More water everywhere (December 16th 2006)

The weekend before the Chrimbo hols started proper, The S was at Higham again, so Hairy took us to The Kirkstile for lunch. It was dead wet. The water was over the weir at the car park and the fish ladder bridge was flooded out. It was a good job Hairy was in his wellies or he'd have got his feet very wet.

The last time it was this bad was over a year ago. October 2005. That time we got to the fish ladder bridge and H decided he wasn't going to get his feet wet so we turned around and went somewhere else. I don't remember where. (Io thinks it was Whinlatter but I disremember!)

We had great splashings about. Further on the frogspawn pond was over whelmed with water too and the only way past was by the concrete reinforcing wall! We walked round to the pebble beach (at the foot of Melbreak) and that was gone too. Covered by lake water! It was very wet under our paws and Io kept going on about how it would soften her pads. The wuss.

I found this huge stick that'd been swept up by the water and carried it for ages and ages. It was really long. I whacked Hairy behind the knees with it about four times! He thinks I'm a daft dog and I don't know what I'm doing with sticks... little does he know! I had to leave it on the grass near the small gate we go through to get to the pub, and do you know what? It had gone when we came out!

Io thought I should put in a picture of the pub as we go there so much. Here's one. It's a bit murky as it was so cloudy and gloomsville. The big bump behind is Melbreak. Hairy had total chocolate overload up there, with Great Aunt Gaia once, and had to sleep on some heather at the top until he recovered. Phaedy told me, that Gaia said, he was out for two hours!!

I'm writing this in March 2007 and I've just been counting up. Since this picture was took, he's had lunch at the Kirkstile six more times! Six! That's just greedy. Even more so when you realise that he's chuffed and stuffed his face silly at several other pubs between then and now.

On the way back the clouds parted and we could see that there was white stuff on top of the giants. Bodes well for Chrimbo we all thought. Just goes to show how wrong you can be, eh? The last photo is me looking for tadpoles in the frogspawn pond. I know it's too early, really.