On the Road Again
08 August 2020
Sade, Tink and Patch
And we are finally on the road again!
It has been a busy couple of weeks on The Mount. According to Boris, I am safe to go out, but my oncologist feels that the only safe course of action is to shield as much as possible for the rest of the year. Jules and I have decided to continue being as safe as possible, so there will be no restaurants, pubs or shops for me. The village is brimming with tourists jostling over the outdoor seating at Lavender’s tearooms, queuing for hours for an ice cream, eating chips on the village green or fighting over who goes next into the chocolate shop. The little lake is brimming over with unwanted duck bread and the pub is standing room only! It is little wonder covid numbers are increasing and a no brainer for us to get back to the boat, so tomorrow we have a tunnel crossing and are making our way to Holland.
Earlier this week we went to an outdoor garden centre, the first place we have visited in 20 weeks. We masked up and sanitised our hands, which we have no objection to doing. We are in the camp that thinks face coverings should have come in a long time ago. However, the whole experience was ruined by one or two selfish people ignoring the distancing and the one way system and we decided it wasn’t worth doing it again. We did pick up some gravel, pots and a few plants. Mike (from up the road) wants his pond filled in, and we have all taken the opportunity to dig out the back road to our houses, and ‘tart’ it up. One of the young lads in the street did such a good job of helping his mom, he got paid to dig the rest! Last Saturday evening when he had been working none stop for 4 hours, we went out to join him. After shovelling for 10 minutes I had done enough! Kate arrived with beers and we took a breather to admire ‘our’ hard work.
I also got my hair cut by Shona in the village. I had the first appointment of the day. She works by herself and had all the windows and doors open. It felt very strange to go inside somewhere and I was a bag of nerves. Shona kept trying to massage my shoulders, as I was so tense that they were up so high she couldn’t cut my hair. She refused to let anyone else in the shop whilst I was there and snipped away for a good half hour. I feel a lot lighter and hope it is not another 5 months until the next cut!
The rest of the week has passed in a whirl of organising things ready to get to the boat and getting the all clear from my oncologist regarding our plans. The van is equipped with a porta potty, so there will be no need to use public toilets all the way to Holland and mountains of sandwiches have been made. We have also been extremely sociable (at a distance) and had tea and cake with my mom and sister, fresh pizza in my sister’s garden and garden drinks in the street. Last night the street came out to bid us farewell, (or to celebrate our leaving) and we had pulled pork baps. The advantage of living on a private road, is that we can hog the road and set up a street party. It was a great end to our extended stay, and nice to leave with so many well wishes and positive memories.
My adventure by Patch
One of the cats in the street went missing last weekend, I was hoping that it had got stuck in a delivery van and we wouldn’t have it on the street anymore. When I go over to say hello, it reacts rather angrily and bops me on the nose. Anyway the owners had left out the best tasting kippers on the front drive to encourage her back. Our front gate got left open and I decided to go for a walk, driven by my nose. I found the plate of tasty fish and after a crafty look around, decided I might as well enjoy such a rare and tasty treat. I was saving the biggest piece until last, when Mom appeared and whisked me away. She then made me go back and apologise with a tin of tuna to give to the neighbours, which put her in a bad mood..... “ looks like butter on my jacket potato now Patch, you naughty little boy”. Why is it always my fault?
Something orange arrived in the post and the humans got rather excited. They dressed me in it and took pictures and declared that I looked gorgeous. All was okay until Dad grabbed the handle and whirled me around, announcing it “ perfectly safe”. It might have been safe for him, but I was beginning to feel sick. Apparently it is my puppy life jacket, I am not sure what I think, but if it attracts the girls I am up for it!
Tetley and I have been in each other’s gardens again. Green netting has been put over the hedge, held down by stakes into the ground. Dad and Uncle Mick hadn’t bargained on our joint skills. Tetley headbutts the stakes until they are lose enough for me to run off with them in my mouth and chew them up to hide the evidence. After a few days we have enough netting free for Tetley to wiggle under the wire. Luckily Tinker has been in the house each time, otherwise there would be a dog fight. Tetley is very possessive, and hates Tinker with a passion! He snarls and shows his teeth, but I think Tinker would eat him in one mouthful. Mom says she hopes she never gets chance to find out!
Tinker
I shall be glad to get back to the boat, there I am top dog. Patch has no idea of the layout or how it works. At the first opportunity I shall knock him in the water just to show him who’s boss. I have been trying to teach him a bit of Dutch, but he more interested in digging holes in the garden. As long as he realises that the settee in the bedroom is my sleeping position, we are going to get along fine! It is early to bed, ready for the 5am start, it is going to be a long day tomorrow, sharing the back seat with a hyperactive puppy.