Afloat Again!

I have almost finished writing up my boating adventures from last summer but, before I tell you about my first cruise through Stoke-on-Trent and arriving at my home, I am going to tell you about my most recent journey.

Captain Grizzly!

Last weekend, Hanley Bear and I were back on Uppie the narrowboat on our way to see Stoke City play their last match of the season.  More accurately, we were on our way to hear them, as Grizzly doesn't take Hanley Bear into the stadium with him any more because, every time he does, Stoke lose.  We watched out of the window as Polar and Grizzly worked us through the five locks and we moored near Kay's famous Oatcake Boat.  Hanley put his hat and scarf on and crossed his paws and claws for luck because there was just a chance, if Stoke won, that they wouldn't be relegated.  Polar put the radio on so he could listen to the game but she and I had work to do, cleaning the roof so she could see if it needed any repairs as she wants to paint it again soon.

We had to go down to Trentham to turn Uppie around.  We were too far away to hear the cheers from the stadium when Stoke scored but we heard a little bear cheer from Hanley inside the boat.  As we moored up again, there was a lot of cheering from the stadium.  I thought Stoke had scored again but then I heard Hanley Bear going 'Boo!' so I knew they hadn't.  A little later there was another big cheer from the away supporters, another sad little 'Boo!' from Hanley, and then lots of grumpy-looking Stoke supporters walking past the boat on their way home.  Stoke had lost, so they won't be in the Premiership next year. 

Poor Hanley Bear was very sad and stayed quite sad, even after a big Belgian bun, and there were little sniffing noses from his side of our bear basket when we went to bed.

Grizzly was sad too but decided to cheer himself and Hanley Bear up by going on a cruise up the Caldon Canal.  This starts with a staircase double lock, which looks quite complicated but is easier than two separate locks if you concentrate on what you are doing, then goes up another lock and around the south side of Hanley Town, through Hanley Park.  There is lots of renovation work going on in Hanley Park.  Hanley Bear is very pleased about this, as he thinks of it as his park because they are both called Hanley.  It has a lake and fountains and flowers and also places for children to play with lots of climbing frames which would be great fun for bears too.

After Hanley Park we went past the famous Emma Bridgwater Pottery.  I would like to go there one day as you can decorate a plate however you like and get it glazed and fired.  Hanley and I would like to do that and make a present for our human guardians but it wouldn't be a surprise as they would have to help us reach the brushes and stencils and mix the paints.

After Emma Bridgwater's there are lots of new houses and flat by the canal and then a lift bridge where you can make impatient people driving cars very cross by making them stop, although Polar says you shouldn't work the bridge if you can see vehicles coming.  Hanley Bear was enjoying the journey by this stage and had cheered up, until we went past a little football ground and he was reminded of the previous day's result.

Soon we were out in the country.  When we stopped for lunch, Hanley and I got quite scared, as we saw a snake swimming in the canal, but Polar assured us that it was just a grass snake and that they weren't poisonous and didn't eat bears.  After six more locks we were right out in the countryside, going through fields and little woods with bluebells in.  The sun was shining and it was very warm.  Hanley Bear started to feel properly happy again, like small bears should.

The next morning, Hanley Bear was unhappy again.  Polar decided that, as it was forecast to be a very hot day good for drying wet fur, we ought to have baths.  I had had a bath once before and really liked it, but Hanley ran away and tried to hide in the drawer under the bed.  Polar saw the end of his red and white striped scarf poking out and so she found him and brought him back to the kitchen sink, wriggling furiously and going 'Boo!  Boo!' again.  But when he got in the water, he found he liked it too and soon we were splashing and playing.  When we got out, Polar wrapped us up in clean towels and showed us how grubby our bathwater was. 

While we dried off by sunbathing in the cratch at the front of the boat, Polar washed our clothes too.  Then she had to help Grizzly work Uppie down through some more locks and onto a pretty little river called the Churnet.  This runs beside a steam railway and soon we saw a little green engine pulling some carriages full of people and human cubs, so we waved and they waved back.

 When Polar and Grizzly moored the boat and went to get a drink at The Black Lion - which is a pub, not an animal - Hanley Bear and I decided that, as we didn't have any clothes on, we could play at being wild bears in the woods beside the boat, practicing our growling and climbing.  We kept a lookout for Polar and Grizzly, as we didn't want them to leave without us.  We found what we thought was a wonderful bear cave, full of stalactites and stalagmites, but then we realised it was in something humans had built called a Lime Kiln.  We thought about climbing up this until we heard an owl in the woods, when we scurried quickly back to Uppie, washing our front and back paws off so they were clean again. 

When we were dry, Polar gave us clean pyjamas to put on and we had rice pudding for tea. 

The next day we explored more of the Caldon Canal, cruising through some beautiful bluebell woods to a big lake and a little tunnel. 

Then we had to start making our way home to our mooring at Kidsgrove.  Polar and Grizzly soon got us back into Stoke-on-Trent and then, as Polar had to go to work, Hanley Bear and I helped Grizzly with the last stage of the journey and packing up everything we had to bring back to the house.  We were sad to be leaving Uppie but Polar says we will be going on more adventures soon, so I will still have lots to write about when I have finished telling you about my big adventure last year.