Sooty the Sweetie Cat

Again, not much to report, running has taken a back seat as after doing three consecutive days while at Helen and Phils Brian has had a painful knee on and off, plus we found our gym cards that we got after our first trip and return home. This allows us free attendance to various council gyms at various specific times so we've been making full use of the local gym!

A narrowboat negotiating the locks at Tardebigge

We had a visit to Gill to meet up with Sam the dog and Keith the cat who we sat for last year and were one of the reasons for coming back this year. Our fortnight with them had already shrunk which opened the door for a weekend away with a fab group of people next weekend and for five days back near Ledbury with not just the five cats but the four dogs too! We are looking forward to this but are slightly nervous (any help or advice you can give us Robyn, gratefully received!) 

The reservoir built to fill the 'water thirsty' 36 canal lock flight

Keith the cat had a bit of an adventure the other week when he fell from an upstairs window and damaged his pelvis, this was not putting us off, but that in conjunction with putting out her back (not ideal when going away sailing) and water appearing through the kitchen ceiling means Gill has decided not to go away. We were more than welcome to stay anyway, and there was a Housesit near Telford for the weekend, but Abi where we are at the moment has said "just stay" she is coming back today as she has an appointment but will go back to Malvern again tomorrow. What a very nice lady. We are also back here after Ledbury so if we want to leave anything here.....

A little robin watches us walk by

Apart from Gill we also visited Fiona, James and Brian's three grand daughters and had the rundown on their cat and two rabbits, the TV and the hot tub for when we sit for them in July. I also had another lovely afternoon with Alex drinking coffee and chatting!

A lock, the lock drainage mechanism and the old white lock keepers cottage

Mr. & Mrs. Duck

Yesterday we took advantage of the weather and went for a walk. We started at Tardebigge and walked up twenty of the thirty six locks that comprise one of the longest flights of locks on the canal in the UK, meeting many narrowboats with tired looking people, lots of whom were foreign, just here on their holidays.We then headed off cross country on a very pretty walk before returning to the canal, feeling a bit like a pair of crocks, Brian with his dodgy knee and arthritic toe and me with a painful Achilles' tendon. The excitement on the walk was a field of young cows, very friendly and interested, but big, bouncy and a little scary as they followed closely behind us through their field, kicking up their heels and galloping about! Perhaps we were over sensitive, but a friend from the mountaineering club was air lifted to hospital last month with 12 broken ribs after he and his dog upset some cows on their walk!

Mr. Swan came quite close but not close enough to break my arm!

So another gentle week, but enjoyable nonetheless, looking forward to an evening with Abi tonight, but who will Sooty spend the night with? Us in the main bedroom or Abi in the spare room!

 

Tardebigge tunnel. 530m long with no towpath. Passage before powered craft was by lying on top of the narrowboat and 'walking' along the top of the tunnel. The canal was completed and opened in 1815, 200 years ago at the time Wellington was fighting Nelson at the Battle of Waterloo!

 

St Bartholomews church. Built in 1775 and restored in 1879. It replaced an earlier church dating from the 11th century that collapsed in 1775

 

The Victoria restored interior of St Bartholomews

 

Environmentally conscious farmers

 

The scary cows. We walked through their field surrounded by them running and jumping around us. As we climbed over the stile in the centre they were all around us, Jackie went first while Brian waited in amongst them for his turn trying not to show fear!