Walk 1000 miles a Year; Can a Great Dane and a Couch Potato #walk1000miles 2021?

Day 146 - Hooray it’s here, the first family gathering in what seems like donkeys’ years. We’re all going out for a meal tonight.

Last night didn’t go well, and Willow was all out of sorts, no problems with Eva, but Willow kept checking I was there, which I was. It was a bit like been tortured when you just drop off and they wake you up.

Went to a jeweller in Louth, Lincolnshire with Mum to get my necklace repaired. It used to be my dads, and he had it made at these jewellers. Nice to be out with Mum and dog-free. Walked about a bit in this historical market town, some really nice buildings, but Mum was more interested in having a coffee. Did I tell you I hate coffee, not to worry, I roughed it with a cream tea. I know what a saint I am. Grimsby was our next point of call, and by the time we got back to Mums, Dave had had enough of Dog-time. Needless to say, Eva was no problem, but it didn’t bowed well for the Dogsitter we had coming in. After Dog sitting people don’t really want to offer their services anymore, and again, I reiterate, I don’t think it’s because of Eva.

As we’d fed the dogs, we ran out of the door for fear that Willow would become worrisome and by all accounts, she spent the next 15-20 minutes whining out the window. I do fear that the neighbours would have thought the world was ending, I can only hope they are hard of hearing.

Being out with family was nice, nice to laugh, joke and remanence. Fill in the blanks of the last 12 odd months. Lovely meal and I never once had ‘wish I’d ordered that’ envy

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please leave us a five-star rating or review and share it with those you feel would also enjoy them. Don’t forget to follow us, here for future episodes – once again thank you for listening.

Same walk different viewpoints - Come say Hi at;

Our website - https://changingpace.co.uk

Louise's (Couch Potato) account of the walks can also be found here;

1. https://twitter.com/NbChangingPac

2. https://www.facebook.com/NBChangingPace

3. https://www.instagram.com/nbchangingpace

4. https://www.tiktok.com/@narrowboatchangingpace

5. https://www.youtube.com/c/NarrowboatChangingPace

Willow's (Great Dane) account of the walks can also be found here;

1. https://www.facebook.com/WillowTheGreatDane

2. https://www.instagram.com/willowwalks1000miles

3. https://www.tiktok.com/@willowwalks1000miles

4. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBdl0W-Q_vJQmQQ3Ae1Bogw

PLEASE NOTE - We are not contracted or affiliated with the official #walk1000miles challenge, we are just participants - https://www.walk1000miles.co.uk

Some of our posts contain affiliate links, We earn a small commission if you choose to make a purchase using these links, they cost you nothing extra. Every little click helps, thank you for supporting us.

I asked Dave to pack the day before because I wanted to pack the van up and meet him straight from work before we hit the motorway in rush hour. Pleasantly surprised that we managed to get the Friday Mad hour with little delay. Apart from the man in the Merc who didn’t release the traffic in his lane and slowed down and as his stopping distance was reduced by speed, he tried to swerve into the lane I was driving in. I was surprised about the fact that he thought two vehicles could fit into one lane and funnily he didn’t seem to see the big white transit van whilst he swerved. Enough of my road rage, and onto to better and much Nicer things. We are on a road trip to Mum's. This will be the first time the whole family has got together in nearly a year and half. We are all staying for the weekend and I have a babysitter for the girls whilst Dave and I go out to play, a meal with the family tomorrow.

Dave and I took the girls out for a walk across an unused golf course. It would have been a fantastic walk and we could have gone on for miles if we, hadn’t had Eva with us and yep you guess it the rain just would not stop. Oh no, it poured and poured, the big drops mixed with little drops, and then the extra drops off the trees when the wind blew. I would like to do the walk again, but preferably when it wasn’t raining. The only good thing about the rain as we had the golf course to ourselves because let’s face it what other nutters would be out in weather like this.

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please leave us a five-star rating or review and share it with those you feel would also enjoy them. Don’t forget to follow us, here for future episodes – once again thank you for listening.

