Freedom and restrictions

Bonny has been such a runaway in the past. Ten hours is her personal best for going missing while hunting rabbits or just being a little madam. I have never had a dog that I couldn't let off the lead and I wasn't about to start with her, so we have been doing some intensive obedience work a la Dog Whisperer.

This morning we reaped some of the benefits. I never dreamt I could let her off in such a target rich environment and have her come back to me.

She has the scent of something here and stops following me.

The little dot you can see is her starting to follow her nose rather than me!

So I ran down to the river and she followed me!

And here she is safely back on the lead, hurrah!

The title of this post mentions restrictions as well as freedoms. I have been struggling with an inflamed tendon under the heel of my right foot. When it is bad it's like walking with boiling marbles in my shoe. It means that once Bonny has had her morning walk I struggle with pain for the rest of the day. If I am cruising, doing locks and doing any other chores on top then it is no fun at all.

The rough timetable for this cruise includes being near Oxford at the latter half of June to meet up with my friends Roger and Shirleyann to go on the Upper Thames. My original plan was to mooch to the top of the Maccy and down the Peak Forest and then retrace my wake back to Fradley where I turn right and go south. But this would mean cruising almost every day and fitting shopping, laundry etc in as well. I'm hoping my foot will improve eventually but it's just not up to that at present.

So, reluctantly, I am cutting short the northern trek to allow more time for the trip southwards so I can have days off where necessary. It means turning after just one lock of the formidable Bosley Flight and returning the way I came. I am particularly disappointed not to get to the High Lane area as I absolutely loved the area when I was here last. But this time at Congleton has compensated at least in part for that loss.

There are walks in every direction here and the scenery is stunning. Bonny loves greeting all the dogs strolling past and sitting high up on the aqueduct, she has a commanding view of the countryside. The people here remind me of how most communities once were. They greet friend and stranger alike. They all make a fuss of each other's dogs and Bonny. Most seem to know the names of each other's dogs, if not the humans! The fear of the stranger that I see in so many places seems to be absent here and it is lovely.

I am going to get a taste of their bus service tomorrow to go into town for food shopping. I haven't been on a bus for years so that will be an experience. Then on Wednesday we will cruise to the flight and enjoy the views there (if we can see them as the weather is closing in).