At the hop...

Words from a Bird.  Day 138

I was an angel of mercy today.  Daughter number 1, currently in the throes of only having one usable foot due to a sporting injury was going stir crazy at home.  Having spent the last four days with no transport, she had exhausted her credit card with internet shopping (I just hope that she's mobile enough to answer the door when the packages start arriving), watched the suicide-inducing daytime TV and browsed the internet for comical cat videos.  I was very concerned when she told me that she had resorted to looking at the walls after dipping into daytime TV for a six hours, so I decided that a little trip out might be advisable.

Piling the two dogs, a pair of crutches and the two of us into my Mini, we headed down to the river where the dogs could have a run, and daughter number 1 could have a cup of tea.  There's a very handy café there, where I could park her while I headed across the field with the two dogs in tow.  We were walking beside the river at Henley on Thames where you would expect a rather upper class of people and their dogs to reside.  I was looking forward to making some new friends, the two and four legged varieties

Well we met several dogs.  The first, a feisty little Chihuahua, caused my two some distress, as the last thing you expect as a dog saying hello to a new friend, is for that prospective new friend to be lifted off the ground by its lead, and swung round just high enough for its teeth to nip randomly on whichever bit of my dogs it could get to.  My two were bemused, looking at the Mexican visitor to the town as though it was a piñata.  Its teeth reminded me of the shark in Jaws, and I am sure that there were the remains of a dachshund  clinging to its molars....

We were then intercepted by a Fox Terrier called Arthur (I told you the dogs were posh in Henley).  He was a complete contradiction.  The rear end wagging for all it was worth, while the other snarled like an East End boxer. We had to let him pass, and get a head start of approximately 100 yards before we could start walking again.  It's amazing how many weird looks you get from passers by, staring at the strange lady standing in the middle of the path with two stationary dogs, all the time staring into the distance, and asking the two dogs, 'Is that far enough yet?'

Heading back to the café, daughter number 1 was hidden behind a large ornamental bush.  For one brief moment, I thought she might have wandered off.  I then remembered that crutches combined with a waterlogged field are not conducive for a quick getaway.  Anyway, there she was, sitting in the sunshine awaiting my return.  Two cups of tea and an Italian ice cream later, we were ready to go home.

It's at this point that I owe the husband an apology.  Having planned a long walk, I had only taken a £10 note with me, assuming that this would be more than enough to cover a couple of teas.  Of course, after the teas (Henley prices) and the ice creams (Italian prices) I had approximately 17p left.

This explains why the husband had no Hellman's Mayonnaise for his salad this evening.  He had to have (steel yourself for this revelation) Salad Cream, something he may forgive me for by the end of July...

It's all your fault daughter number 1...