Same walk different viewpoints - Come say Hi at;

Our website - https://changingpace.co.uk

Louise's (Couch Potato) account of the walks can also be found here;

1. https://twitter.com/NbChangingPac

2. https://www.facebook.com/NBChangingPace

3. https://www.instagram.com/nbchangingpace

4. https://www.tiktok.com/@narrowboatchangingpace

5. https://www.youtube.com/c/NarrowboatChangingPace

Willow's (Great Dane) account of the walks can also be found here;

1. https://www.facebook.com/WillowTheGreatDane

2. https://www.instagram.com/willowwalks1000miles

3. https://www.tiktok.com/@willowwalks1000miles

4. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBdl0W-Q_vJQmQQ3Ae1Bogw

PLEASE NOTE - We are not contracted or affiliated with the official #walk1000miles challenge, we are just participants - https://www.walk1000miles.co.uk

Some of our posts contain affiliate links, We earn a small commission if you choose to make a purchase using these links, they cost you nothing extra. Every little click helps, thank you for supporting us.

You’ll never guess, wow, what a good guesser you are – your right it has been raining all day today. So, of course in turn it was raining for our walk. Gone are the keen days when I first started this challenge. I’m currently in the state of, make do and mend, and it will be what it will be. I’m sure there are some other sayings I could throw at it, but currently that’ll do for now pig – yep managed to throw a film reference in there as well. A veritable dictionary of use less quotes, of old wife’s tales, sayings and film references. Nooo I don’t go as deep as literature quotes of Keats and such like, I’m happy with the ones I’m using and quite simply, I don’t know the others.

Thankfully I was wearing probably one of my most useful Christmas Presents, the old or nearly old Waterproof Walking Boot. It’s the little things that make me happy and dry feet has got to be up there with the greats, such as World Peace and Joy to the World, because to quote another good saying – An Army marches on its feet, meaning take care of your feet.

I have a huge hankering for Drone playing, and whilst you can fly your drone in rain, it would entail getting wet and neither Willow and myself are into that, although Eva is another kettle of fish. She loves all that blustering rain – hot dog. I think I’ve just about squeezed as many sayings as I can into todays walking tales from under the grey sky. How many sayings did you count, or indeed know? Know any good ones? Let me know what you know. Thanks

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please leave us a five-star rating or review and share it with those you feel would also enjoy them. Don’t forget to follow us, here for future episodes – once again thank you for listening.

Same walk different viewpoints - Come say Hi at;

Our website - https://changingpace.co.uk

Louise's (Couch Potato) account of the walks can also be found here;

1. https://twitter.com/NbChangingPac

2. https://www.facebook.com/NBChangingPace

3. https://www.instagram.com/nbchangingpace

4. https://www.tiktok.com/@narrowboatchangingpace

5. https://www.youtube.com/c/NarrowboatChangingPace

Willow's (Great Dane) account of the walks can also be found here;

1. https://www.facebook.com/WillowTheGreatDane

2. https://www.instagram.com/willowwalks1000miles

3. https://www.tiktok.com/@willowwalks1000miles

4. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBdl0W-Q_vJQmQQ3Ae1Bogw

PLEASE NOTE - We are not contracted or affiliated with the official #walk1000miles challenge, we are just participants - https://www.walk1000miles.co.uk

Some of our posts contain affiliate links, We earn a small commission if you choose to make a purchase using these links, they cost you nothing extra. Every little click helps, thank you for supporting us.

April showers in May, it’s not cold, but the preference from both Willow and myself is that we would most definitely prefer it, if it, was just to ‘give over’ so we could get around our walk without becoming soggy sponges.

The council authorities are out in force, two strimmers and one big mower. Having already had a run-in with them in the past, I don’t allow Willow to walk whilst their motors are still running for fear of stones being picked up. So, we wait and wait for the operator to turn off the motors, enabling safe passage from flying stones. Giant breeds are expensive enough without having broken, fractured or worst still, shattered bones into the mix – so we wait.

I have to say the man operating the big mower was a little miffed by the second time we passed him and made him turn off the mower. By the third and fourth time, he looked very reproachable, that I can only liken to a bulldog chewing a wasp. I had to drag Eva by, she was plodding that slowly and his grimace was getting worst with each passing step. I smiled and waved sweetly as he kicked the machine back on. I was getting the impression he wasn’t after my thanks.

