Douglas Diary Saturday 14th May 2016 (Day 25). I struggled to wake him this morning, it was another beautiful day and I wanted to take him for his walk early. He said he slept like a baby – my limited experience of babies mean he was was up more than once wanting food and worse. It apparently means he slept well, after some troubled nights as he was now relaxed about my long kennel, that it is all fixed. The Shropshire Union is a wonderful canal by Thomas Telford who sadly never lived to see it completed and operational. (Died 1835). Apart from the 25 locks all within a couple of miles or so that I described the other day, there is only one lock for many miles at Wheaton Aston most of the way to Wolverhampton. Instead Tom drove his canal through and over the beautiful and empty landscape of Shropshire and Staffordshire using cuttings and embankments and one short tunnel to maintain his levels. A massive undertaking all with lots of human labour but using machinery scarcely better than wheelbarrows. The project must have been as popular with land owners then as HS2 is today! It took many years to get the banks stable and it must have been an almighty mess for years. Now of course matured in verdant growth, the beautiful often eerie woodland cuttings compliment spectacular vistas from the high embankments. (I feel quiet poetic for a dog). My photo today is watering up my long kennel with two helpers I am keeping my eye on, Mr and Mrs Duck. I don’t bother to chase these creatures anymore because they always cheat and just jump into the water, no fun in that. I don’t like the water. Love Douglas
Sent from my iPad
Dear Douglas, you look beautiful today and obviously on your best behaviour. Always a wise move, with luck you may get treats! Canada geese are very noisy, we had them on the Basingstoke but haven’t seen any on the Wey. We had a pleasant day today moored at The New Inn, Send where we met our niece and enjoyed lunch. Now we are just outside Guildford where there is a castle for us to explore and also shops. There were only three locks today for us but they are mighty with water that comes through the paddles like waterfalls. I am only allowed to turn the handle an inch at a time. Uncle Mike is watching the bats fly around the boat right now. Do you know about bats? They are like flying mice and only come out at night, quite scary. bye for now, hope you have a pleasant cruise tomorrow, xx
I love bats. I nearly caught one once because they live in my house in Spain and at twilight they fly around my garden. I haven’t managed to catch one, they are very clever. We are in Penkridge tonight as you will see from my diary today outside a nice looking pub but they do not do food on Sundays. Loved the picture of my namesake he looks like me when I was young. Looking forward to swapping stories
Love Douglas