As part of her plan, even though Calum was home from work, Furry Mama was determined to go for a long walk with Minty Mutt. As Cal has been up since 2.00am this morning, Baggy didn't mind him staying at home. Off they set. Minty Mutt fancied the really long walk through Ager Fen Nature Reserve and the dormouse sanctuary. It's a stunning day. Creative Clara took her camera. Minty Mutt sniffed out a new route. Up a really rather steep hill.
Through a new bit of woodland.
Through the very boggy Ager Fen. It poured with rain last night, so was even wetter than usual.
The walkway is a bit of a clue for Clever Bird. Boggy, being the operative word Clever Bird. But Creative Clara was so busy taking photos and admiring the views that she distracted Furry Mama from her duties. Before she knew what was happening Minty Mutt had stepped off the walkway and was heading for a drink. In a bog. One that Furry Mama never lets him near. He understands "no". He doesn't go in. She watched all this from a distance, in a little world of her own. Who Baggy? Yes, bloggees it does seem unlikely doesn't it, but Baggy was in another world. Really! Anyway, the point was that suddenly, Furry Mama was watching Minty sink very quickly into a bog! Nooooooooo! Pity she didn't actually say that out loud. He was well and truly stuck. The more he tried to get out, the deeper he went in. Fortunately his back legs were still on solid ground. But he was up to his chin in gloopy mud. By the time Baggy got Furry Mama to him he was well and truly stuck and beginning to panic. His nose was about to go under. Now to give Furry Mama her due, she refused to let Creative Clara take photos. She got Baggy straight into action to rescue the mutt. Trouble was the only way to help him was to grab his collar and pull him up, but he was sinking further and she could barely reach it. Thankfully, he did a panic lurch, which pushed him in her direction. That meant she could grab the collar without falling in the bog herself. She managed to get him out. Just. The smell. Ghastly!
Back on the lead (just in case), they set off once again. Baggy let Minty go in a stream that Furry Mama knew had a firm bottom. At least he washed off some of the stinky gloop.
The whole episode reminded Grotty Groom of the time that she disappeared into a bog on top of a horse! Riding in Northumberland across the moors, Grotty was at the back of the ride. There were about nine horses. The Trail Leader warned we were in bog land. "Make sure that you stay in the hoof prints of the horse in front of you". Well Grotty thought they had. Suddenly though, her horse literally vanished underneath her. Baggy whisked Grotty's feet up, still in the stirrup irons, to above the bog surface. "Get off, get off", screamed the Trail Leader. Clever Bird had figured that out for herself. Doing it was a different matter. Nothing to press against. In the end she had to whisk Baggy's feet out of the stirrups and throw herself sideways by pushing on the poor horse's neck. Then Grotty was lying on the solid moor, inches away from a horse flailing and trying to get out of the gloop that was literally up to the top of her legs. Instinct made Baggy roll out of the way, just as the horse managed to leap out sideways in the same direction, now that she was free of Baggy's weight, missing Baggy by inches. Bless her though, she stuck her nose down to check that Grotty was okay. She was fine. More importantly the horse was fine. Just very smelly. Afterwards it was concluded that each horse had only needed to be a couple of inches left of where it should have been, for Grotty's horse to be over eighteen inches left of the trail. And therefore in the bog! Ah, the memories.
By now Furry Mama and Minty Mutt had already been out for an hour and walking through the gloop was hard work on Baggy's stomach. They headed to the dormouse sanctuary and a bench for a rest. Baggy reckons that the bag of crisps she had for lunch with her healthy sandwich when they finally got home, was well-deserved.............
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