18,19, 20 June 2011

After we left Fishers Mill Bridge we went back to Fazely Junction where mum and dad put more water in the tank and got rid of all the rubbish. It had taken me a couple of days but once I understood the routine I just stayed calm and enjoyed lying on the deck watching out of the doors. I didn't need to be tied up all the time or have the doors closed. We stopped near Hademore Farm Bridge for the night but there were other boats and other dogs so I couldn't just play out on the towpath by myself.

Sunday was a beautiful sunny morning but very windy and we set off for Fradley Junction where we moored up for lunch. In the afternoon we went up the locks again and I had to be tied up because I couldn't work out what dad was doing or where he was some of the time. It was also quite busy and mum had to stand and hold the boat for ages at Woodend Lock. This made her complain that her leg was hurting. The culvert at the ground paddle was blocked so the lock filled up extremely slowly. We moored in a quiet place above the lock and I really liked it there. I ran and ran and ran but mum and dad decided there were too many flies so we set off back to the marina. We travelled with the hood up but mum said it was very stressful avoiding the trees and going so slowly to get under the bridge safely.

We woke up in the marina on Monday morning. Mum and dad were really busy using a hoover and mopping the floors and cleaning everywhere. I was bored but I was very good and didn't run off around the marina by myself. After lunch we packed up the car and set off back to Lancashire.

Mum said that she had really enjoyed herself but was very tired. She was so pleased to have managed to do the trip but said that she wasn't ready yet to plan a big adventure.

17 June 2011

Dad and me on the towpath near Curdworth Bottom Lock

You can just see the lock in the distance

If you look carefully you can just see dad's red jacket as he and Toby and me walk towards Fishers Mill Bridge.

It was a cold grey day when we left Whittington. I couldn't settle down so mum and dad closed the doors on the deck so that I wouldn't push anyone overboard. When we got to the firing range before Hopwas mum took me and Toby for a walk on the path. This was good. I ran so fast and so far away that mum thought I would get lost but when they were all out of sight I turned round and ran back. It was so good to stretch my legs.

Later we stopped near Tamworth Retail Park and dad went to Sainsbury's. Then we set off again and had a lovely afternoon sailing up towards Curdworth Bottom Lock. Mum turned the boat just before the boat and dad and Toby and I walked back towards Fishers Mill Bridge where we moored up for the rest of the day. Just as they finished putting up the hood the rain started but I didn't mind. I just loved playing about in the bushes and exploring. Everytime anyone came past I jumped back on board and mum said I was really good dog. I really liked being moored here.

16 June 2011

My people unloaded the car and put everything away inside the boat. Toby and I were so excited and I was a bit naughty running around the marina. We set off and went down three locks. I didn't remember anything about locks and I was so excited when we stopped at the first one that they got really cross with me and I had to be tied up for ages.

It rained a bit but eventually we stopped at a place called Whittington. While mum and dad were tying up the boat Toby and I took some toys onto the towpath and played pulling and growling. I didn't know that if I stepped backwards I would fall into the canal! Dad pulled me out over the piling and I'll be more careful in future.

Mum and dad wanted a cup of tea so they put the kettle on the stove but then the gas ran out. When they looked in the gas locker to change the bottle they found dead fish, a nest made of chewed up carrier bags and loads of pooey stuff like green earthworms. Someone had been living there. Toby and I were really interested and spent ages sniffing but the animal wasn't there. Mum thinks it might have been a water vole although she didn't think they ate fish.

We had a lovely evening and I really liked it being on the towpath again. It took me most of the day to calm down and stop being so excited and jumpy. At bedtime Toby went to sleep on the settee and I settled down next to mum and dad's bed for the night.

Boating Dogs Update Two 16-20 June 2011

When we got back on board the boat it all looked very different and the pipes were dry at last. The bookcase had been moved and there was a folding table on the wall. The pictures show Dad sitting on his new chair with the bookcase now on the left and what it looked like before. There seems to be more room now and they have put a special rug on the floor for me to lie on.

Boating Dogs Update One 5-7 June 2011

We had a nice little trip out to Handsacre turning point and then moored on the towpath for one night to see how mum could manage. I really liked being moored on the towpath. Toby and I ran up and down and I liked being able to jump off and on the boat when I wanted.

Before we left the marina my people found that the water pipe was leaking again and they weren't very pleased. Mum found a nice man called Richard who said he could fix it properly and that he could move the bookcase and make a folding table.

