I was headed for Havant to see
le_loup_peint and raja_laba_laba - honestly, I was; their year-old German Shepherd cross bigpupdiary didn't have the slightest thing to do with it. Big thanks here to calgor, who helped me push my bike along our still-iced street to the main road; without him I'd have been going nowhere.The main roads were all clear, but the trees at the side of the A21 were still hung with snow, making everything extraordinarily pretty if a bit cold.
I was anxious to arrive in good time, because pup Tala had a 2:30 appointment at the doggy pool. I seize on any excuse to immerse myself in water, so I'd brought my cozzie and was eager for action.
This was Tala's first time at the pool. For a pup who hurls herself happily into puddles and streams she was very unsure about the experience and required a lot of coaxing before she took the plunge. Once she got the hang of things she paddled up and down quite happily, chasing after a rubber hamburger and keeping an eye on her humans in case they drowned.
The kennels provides a shower and a blow-drier for dogs. I got a changing-cubicle with a freezing floor.
I left on Sunday following a couple of bouncy walks for Tala and a night spent on the sofa-bed with a cat curled up against my side, which reminded me how much I miss having cats in my life (not to mention my bed), and stopped off at the home of my dad's godmother and her friend for tea and tech support.
It had been raining throughout my journey, which, on the plus side, washed away the remains of the snow. Imagine my delight when I was able, for the first time in a week, to ride my bike all the way up the street where I live!
