Iced in at Whitestone

The ice in the canal had melted but temperatures were set to drop again so we thought we'd better move on sharpish. At Marston Junction we turned right on to the Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal; new waters! We've been enjoying the absence of locks lately and the Ashby has none - yay! It was cold and wet so we didn't travel the whole 3 hours to Hinckley where Vicky would be getting the train from next week; instead stopping at Whitestone moorings after 90 minutes. Will was at the tiller the whole time while Vicky sat inside with Tiger on her lap to keep warm. Usually Leo would be there too but he was snuggled in his bed under the table instead.

That evening he refused his food and began crying out in pain when he moved. It was very worrying but it was a Sunday evening and he seemed able to rest so we decided we'd keep an eye on him and if he wasn't any better in the morning we would take him to a vet. As soon as he woke the next day it was clear he was very ill. Thankfully the nearest vet was just 20 minutes walk away so we called, registered and made an emergency appointment. Vicky busied herself finding the contact details of his most recent vet and arranging for his records to be forwarded to this new vet. We then bundled him into his carrier with a hot water bottle and set off gingerly. Thankfully the movement didn't seem to cause him additional discomfort and before long we were explaining the problems to a young vet. Vicky feared he might have a gastrointestinal obstruction but after looking at his gums, checking his skin hydration, listening to his heart and then taking his temperature the vet thought it unlikely and prescribed him some painkillers and probiotic syrup. She offered blood tests and a scan but we chose to see how he fared in the coming days. He rested a lot and slowly made small improvements. By the time he seemed to be out of the woods, Tiger was suffering the same symptoms and Whiskers was sick too 😪

At this point we could have moved on but Vicky didn't want to add to Tiger's distress by travelling, so we stayed put as the canal froze around us. We hoped to be able to get to Hinckley for the train the following Monday but it was not to be. With the need to conserve water and the poorly animals, the laundry pile began to grow and overspill the basket. The stove was on high to fend off the freeze but that meant we needed to take the jerry can to fill at the fuel station every 2 days, along with the smaller petrol can for the generator. The only supermarkets were a Costcutter and a Spar, which kept us supplied with the basics, but we ran out of vegan yoghurt, seeds and breadflour to name a few things. We could have got a bus to Hinckley but didn't want to leave the poorly furries for too long.

Thankfully the mooring was quiet, with plenty of shrubbery for Whiskers to wander in. There was a litter bin for our rubbish and we had a choice of two pubs. Will visited the Chetwynd Arms for a drink and we both had lunch at the Corner House Marstons pub. It was from the car park of the latter that Vicky hopped in a taxi to Hinckley train station on Tuesday morning while Will stayed for one of their breakfasts. The ice continued to melt and when a boat cruised past the following day, Will set off in its wake. Being iced in had felt a bit like a 'snow day' to start with, but after 10 days the novelty had worn off. We definitely aren't ready for a permanent mooring! Czytaj więcej