Tuesday

The Dog Rambler E-diary

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April 2012
Walk Dogs on walk

Along the Union Canal from Ratho

Length

6 miles

Brooklyn, Cyrano, Gina, Gustave, Jerry, Solo, Tim

It was a day to stay low, very low. Under the duvet may not have been a bad idea. Instead it was one of our staple bad weather walks to the Union Canal. It offers some shelter and easy walking on bad weather days. And it was bad today, really bad. Last weeks record breaking temperatures suddenly seemed long in the past. Snow blew and hail battered and the wind pushed and beat like an angry child. To top things off some idiot had put two different boots in the car. Both being left ones there was no way I could even make a mismatch match from them. Berating myself for my stupidity we set off to do the walk with me in my baseball boots. Yes my feet were soon wet. Thankfully we were on the canal and not in the hills. The dogs put their heads down into the flurries of snow and set off along the canal. They had been rowdy in the car but now in the cold, dreich weather they lost their impetus for a while. Bored with the others Brooklyn set off to entertain himself dashing along the tow path beside the brown and uninspiring canal. Not so uninspiring for one dog. I heard a

splash and looking around there was Cyrano hauling himself out with a stick he had plunged in for. Not I think reckoning on the depth of the water or the size of the lip on the bank. Jerry was tossing himself about on the high, steep bank forming the cutting through which the canal gently passed. This looked like fun and Brooklyn soon joined him. Deciding it was safer than the water Cyrano was quickly up there too with them.

Gina stayed with Solo trotting along the tow path. It was not clear who was looking after who. Gustave had all but tied himself to my leg. I do not think he was enjoying the weather too much with his thin coat. A bit like my feet and their thin shoes. Tim was loitering behind sniffing at all the smells washed out by the wetness like a great connoisseur. All I could smell was the pungent aroma of the wild garlic. A thick carpet under the trees almost ready to flower. White buds pert, ready to snap open. Like little sail boats in a sea of tangled green leaves rolling over each other like the waves on the sea. Some sunk by the battering paws of Jerry and Brooklyn who still found the bank more fun than the tow path. We were not alone. At our pace we were slowly drawing in a canal boat. One of the Seagull Trusts large and wide red ones. Used to take people with disabilities or the elderly on outings along the canal. As we caught up, faces were pushed up against the steamed up windows. Above the noise of the engine I could hear excited talk and laughter, rising in volume as the dogs leaned over the bank to look back at them. With some energetic waving we moved ahead back to the quiet solitude of the canal. It galvanised the dogs and Brooklyn found Gina half willing to play under the watchful gaze of big brother Solo. It ended in a bit of a stramash when Gina had picked up a stick but Brooklyn kept on at her. Big brother ignored them and left it to me to sort them out. Even Tim kept out of it only picking on Brooklyn as he dropped his head a little sheepishly. No one was to blame really and neither was at all put out.

Gustave just kept tight to me. Especially when the cutting fell away and we were exposed to the pin prick strings of the wind thrown hail. Thankfully it was time to head back and back into the cover. We passed the canal boats still sailing along. Cyrano now carried a stick which no one tried to prise from him. Gustave moved a little ahead sensing it was not far to go, almost falling in with Gina and Solo. Tim was now well ahead with Brooklyn keeping out of trouble. Gerry still found enough to interest him in the bank. We arrived, rather soggy, back at Ratho and its line of colourful moored boats. Even on a day like this its charm broke through the gloom of the weather. Some seat rotation in the car with the heat on full soon helped the dogs toward being dry. While I drove along in bare feet. Nick

Photo slideshow from the walk

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