Sunday and Monday at the BMBC Rally

It all got quite boring on Sunday morning. We went round to a big tent where there were loads of people sitting. More people came, wearing their best clothes and some with fancy chains round their necks (I don't think they were supposed to be collars and leads!), and sat at the front and there was lots of clapping. I began to whinge after a while. Mum got really excited because Go Placidly won the quiz prize and Angela had to go to the front to get the prize. Then mum took me out and we went back to the doggy garden place where I played chasing with two other retrievers and loads of other dogs. In the afternoon mum put me on the lead and we all walked right down to the end of the canal by the locks. It was the furthest she has walked since the new knee so she was pleased.

This morning, Monday, it was raining but we set off sailing as soon as we were ready. Mum drove the boat after a while and Angela took Rags and me for a walk. Rags was really naughty, she ran off and Angela couldn't find her. Mum called me back on board and eventually Angela found a very muddy but very pleased with herself dog. We sailed for ages after that and the mums were pleased that the rain eventually stopped just before we got back to the moorings at Lymm. All the stuff got loaded back into the cars, only I sat in my usual place this time, and we set off for home and to see dad and Toby.

We had a brilliant weekend. Mum says a million times " a huge thank you" to Angela for being so kind and for giving us such a lovely little holiday.

Pictures from the Rally

The Bridgewater Motor Boat Club Rally

Saturday was so good. We all went to the dog show and I won a winner's rosette for "Best Dog". Rags got dressed up as Darcy Russell and I was the Wizard of Aus. People clapped us but we didn't win. In the afternoon Liz from Blackstone and her dad came to visit Go Placidly and in the evening Angela and mum took us back to dog show garden and Rags and I played catch-me-if-you-can. It was such good fun. Angela climbed up onto the roof of the boat and put up some lights and when it got dark lots of boats had lovely lights on them. At midnight there was a boat procession of boats all lit up. Mum absolutely loved "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs".

Spring Bank Holiday Weekend Adventure

Mum and I haven't long been home. We've had a wonderful adventure although at first I thought it was all a bit strange. We've been boat dogs but not on Jennyanydots. Instead, we have spent the weekend on a boat called Go Placidly with mum's friend Angela and her Jack Russell called Rags.

We left home on Friday morning. The car was so full of stuff I couldn't fit in my usual place right at the back and I had to squash in on the back seat. We drove for about 40 minutes and then stopped in a narrow lane next to a canal in a place called Lymm. There were loads of boats moored in a long line along the canal side. Angela came and she got most of the stuff out of our car because mum still can't carry that much because of her new knee. It all got piled up inside the boat. I sniffed around and I wasn't sure where I was supposed to go or what to do. Then we got back in the car and drove back down the lane to a car park. The cars got locked up. Rags and I weren't sure whether to be friends or not but we walked back up the moorings and I got more and more excited. Mum said that we had to walk a long way and she was going slowly but we got back to Go Placidly and mum climbed very carefully on board. She was quite nervous because she didn't know if she could bend her leg enough but it was all fine.

There was a bit of a problem at first when we all went inside. Rags and I had a big quarrel and mum asked Angela if she should get me sent home! Anyway, we all settled down and the boat began to move. After hours and hours mum had a turn at driving the boat and said I could get off with Angela and Rags. I had a wonderful stretch-my-legs gallop up and down and once I remembered I was with Angela it was all fine. Rags and I had a bit of an adventure. We ran into a field where there were sheep and cows and Rags got really excited. I remembered that sheep are naughty and I went back to Angela and then Rags came because she didn't want her mum messing with another dog. I got back onto the boat with mum and then in a little while Angela and Rags jumped on board and we sailed on for more hours and hours.

Eventually we got to a place called Runcorn where there were over a hundred boats all meeting up for a Rally. It was so exciting seeing so many people and dogs and boats but mum says I was very good.

Rags and I kept on quarrelling a little bit but at bedtime she went with Angela and I went with mum. Mum put my blanket of the bed and I spent all night jumping up next to her and then getting down for a sleep on the floor. I really liked cuddling up to mum.

Afloat again at last

Mum has been really happy. It's not quite six weeks since she had her new knee but we've been on Jennyanydots for four days. She managed to climb on board without too much difficulty but getting off was a lot more difficult. She and dad decided that until she can get off safely it's better to stay in the marina.

On Saturday afternoon we all got in the car and drove to a place called Hopwas on the Coventry Canal and I was so surprised! Instead of leaving me and Toby in the car like they usually do we all got out and went into this big place with loads of tables and big umbrellas. It was a good job there were umbrellas because it started to pour with rain! Anyway, there were bits of food under the tables and all sorts of interesting things to sniff. Mum and dad got some food and they shared some of it with Toby and me. We were in a pub called the Tame Otter. Mum and dad seemed very pleased to be there. Apparently the place where I had my first pub meal was the same place as Foxy, the dog they had before me, had her last pub meal before she died last year.

