Retirement with No Problem

Today – Wheaton Aston to Little Onn, Shropshire Union Canal, 2 miles 0 locks
Rest of week – Moored Lapley Wood or Wheaton Aston

We are just moving extremely slowly at the moment so the dogs can relax in the remoteness of the area.  It is great just to be able to let them roam out on the towpath instead of constantly having to watch them and call them aboard.  They are all so very friendly, that is the trouble, too friendly and greet every other K9 as a long lost friend!  This can, of course, get them into serious trouble!

If you are not a regular follower of this blog then the reason I say dogS is because I have two visitors at the moment, joining Lucy, the labradors Tilly and Buddy while their masters (daughter’s family) are in the USA on holiday.  Most days have been taken up with strolling across the countryside with them…

Buddy is on the right, and you can see just how remote it is at Lapley Bridge too .. ha I remember when I first saw him he walked along the gunnels he was that small, not any more though.. a right ‘ol teenager he is now!

The funniest moment so far with them is when I was trying to get through a farm gate with them all on a lead, Lucy as well because there was cattle about.. anyway trying to get three dogs on leads to do exactly what you want is quite impossible, and as I went through I had no hands left to shut the gate, and it sprung shut with a ‘klunk’.. that made the choc lab Tilly jump and she pulled me over in a load of cow shi.. manure.  I screamed at her, and bless her cotton socks what did she do?.. She picked up the now dangling lead in her mouth and carried it back to me whinnying!.. She was so terribly, terribly sorry!.. So I had to laugh, covered as I was in mucky stuff and stinking too!

Sunday lunch at the Hartley Arms was £5.50 for a carvery, not bad, but not as good as a carvery at Radford Bank a couple of weeks ago for £3.50 I think it was.

The last few days has been very quiet for us.. Vic has done a bit of fitting-out while I have been walking, we still have some odd bits and bobs to do to No Problem yet, today I was in Stafford again getting some dental work done.. YUK!, then went into Penkridge Boat Centre on the way back to see the guy who fixed the gas problem a week or so ago, we seem to be getting the same symptoms again, we might have to change the gas regulator and pipework.. another YUK for that!.. Well WE won’t change it… figure of speech.. we will find a nice corgi man to do that for us if the need arises..

The bus from Wheaton Aston to Stafford is quite adaptable, he will stop anywhere you want between the two.. so I hailed him down at Penkridge to continue on my way back to boat..

Not been back long when I spied what I thought was going to be good fun out the front of the boat.. One trying to turn at the winding hole in a very stiff breeze and one trying to get past at the same time.. oh, and who was trying to get past?.. Ha it was Andy..

We had a good natter for an hour while he filled with water, and Lucy and her pals got to meet Simba too.  Would you believe there are 8 waterpoints here at Wheaton Aston!

Mark asked “Where is a pic of Simba”.. Well Simba made pals with Tilly, much to the annoyance of Buddy who kept on barking at her antics.. they went off somewhere playing Mark!

Talking of waterpoints.. we pulled back from our mooring slightly to put on water and giving the boat a quick wash before we were off late this afternoon.. bearing in mind that left seven other waterpoints, one other of which was being used further up from us, when a very grumpy boater had a right go because we watered the plants and started washing No Problem… “Don’t you even know that you don’t pay your licence fee to be able to water your plants or wash your boat?”.. I am afraid he got no reply.. he didn’t deserve one, he was disappointed with that and kept staring and pointing us out to all other boaters as he filled with water at the point in front of us.. ‘Spose being so cheerful keeps him going…. Ah well..

Moored this evening in a remote location again.. Blog reader Dave Elcome knows this area around High Onn well, I was feeling quite tired after a busy day, but guess who wanted to go walkies?…