Need a bath

Red flag on the Isis this morning, so no rowing on the river, and Mark decided to take the juniors up to Shotover. Glad to see that they'd all brought their cycling helmets. It took just under 35 minutes to get to the top, and I had to pull Mark up the last steep part of the hill - drat, 3 of the boys had already got there.
When all the girls had arrived, Mark said something about avoiding rabbit holes, and off they all charged. We had a good run around the yellow circuit, but I'm sorry to say that some of them didn't run the whole way. After I'd finished I found a deep muddy puddle to lie down in and drink from - generating a few sounds of disgust from the children, but it tasted good to me.
On the run back to the club, Mark mentioned something about me needing a good clean. Imagine my surprise when we approached the river, and he didn't stop, but ran up to the water edge and hurled me in. He then said something about cleaning the children as well, but they'd run away.
By the time I'd got home, we'd run about 15 miles.

County Cross Country Champs

Sunday morning, and no rowing. So instead I dragged Mark for an hour to Horspath (he measured it later as 6.5 miles), so he could do a cross country race . He left me tied up by the HRR tent - I was most indignant and yipped loudly as they all ran off - while he raced; but at least lots of people came up to me and stroked my tummy. Mark left me with a bowl of water and a bone, but I wasn't very interested in that. He came back very muddy, but seemed pleased with his result; we had to wait ages at the end for his Vet50 gold medal, and Vet team silver medal. There were quite a few other dogs there, and I tried to make friends with all of them.

Princess Leia

There was a pussy cat in the house last night. She came in a car with our friends Barbara and Paul and Hatty. I was kept in the living room while she was taken upstairs, but I heard her meowing.
I really wanted to play with Princess Leia, but she was kept upstairs the whole time. I heard that she was complaining a lot about being in the same house as a dog, but I'm sure she would have grown to like me.

Too much noise

I really like playing with Young Master and Bella, and their friends. But sometimes I prefer a bit of peace and quiet, expecially when they are racing around the house with their guns pretending to be CIA agents or assassins. I knew that things were heading the wrong way when Young Master produced his Airzooka (a weapon that fires a strong pelt of air, and makes a din), so I took refuge under Leah's bed - it reminded me of those awful vuvuzelas in the summer.

Gran-pons

"It never snows in Anglesey".
(mark writes) Gran is now a confirmed devotee of Kahtoola Microspikes. There was about 10" of snow on Wednesday night, and when we arrived we couldn't get the car down the drive to our rented Christmas farmhouse, so we left the car in the layby at the top of the track and had to ferry all the luggage, food and drink about a quarter of a mile to the front door. My mum, with two recent hip replacements, did a great job of getting down in deep snow, but the big problem was getting her back up the hill again the next morning on Christmas Eve. I'd packed my microspikes and suggested she used them to get back up to the car. It was a complete success - with two walking sticks and the crampons she got up in 15 mins (about half the time we'd estimated), and without a stumble.
Great kit.
On Boxing Day we spent 3 1/2 hours on Snowdon, Charlie submerged by snow in places and often having to leap out of it like a dolphin. Driven back by the wind too strong to progress further than the cwm above Clogwyn station - Charlie getting blinded by driven snow. Afterwards I relaxed and rewarmed with a great mug of hot chocolate, roaring fire, and usual warm welcome, at the Pen-y-Ceunant tea house (on the steep road section just round the corner from the cattle grid after leaving Llanberis). "Muddy boots and Dogs Welcome" makes it the best sort of place.

Christmas in Anglesey

We're off to Anglesey for Christmas, staying in a farmhouse near Lligwy bay. Gran and Kim are joining us, and my job in the car is to protect the turkey from Kim - butter wouldn't melt in my mouth, but as for Kim...once a Labrador, always a Labrador, and where food is concerned, she never has enough to eat. So I shall guard the turkey and make sure it arrives in one piece.
Mark's been getting his Snowdonia maps out, and he's now up in the loft finding his ice axe. I'm sure we're going to have a lot of fun in the mountains over Christmas; we'll try to do some of the PB if conditions are good.

Charlie the Husky

SNOW!
(Mark writes) We had over 9 inches of snow at home, so up to the loft and down came the cross country skis. We bought these skis over 15 years ago, but have only been able to use them once before 2010. I used them in January, and now again.
Charlie then becomes a sled-dog; he gets attached with an extended lead (so the tips of the skis don't catch his paws) and is strong enough to tow me up the hill outside the house. The main problem is his frequent stops to water trees and lamp posts. Tonight we went up to Playfield, then down the track into Bagley Wood; along our usual route (including the bridge over the A34 - (northbound of which was still blocked solid at 20:00, and many of the drivers waited 8 hours before the M40 jack-knifed lorries were cleared). On the way back we stayed on the road, and got past a few cars which had been unable to get down the final hill into Kennington; one of these was a Land Rover Defender which had gone into a ditch - great car, but lousy driver, unless it was trying to avoid the car abandonned on the other side of the road.
Sled dog and skis best for these conditions, obviously, rather than a 4*4.
If he slows down, his 'mush' equivalent command is 'cats' or 'squirrels', then he's off again.