We had some interesting times while we were on the boat. When we first got there they couldn't make any water come out of the taps and eventually mum rang up the boat place that had fitted the new pump. A man came at eight o'clock the next morning to fix the water and, you'll never guess what? Mum was so embarassed - she hadn't turned the new stop tap back on properly! That was all that was wrong.

Although it was ages since we were last at the marina I could remember where everything was and I absolutely loved jumping into the water to catch bits of leaves and sticks. Mum and dad weren't so pleased though because I got wet and muddy. I remembered lots of my doggy friends and we played chase and bounce. The only naught thing I did was running off with Ruby a Staffy. We had a brilliant game but her mum caught me and fastened me up with Ruby's lead. Dad was cross.

On the way home they filled up the dog part of the car with all sorts of stuff, including a table, and Toby and I had to travel back on the back seat. I was a bit upset about this at first but then decided I liked being so near mum, so I curled up and went to sleep until we arrived back home.

Annabel and Lydia came with their mum and dad when we got home to say "Happy Birthday" to my mum.

We've all had a lovely time and mum can't wait until we go boating again.

New safety corner

The new "corner" that Ian made last time we were at the boat is brilliant. It is so easy to get on and off and there is no tricky gap to jump over.

I had a lovely time and enjoyed playing with my friends Bingo, Meg and Bradley. All their people said how much I had grown. There was only one naughty thing and that was when I chased a car. Mum was very cross and shouted at me so I didn't do that again. One of the best fun things was collecting sticks and taking them on board. It was brilliant there were sticks everywhere! At bedtimes mum and I cuddled a bit and then I jumped down onto the floor and went to sleep by the side of the bed. I like being a boat dog but I did miss dad and Toby.

Back to Jennyanydots

New pipes and a new "easy-to-get-at" stop tap under the deck by the water tank. Roy and Colin did a brilliant job. Mum says thank you so much.



We have got back home after just mum and me went to the boat on Thursday. It was a bit cold but we did enjoy our nearly three days floating on the marina. Mum's been a bit stressed about the leaking water pipe she found when we were last there. She rang a boatyard to see if they would come and fix it on Friday. They suggested taking the boat away and bringing it back when it was fixed and the water tank cleaned and blacked. Mum said she didn't want this because of her new knee and not being able to go down to the boat to see if everything was all right. She decided just to finish draining the water tank and leaving it empty until her leg is better. Colin, the skipper of Millie next door was at his boat and he came onto Jennyanydots to have a look at the problem. He said it was no big deal and that he and Roy could fix it really easily. They came the next day and discovered that the leak was coming from one of the joints. They cut out all the metal bits and replaced them with plastic piping (much better, I am told, because if they freeze they don't burst!). Not only did they fix the problem but they moved the pipes so that mum and dad could reach the stop tap without having to wriggle on the floor into the hole under the deck. Mum is delighted. She has put insulation on the new pipes. She has also drained the tank again so that there shouldn't be any problems over the next few months when she can't get back to the boat. Dad says he'll go but mum doesn't seem too keen on this.

King's Bromley Marina in the Winter

Christmas time 2010

Meg in the snow

Jennyanydots is the first boat on the left

We are all still being boat dogs. The boat is nice and warm now but you should have heard the rain falling on the roof last night. This morning the little stream by the mooring was very full and flowing fast. Mum wouldn't let us go anywhere near it.

During the morning the nice man from the tractor, Ian, came and hammered some wood over the huge gap we needed to jump over to get on and off the boat. It wasn't much of a problem for me, dad was Ok with it but Toby and mum struggled. Mum took some photos of Ian doing the work and when it was finished but, she says she's being stupid, and she has done something to the camera card so we can't put the pictures of it happening on the blog. Never mind, but thank you so much Ian.

While Ian was working Bradley, the little black dog from yesterday, walked past with his mum. My mum was pleased to be able to talk to Bradley's mum and say sorry about the fuss I made. I wanted to get off the boat to play with him but I could only put my paws over the doors and look. Mum wouldn't let me get off. After lunch we went in the car to DogsRUs (Pets at Home) and mum and dad bought us all sorts of chewy goodies, some shampoo and a big new water bowl to take home. When we got back to the marina Toby and I played running in the mud again. It was such good fun. Mum has a new trick - when we are dirty she won't let us inside the boat until we are dry. She puts us on our deck leads and we have to stay on the deck at the back of the boat until she has rubbed us with towels and we have dried off a bit.