Apart from feeling Guilty walking where we normally walk, nothing really amazing happened. It rained, been there done that. No chicken foot gang because they’re fair-weather friends. Empty footpath apart from the newly planted fruit trees in the middle of the Zoomie area. I guess that the whole picnic area will be up and running by the time we leave for the season. I wouldn’t even want to hazardous a guess as to whether it will survive. I hope it does, and whilst I think the fruit trees are pretty, I would much rather they fix the towpath but that could be just me being too pragmatic. CRT want to encourage people to use the towpath and with the towpath being the foundation of the whole walking on the towpath, it just makes sense to wait until the pump repairs, improve the towpath and then plant the fruit trees and picnic area. But Hey!! That’s just me, what do I know. I’ll get down from my box now, carry on, nothing to see here.

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please leave us a five-star rating or review and share it with those you feel would also enjoy them. Don’t forget to follow us, here for future episodes – once again thank you for listening.

Same walk different viewpoints - Come say Hi at;

Our website - https://changingpace.co.uk

Louise's (Couch Potato) account of the walks can also be found here;

1. https://twitter.com/NbChangingPac

2. https://www.facebook.com/NBChangingPace

3. https://www.instagram.com/nbchangingpace

4. https://www.tiktok.com/@narrowboatchangingpace

5. https://www.youtube.com/c/NarrowboatChangingPace

Willow's (Great Dane) account of the walks can also be found here;

1. https://www.facebook.com/WillowTheGreatDane

2. https://www.instagram.com/willowwalks1000miles

3. https://www.tiktok.com/@willowwalks1000miles

4. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBdl0W-Q_vJQmQQ3Ae1Bogw

PLEASE NOTE - We are not contracted or affiliated with the official #walk1000miles challenge, we are just participants - https://www.walk1000miles.co.uk

Some of our posts contain affiliate links, We earn a small commission if you choose to make a purchase using these links, they cost you nothing extra. Every little click helps, thank you for supporting us.

Got a dog they said, it’ll be fun they said – what they didn’t say was that by getting a dog my focus for the rest of my days would be on poop. Walking at 5 am, I know some people enjoy it, some people like being up before the day has started and for others, the day is already underway. Me opinion is; are you mad – there is only one 5 o’clock unless you’re going on holiday, then no one minds getting up a 5 am. I woke up with a sniff, the most horriblist of horrible smells. I shot out of bed and knew instantly what was wrong. Poor old Eva has the poops. When I say poops is more like a running tap and the poor dog wasn’t able to make it through the night. Went out with whatever I threw on and the dog had me running down the towpath in desperate need of some grass because that is our preferred area even though she’d had an accident in the night on the boat.

Of course, I went back to bed, I was tired and only went walking because the dogs needed it and knew the route. As I dozed off Dave got up for work and took the dogs out, again and again, she went number 2. Then I woke late morning to the frantic padding for yep you guessed it another desperate running tap poop. And then again early afternoon and then again pretty much every two hours. I’ve practically run a marathon. Maybe not an actual marathon but not far off. Maybe a fair way off but my legs are not used to running never mind the tugging on the lead. Hate dogs that pull, turn a blind eye to dogs that pull when they are about to explode.

I’ve applied some binding medication that we have, so I’m hoping to have corked it to allow us to get through the night, but I might set the alarm and get up in the early hours just to ensure that the boat stays clean, and more importantly that Eva gets a break and isn’t in discomfort. Get a dog they said – it’ll be fun they said. I’m not having fun, can I get a refund?

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please leave us a five-star rating or review and share it with those you feel would also enjoy them. Don’t forget to follow us, here for future episodes – once again thank you for listening.

Same walk different viewpoints - Come say Hi at;

Our website - https://changingpace.co.uk

Louise's (Couch Potato) account of the walks can also be found here;

1. https://twitter.com/NbChangingPac

2. https://www.facebook.com/NBChangingPace

3. https://www.instagram.com/nbchangingpace

4. https://www.tiktok.com/@narrowboatchangingpace

5. https://www.youtube.com/c/NarrowboatChangingPace

Willow's (Great Dane) account of the walks can also be found here;

1. https://www.facebook.com/WillowTheGreatDane

2. https://www.instagram.com/willowwalks1000miles

3. https://www.tiktok.com/@willowwalks1000miles

4. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBdl0W-Q_vJQmQQ3Ae1Bogw

PLEASE NOTE - We are not contracted or affiliated with the official #walk1000miles challenge, we are just participants - https://www.walk1000miles.co.uk

Some of our posts contain affiliate links, We earn a small commission if you choose to make a purchase using these links, they cost you nothing extra. Every little click helps, thank you for supporting us.

