Doddery dog and a three-headed swan.

Meg went in for her surgery this morning. I collected her at 11:00, still very woozy from the anaesthetic but mobile. We did have to have a couple of lie-downs on the 10 minute walk back to the boat.

Meg feeling sorry for herself. But it’s a snazzy bandage! The operation was needed, the vet recovered two more grass seeds deeply embedded in the foot, and cleared out several from her other paws that hadn’t pierced the skin but could have.

After a grey start the day had brightened a bit, so I took the decision to move along a bit, now we were fully crewed again.

Here’s that three-headed swan….


We timed our departure well, Whitchurch Lock was just around the corner and as we approached, disgorged it’s contents downstream.

Salters Bros. MV Reading, the 09:45 from Wallingford to Reading.
During the summer the company runs regular, scheduled cruises up and down the river. The Wallingford/Reading route runs Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. Other routes are available….
They don’t hang about, either. This boat will cover the 15 miles and 4 locks in 3¼ hours.

Going under Whitchurch Bridge with the lock ahead.

It started to rain not long after we left the lock, and it looked to be set in for the day, so we pulled onto a Seyella-sized slot at Beale Park.

Stopping early also allowed Meg to get her head down. When we’re cruising she’s up and about all the time, wanting to know what’s going on. So she’s been asleep most of the afternoon and is looking a lot brighter. She’s had a bite to eat and we’ll be going out shortly for a ten minute stroll.

Locks 1, miles 1¾