Pat from the office, Meg's mum, gave mum copies of pictures of the marina in the winter. It looked really cold.

I think we are going home tomorrow.

Being boating dogs

I'm ten months old today. It's been a good and a bad day. This morning I got into bad trouble and even though it is my sort of birthday mum smacked me. You see, I got so excited and Toby was growling at this little black dog so I thought I'd growl too. We were both on our leads fastened onto one of mum's crutches because she's got a very sore leg just at the moment. I decided to chase the little black dog and off I went with mum's crutch and Toby dragging along behind me. That was a bit of a surprise and then I got an even bigger surprise. The little black dog's mum caught me and then my mum really smacked me!

We are being boat dogs again. After spending ages in the car because the M6 was so slow we arrived at Jennyanydots yesterday lunchtime. Mum was so pleased to be back at the boat and dad seemed quite happy too. Everything was a bit damp so they lit the fire and put all the clean bedding out to air. I was so pleased too and when I saw Rocky and Tess (Toby and Foxy used to moor by them at the other end of the marina) I just jumped off the the back of the boat, across the pontoon and leapt over the water. I didn't even get wet. I was so pleased with myself but mum was cross and put me on my lead and headcollar to walk round the marina. I do keep trying to be calm and good but sometimes, lots of times, I just can't help being jumpy and rough and bouncy. Mum keeps saying that I am very stupid sort of dog for someone with severe arthritis to have, but it's not my fault and I will calm down sometime! I know she loves me because I get lots of cuddles and strokes and she doesn't get cross with me very often.

Last night my people put us in the car and we went to a pub called The Golden Cup at Yoxall. They brought us out a doggy bag of leftovers when they had finished their dinner.

Dad has been to Stratford today and Toby and I have just played around. The video shows us having a wonderful time chasing a stick and running through the mud by the canal. I fell in the water so that washed all the mud off me but poor Toby had to be washed under the tap. He wasn't happy. As it was my special day mum gave us meat out of a tin for our dinner. It was so yummy we both just gobbled it all up, but she never gave us seconds.

It's lovely and warm in the boat now. Mum and dad seem very relieved that everything seems to be all right after the winter. She's a bit nervous about the new water pump so they keep switching the fuse off when they don't actually need water. Mum keeps saying she must check the stop tap under the deck to make sure it isn't leaking but it is such a pain to do she keeps putting it off. I'm going to have a sleep now by the fire to finish drying off and mum is going to cook a chicken meal. I do hope I get some of the chicken too.

28 January 2011

Toby and I have been boat dogs again. After ages and ages in the car we finally got out and, surprise, surprise, we were at the Marina. Mum and dad thought I would have forgotten all about being a boat dog because we haven't been there for such a long time but I remembered everything.

My people had been quite worried about the boat because they hadn't got round to putting it to bed for the winter properly before all that cold and snowy weather but the engine started first time. Everything inside the boat was fine. Dad untied the ropes and mum and Toby and me sailed the boat across the marina for a pump out and to fill up the diesel tank. They should have done that in October when we were last there!

On our last visit there had been big problems. I had a lovely time rolling and bouncing and eating all sorts of lovely yucky stuff that made me sick. Dad's new furniture was delivered on Friday and dad and Toby took all the old stuff home on Saturday. Mum discovered that there was water leaking out under the deck. She asked some men who were fixing another boat if they could have a look and the men said it was the waterpump but they couldn't mend it until Monday morning. Mum turned the water fuse off, filled a bucket of water and put it on the pontoon next to the hatch. She was quite happy and I wasn't bothered. Dad and Toby decided to stay at home. That night it suddenly got really really cold and the bucket of water froze. Mum had to keep putting pans on the stove to keep enough water melted for us to use. A kind man came back first thing on Monday and put a new pump on. Mum knew that the boat needed pumping out and the tank filling with diesel but by this time it was raining and it was slippy so she decided to leave that until next time. But, there wasn't a next time because of the snow. So, all over Christmas she worried. She knew that the water tank was fine because that was all drained down and switched off but she worried that the waste tank might freeze or burst.

Anyway, everything was fine. Dad really enjoyed sitting on his new chair and Tweeting to people on his Blackberry. Mum was just happy being on the boat again even though her leg was so sore and she couldn't walk properly. When we left the boat everything was closed down properly so it doesn't matter now if there is another cold spell. I don't know what the plans are about going back to the boat because mum and dad keep talking about a new knee and I think that means we can't be boat dogs again for a while. We all had a lovely day and I was a really good dog all the time. Mum was really relieved because she thought I was going to be a nightmare!