Day 141 – Strange weather day today, it just can’t make up its mind if it raining or sunshine. It’s not cold but it’s certainly unpredictable. Looking at the clouds on the way down the locks big very angry and grey. Walking the other way is the blue and sunshine sky. It seems Willow and I will head into the storm. I may be overly metamorphosing our walk because 'the storm' almost sounds like we’re on the high seas and neither mine nor Willow's stomachs could take that to be fair. We do head down the locks under the grey sky hoping that the cloud manages to hold onto what it’s got. Raincoat on but it’s so hot, it’s almost a relief when it does start raining. Again, slight overkill with the raincoat, sure I would have been fine with a brolly but hindsight as ‘they say’ is a wonderful thing.

Who are they by the way? I asked google who says ‘they’ are some people who say, but no definition of some people - are they my peers or society?

As we head back up the locks, I spot an extremely faint rainbow, which really does sum up the day, because you only get a rainbow when the sunlight shines through the water and that it was so faint. Kind of says what I've already been saying the weather just can't make up its mind.

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please leave us a five-star rating or review and share it with those you feel would also enjoy them. Don’t forget to follow us, here for future episodes – once again thank you for listening.

Same walk different viewpoints - Come say Hi at;

Our website - https://changingpace.co.uk

Louise's (Couch Potato) account of the walks can also be found here;

1. https://twitter.com/NbChangingPac

2. https://www.facebook.com/NBChangingPace

3. https://www.instagram.com/nbchangingpace

4. https://www.tiktok.com/@narrowboatchangingpace

5. https://www.youtube.com/c/NarrowboatChangingPace

Willow's (Great Dane) account of the walks can also be found here;

1. https://www.facebook.com/WillowTheGreatDane

2. https://www.instagram.com/willowwalks1000miles

3. https://www.tiktok.com/@willowwalks1000miles

4. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBdl0W-Q_vJQmQQ3Ae1Bogw

PLEASE NOTE - We are not contracted or affiliated with the official #walk1000miles challenge, we are just participants - https://www.walk1000miles.co.uk

Some of our posts contain affiliate links, We earn a small commission if you choose to make a purchase using these links, they cost you nothing extra. Every little click helps, thank you for supporting us.

Shot out of bed like the boat was sinking the second I heard Willow break into her high pitch scream. Even so, I have to admit it’s nice to be out early, the dew was glistening on the grass and the day is afresh and ready to begin. Dave wanted his golf clubs so we had to go to the lock-up and dig them out. Dave hasn’t played golf for years and years and years so needless to say his golf clubs were buried at the back, way way back. Whilst working through the lock-up the heavens open, and quite frankly didn’t stop raining all day. We got soaked at the lock-up, we got soaked whilst walking the dogs, and generally, we got soaked. So fair to say at a certain point of all the wetness you just can’t get any wetter. The only saving Grace of the whole wet soaking day was that it wasn’t cold – if it had have been, I don’t think I could have bared it. They always say to look for the silver lining, well it certainly wasn’t in the sky or the grey clouds that continued their relentless chucking it down routine. I guess that was the silver lining, it wasn’t cold.

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please leave us a five-star rating or review and share it with those you feel would also enjoy them. Don’t forget to follow us, here for future episodes – once again thank you for listening.

