Reservoir Dogs & Pandas

Hay and I went on one of our usual weekend walks yesterday and selected Chew Valley Lake, followed by Blagdon Lake - both being huge reservoirs built some 50 years apart to supply nearby Bristol with water (Chew Valley Lake necessitated the evacuation of a village before being filled).

Chew Valley Lake

Blagdon Lake

When going on a weekend walk, we always take a rucksack each for waterproofs, a hat, binoculars, water, a picnic, etc., and at some stage there's always a request from one or the other of us to firkle around in the other's rucksack to find some item - it being easier for the other to retrieve the item than to take the damned things off. The request is immediately followed by the question; "Which pocket is it in," the answer to which is invariably the wrong one. We hit on the idea yesterday of wearing each other's rucksack, so we could easily find what we're looking for ourselves without having to divest ourselves of said rucksacks.

In trying to find somewhere close to Blagdon Lake to park the car we came upon this road.

Given that strange road names are usually given for a very valid reason, we decided not to attempt going down Awkward Hill...

When on walks I always find it curious how cattle grids can keep cattle hemmed in; when you think about it, all they have to do is go back to the farm building, find some boards and - hey presto - they could be over them in a trice.

While at Blagdon Lake I came across an Alsatian being walked by its owner. Having a soft spot for Alsatians I engaged in a bit of ball throwing with it, using a very soft and squidgy rubber ball. At one stage the dog decided to have a tug-of-war with me; I tugged at the ball in its mouth and my hand was immediately drenched in about a cup-full of dog slobber that had soaked into the ball. Very unpleasant.

We stumbled on a Mini convention at an hotel at Chew Valley Lake, The light blue one in the middle of the first photo was liveried as a police Panda Car, although I don't remember Panda Cars having wheel arches.