-roofed shed-things (apparently they are human hollibobs kennels) and our bobbyboat is bobbing and wobbling well in the huffypuffy air and on the lumpybumpy water. We are safe and cozy inside. Mum's lap is great place to be to snooze away the bobby-bumpings.

5 photos - 4 of me searching for MessieMonster and 1 of the funny little pointy-roofed human hollibobs kennels.

 

Big Non-Bobbyboat!

Little boat. Big boat. Workywalkies. Freerun. Paddling. Snoozing. A varied day methinks!

From our little bobbyboat, we went workywalkies around town, then got on a huge big boat. It was a little tricky guiding Mum onto it but I did it and then took her 'upsteps' to the top deck. There were lots of humans up there all on seats. Mum and Dad stayed stooded up most of the time. I just found myself a spot in the warm rays and laid down on the deck. The big boat took us out for a tour of this end of Loch Mess. There was a manhuman doing a load of yacketying - very loudly! He was telling everyone about some messy monster or other. I saw no such monster but I did enjoy a few moments of fuss from him and his ears were yummy too. He seemed to enjoy having them cleaned out! Daddy did a huge amount of one-eyed-clickyboxing. I think he was trying to find that messy monster thing.

After that we did some more workywalkiesing - just wandering around town and around the huge locks. Mummy and Daddy tortured me with smells of yumminess as they sat on a wall munching little yellow sticks from a box. Humph! The next bit was lovely though; a freerun along the side of the canal - on the non-towpath side. There was a million sniffings to be sniffed and many many important weemails to check out too. There was also a couple of passing buddies to meet and greet, and, of course, a couple of places where I simply HAD to go in for a paddle. Well.....I just HAD to! I almost got brave enough to actually swim but the rocks under the water suddenly disappear from under my paws and I didn't fancy plunging off. We did a bit more of that 'admiring the view' thing too. To me, this just seems like a waste of freerun time - and a different name for Mum-and-Dad-sit-down-for-no-apparent-reason! Still, it was a bit of a chance to dry off!

When we got back to our little bobbyboat, it was really hot and so Mum and Dad sat out on the back deck for a while. I enjoyed this time of stretching out and absorbing the rays from the blazing hotball in the sky.

2 Photos

Daddy with his one-eyed-clickybox, on the big boat, trying to find MessyMonster.

Me lying on the grassy bank of the Caledonian Canal, gazing out across the water and mountains beyond.