Same walk different viewpoints - Come say Hi at;

Our website - https://changingpace.co.uk

Louise's (Couch Potato) account of the walks can also be found here;

1. https://twitter.com/NbChangingPac

2. https://www.facebook.com/NBChangingPace

3. https://www.instagram.com/nbchangingpace

4. https://www.tiktok.com/@narrowboatchangingpace

5. https://www.youtube.com/c/NarrowboatChangingPace

Willow's (Great Dane) account of the walks can also be found here;

1. https://www.facebook.com/WillowTheGreatDane

2. https://www.instagram.com/willowwalks1000miles

3. https://www.tiktok.com/@willowwalks1000miles

4. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBdl0W-Q_vJQmQQ3Ae1Bogw

PLEASE NOTE - We are not contracted or affiliated with the official #walk1000miles challenge, we are just participants - https://www.walk1000miles.co.uk

Some of our posts contain affiliate links, We earn a small commission if you choose to make a purchase using these links, they cost you nothing extra. Every little click helps, thank you for supporting us.

Up and out early today, up early because Willow deems it so. Some people have a Cockrel, others call them roosters, but universally they all say cock-a-doodle-doo and are driven by an internal clock that no one can fathom out. Me, I don’t need a Cockrel we have a Willow, and she whines and screams; it’s a noise that just grates all the way through you like you’re the invisible person. It’s always best to get up before Willow gets her scream on, because its like a knee jerk reaction very similar to the sound of a dog throwing up – you can be in the deepest of deep slumbers, but the retch or in our case, the scream of Willow is enough to have me jumping out of bed and throwing on whatever unmatching clothes are hanging around to get her out the door before she lets off another scream. Your right, our dog rules the roost.

Quite fortuitous that we are up early, Dave wants to go to a van shop place that is only opened in the morning to purchase a four-way stretch carpet.

Upon our return, we are greeted by barking and whining and sure as eggs is eggs or in this case, a dog is our dog, damm it! I do hope none of the neighbours wanted a lay-in - Sorry.

In between the showers which do not seem to be going away, we stroll out for another family walk  When I say stroll I mean the term loosely; Willow soon perked up, after storming around like a hurricane and running at Eva faster than a speeding locomotive. Spending the energy penny and Zoomies a plenty She also found a stick which set her off into a dizzy dance of trotting with her knees bent high, Willow had a blast and I’m just guessing Eva looked so relieved and off the hook of Willows singular speedy attention.

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please leave us a five-star rating or review and share it with those you feel would also enjoy them. Don’t forget to follow us, here for future episodes – once again thank you for listening.

Same walk different viewpoints - Come say Hi at;

Our website - https://changingpace.co.uk

Louise's (Couch Potato) account of the walks can also be found here;

1. https://twitter.com/NbChangingPac

2. https://www.facebook.com/NBChangingPace

3. https://www.instagram.com/nbchangingpace

4. https://www.tiktok.com/@narrowboatchangingpace

5. https://www.youtube.com/c/NarrowboatChangingPace

Willow's (Great Dane) account of the walks can also be found here;

1. https://www.facebook.com/WillowTheGreatDane

2. https://www.instagram.com/willowwalks1000miles

3. https://www.tiktok.com/@willowwalks1000miles

4. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBdl0W-Q_vJQmQQ3Ae1Bogw

PLEASE NOTE - We are not contracted or affiliated with the official #walk1000miles challenge, we are just participants - https://www.walk1000miles.co.uk

Some of our posts contain affiliate links, We earn a small commission if you choose to make a purchase using these links, they cost you nothing extra. Every little click helps, thank you for supporting us.

Another busy day out walking on the towpath, it seems the volunteers for Canal and River Trust are back out playing now that restrictions are easing. They are digging and planting more trees and concrete bases for the positioning of the benches. Oodles of other people out walking about and everyone seems to be in a good mood. Apart from Willow, I think who appears to be most disgruntled. She spent a good portion of the walk hiding behind me.  I’m unsure if she was implying that my stature was big enough to hide a Great Dane, but she clearly got what she wanted and that was for all those outstretched arms to leave her alone – unless they wanted to hug me in the process, and I don’t think the restrictions have eased that much to fore fill any hugging.

I tried to cheer Willow up but failed miserably. She didn’t seem overly impressed when I put a buttercup under her chin to see if she liked butter. Willow actually appeared to be a little suspicious of the bright yellow sunshine flower. Or is it a weed? The little buttercup was trying to remain out of this moody mess that Willow had encapsulated us in, refusing to comment on whether Willow liked butter. I didn’t see the little yellow shimmering reflection under Willow’s chin so can only assume that it was not commenting for fear of making the atmosphere just that little less moody. You and I both know that Willow likes, neigh loves anything from the kitchen so butter would be a very big tick.

