Bartimaeus

Yesterday was a good morning for the indoors. I was continuing with the “watery tart hat” by lyrical knits,  but with some doubt about my wool quantities. I wanted the blue to be the main colour as it seemed watery, but there wasn’t a lot left. I might have to change my colour scheme half way through. I had a murky dark green that was quite canal like.  There was plenty light green as the water lily leaves.

After lunch the weather was brighter so we set off. I began locking and found the next one had carved and painted poetic words on the gate arms. It turned out to be a one off and there was no on-going theme of poetry all the way.

A man approached as I was crossing a lock gate and looked at the narrow channel ahead to the next lock and asked if we would get round there. I said we hadn’t been here before but I expected so. He retreated to his van with his workmates. It was a blighter with two different windlasses and a handcuff key required. Also I was taking care as the attractive old stone surrounds are actually a bit slippery when wet so I was being less keen to run or try to be nimble over gates that blocked the route across the bridge. Once we were through a man came out to watch and see if we fitted in the space. It is tight right enough but it was no trouble to drive through.

The locks were close enough together that I walked along between each lock. Shane has hopped ahead and got the next lock ready. I had seen a man and his dog stopped ahead as is common in the towpath and the dog owners and dogs often stop for a chat or sniff.  A  tall man passed me with a particularly large muscular  dog (and definitely a dog, not a bitch, I could see from behind!) I am often a little wary of large powerful dogs that look like they were bred for guarding or fighting, and kept a little back from them and noted it was on a sturdy lead, so that was good to see.

  Shane drove forward into the next lock and I tidied up then as I  was going to the next one, I heard a fearsome snarling and growling. As I walked on the path I could see through to the road next to the path. The two dogs’ jaws were interlocked and both men were heaving and straining back on the leashes to no avail. There were some pained yelps and panicky noises both human and canine. I quickly concluded I could not help at that juncture and went to the lock. I had already seen another man was coming across to see if he could help. I wouldn’t have a clue what to do.

I arrived to find the bridge for crossing the lock had netting on it suggesting it was unsafe but there was no other way over. At that point  I was a lot more scared of one of the dogs running off and  I would be the next available piece of flesh, than of crossing the rickety looking bridge. The yelps and snarls were continuing but I couldn’t see them. Shane told me that one man had taken his dog round the other side of the wall on purpose so it would keep them apart. Then between them the men seem to have concluded that the dogs were sociable and would like to meet each other. Looks like they thought wrong.

The noises died down and as I was winding and waiting I saw the tall man walking away down the road (to my relief sticking to the far side of the wall) I wondered if I should be going to see if anyone was injured. I saw someone was there and concluded help, if needed, was at hand, but just kept an eye out. 

I had learned last week in Selby that dogs sometimes bite their own handlers when they are in a confrontation with another dog and being pulled away. A dog from inside a moored boat had jumped out and fought with one on the towpath. The boater had shouted his dog and it returned inside after a few calls. We later saw a man walk by with his hand bleeding and wrapped in tissue. It wasn’t the escapee that bit him but his own dog, which also seemed slightly injured. It was odd as we often hear dogs barking at people passing their boat, house or garden and dogs meeting each other sometimes bark but I hadn’t seen them fight and now that was another, seemingly worse,  but unrelated dog fight quite soon after. The towpath felt a little less safe all of a sudden.

Soon after we swapped over and I drove. At one lock Shane called down to me in the depths that he needed the handcuff key and it was in my fleece pocket. I stood on the stern locker but we couldn’t reach each other. He suggested getting on the roof but with the wet shoes I wasn’t keen. I thought I could use the side step at the front to get up or climb the ladder. I went for the ladder though it was a tight space stepping along the gunwale to get to it. I passed it up and then he said he needed a different windlass too. I tried to push the boat side ways a bit to make the going along btwn the boat and lock wall easier but it didn’t budge.  I soon found out it was right up against the other side. These were narrow locks.

No wonder that man had been surprised we fitted in! I managed to hand the windlass to Shane by standing on the stern locker as it is a lot bigger so I was saved from another scrape along the lock wall. Shane wrestled with unscrewing anti-vandal mechanism with the handcuff keys.

The rain had stayed off and the views were attractive as we came into more open countryside. I was enjoying the views of the hills, the trees and the old stonework. Shane was getting hot and taking layers off, despite the overcast skies.

As I drove along I saw some horses in a field. Two had their coats on. I wasn’t sure of the animal lover’s pattern choice of pattern. Given the incident I had just seen, and that horses are essentially prey animals, a pattern of dog breeds seemed slightly strange. Admittedly these dogs would be too tiny bother the horses.I don’t know if real ones ever do. I have never heard of it. Possibly they only pick on an animal their size or smaller.

I got cracking with the knitting and had the bit between my teeth now. I felt I could make the smallest size and was pleased to finish it all in the same colours, and even better it fitted!

In the morning I went outside to see if I  could get some photos to share with my knitting friends, in the sunshine. A man and his dog came past and had a chat with me. I noticed his large dog was looking inquisitive and before the man noticed, it had stepped aboard. The man began calling “Hey, come on Caesar, come here, naughty dog!” but Cæsar was trotting past me towards the open door and looking in to our kitchen. I held Caesar’s collar, while I closed the doors and he turned and returned to the man while I explained I didn’t want him to head down the steps, or it might have been hard work getting him out again. Caesar was just a nosy, placid creature. They headed off and I continued with the photoshoot. I was not making a great job of the selfies, but the hat was confy and I decided to wear it to do the locks. It was plenty warm enough but more sky coloured than canal coloured today.