58 July 2018 Canal Boat canalboat.co.uk
writing an article.... errrr, hang on, I’ll just
check before we go any further.
Shudder. There’s a scene from Indiana
Jones in the vent – you know, where he goes
into a cave and has to brush through a
thousand years of dusty cobwebs. I daren’t
brush it clean in case the animals come
rushing out to see what’s going on. They’re
probably of a size to grab the other end of the
brush and engage in a tug of war.
Why do arachnids like boating so much,
does anyone actually know?
Anyway, back to pets. Maybe a bunny,
lolloping around the saloon? That would be
amusing but suppose my other major boaty
paranoia actually happened, namely
sinking. A cat or dog might get out but a
rabbit’s probably a goner. No, I couldn’t live
with that prospect, no matter how unlikely.
The solution, which circumvents all the
cost or care worry issues, is quite simple;
adopt other people’s pets (whether they
know it or not).
Regular readers of this column will know
of the long-haired black cat called Batman
who until recently (when I banned him for
traipsing mud over everything during
winter) was a regular visitor despite
belonging to a near neighbour. Now he’s
moved away to a new mooring but it’s not so
far and I went to visit a week or so ago.
Typical cat –he ate the treats I brought
then abandoned me to go and sit in the sun
outside. Bless his little paws.
Also in easy petting distance from my
‘winter’ mooring (Ha! Still on it!) are
numerous dogs including a collie whose
greatest pleasure is to bring you a stick and
beg for playtime. Please do not write in to
say that sticks are bad for dogs; he brings
them to me, it’s not my initiative.
I may have taken the adoption notion a tad
too far of late though; having fed the local
ducks with merry abandon every time they
turned up, my boat has become their premier
fast food outlet. Recently I’ve been throwingopen the galley curtains of a morning to find
them all lined up outside, staring up
expectantly. It’s like a weird watery remake
of a Hitchcock movie.
The Turkey Duck – a Muscovy but he
looks like a turkey – has become insistent to
the point of (I am not making this up)
strutting over to inspect my shopping bags
upon return from Tesco. He was actually
waiting for me on the gangplank! One
morning I found him standing there staring
fixedly at the (opaque) cratch cover, awaiting
my rousing.
Subsequently denied food over a period of
days in a gentle withdrawal from this
generosity, he has taken to pooing on the
cratch cover – I presume in disgust – and has
now gone off to better hunting grounds
elsewhere.
I told you they were fickle.
Before ending for another month, a quickmention of what a fabulous event the IWA
Cavalcade in Little Venice was. Helped by
the record-breaking May bank holiday
weather plus a huge array of boats bedecked
with bunting, this was a terrifically amiable
way to spend an afternoon and I got to meet
with friends and fellow boat video-makers
too.
One of them – Ben, of Ben & Emelie’s
Captain’s Vloggs – was accompanied by his
hilariously lovely dog, Peg. So named
because she has four legs but only three feet
she’s quite the conversation starter. I’ve
never seen so many people want to stop and
talk about a dog before! Quite the chick
magnet. Hmm, maybe I should get a dog
after all...
For cat, dog and other animal pictures
plus a load of boaty rambling, see @
CruisingTheCut on Twitter or visit
http://www.youtube.com/CruisingTheCutLIVEABOARD
Tell us about your experience [email protected]
Also in easy petting distance from
my ‘winter’ mooring (Ha! Still on
it!) are numerous dogs including a collie
whose greatest pleasure is to bring you a
stick and beg for playtime on the cut
Batman...the master of the muddy carpetPeg the pug always draws a crowd