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please leave us a five-star rating or review and share it with those you feel would also enjoy them. Don’t forget to follow us, here for future episodes – once again thank you for listening.

Same walk different viewpoints - Come say Hi at;

Our website - https://changingpace.co.uk

Louise's (Couch Potato) account of the walks can also be found here;

1. https://twitter.com/NbChangingPac

2. https://www.facebook.com/NBChangingPace

3. https://www.instagram.com/nbchangingpace

4. https://www.tiktok.com/@narrowboatchangingpace

5. https://www.youtube.com/c/NarrowboatChangingPace

Willow's (Great Dane) account of the walks can also be found here;

1. https://www.facebook.com/WillowTheGreatDane

2. https://www.instagram.com/willowwalks1000miles

3. https://www.tiktok.com/@willowwalks1000miles

4. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBdl0W-Q_vJQmQQ3Ae1Bogw

PLEASE NOTE - We are not contracted or affiliated with the official #walk1000miles challenge, we are just participants - https://www.walk1000miles.co.uk

Some of our posts contain affiliate links, We earn a small commission if you choose to make a purchase using these links, they cost you nothing extra. Every little click helps, thank you for supporting us.

After the excitement of the last couple of days, what with Drone flying https://youtu.be/U_2RLvILQl4 , Snake in the canal, and what seems to be becoming a pattern, the lost eggs of young birds. Today is positively a dull day. No dinosaurs or horses were seen. No Mr or Mrs. Lochness. No typhoon or typhoo was spotted or had. Willow and I just trotted and talked, mostly about our excitement about our impending release from this dead arm canal. Well, I chatted, Willow rubbed her face on the floor like normal, like all other walks before and almost like I was telling her off again, surprise not in this instance, but I do liken telling her off, to Willows not listening, so I chatted to myself whilst being completely ignored by my shadow. Others gave me the sideways look of ‘soon you’ll be looking for hair in the palm of your hands but no one came outright and said – ‘who you talking to you nutter?’ gonna take that as a win I think. It did start to spit on the walk, but looking on the bright side, at least no one was spitting at us because I most defiantly would have set my cowardly lion on them. Okay maybe not, to be fair I might have had to bite their ankle myself.

Yesterday’s drone footage is on Youtube if you’re interested. You’ll notice there isn’t a Willow insight, and that’s because that lovely black, white and green creature is becoming totally unpredictable. So it wouldn’t have been safe asking her to walk herself, which Eva did manage to do. I suspect Willow would have got into a tangle one way or another, either by tripping over her own feet or chasing a duck and flying off the edge of the canal. Seriously, all the misdemeanors that could possibly happen with that dog could send anybody’s imagination into a spin. But as I said Eva walked herself apart from when I asked her to wait. Alas no drone flying today, but that’s alright I’m still buzzing from yesterday’s efforts.

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please leave us a five-star rating or review and share it with those you feel would also enjoy them. Don’t forget to follow us, here for future episodes – once again thank you for listening.

Same walk different viewpoints - Come say Hi at;

Our website - https://changingpace.co.uk

Louise's (Couch Potato) account of the walks can also be found here;

1. https://twitter.com/NbChangingPac

2. https://www.facebook.com/NBChangingPace

3. https://www.instagram.com/nbchangingpace

4. https://www.tiktok.com/@narrowboatchangingpace

5. https://www.youtube.com/c/NarrowboatChangingPace

Willow's (Great Dane) account of the walks can also be found here;

1. https://www.facebook.com/WillowTheGreatDane

2. https://www.instagram.com/willowwalks1000miles

3. https://www.tiktok.com/@willowwalks1000miles

4. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBdl0W-Q_vJQmQQ3Ae1Bogw

PLEASE NOTE - We are not contracted or affiliated with the official #walk1000miles challenge, we are just participants - https://www.walk1000miles.co.uk

Some of our posts contain affiliate links, We earn a small commission if you choose to make a purchase using these links, they cost you nothing extra. Every little click helps, thank you for supporting us.