Ten HUT...Colonel on deck......

Good morning my pals...we awoke this morning to the sad news that our dear pal @teddypett lost his best friend and housemate Miss Beau last night....Mr Teddy has the best pictures we know in the #BTPosse and he left us with this touching memory of Miss Beau....

.....run free Miss Beau....arooooooooo

..back in the day to day life at BT HQ....we have Colonel Rocky in residence this week...he has arrived to conduct his annual inspection of the troops.....

oh eight undred owers, barracks...haz inspekt yore shoes....iz disgrace....polish and repawt bak ere in 10....dismiss

..oh nine undred owers, HQ surrounds....haz fownd appulls on yore lawn....pleez remove....small wun wiv core taked out deliver to Colonel's Offiss for testin.....

 10 undred owers....under attak frum sun....if I not return to allied trenches by leven undred owers then fetch I wiv reinfawcemints.....

....12 undred owers....skwizzle patrol instigate....enemee sited.....

.....fawteen undred owers....trap in kitchun by enemee naps....

 ....during his visits, the Colonel has had a strict regime of exercises and manoeuvres for HQ staff...

.....fifteenn undred owers....wun of da posse lost in akshun.....pleez continyoo to leev her noms owt for few days as mark of respek....

...Toosday, seven undred owers....hup too free faw...hup too free faw....keep up at da bak.....

....snoopervisin pakkin of da rashuns fur later....cannot bild militaree strengff wiv insuffishunt calorees in yore belly...

.....10 undred owers, BT HQ.....cover I Lola...i iz goin in to retreev pemails.....

.....ard days soldjerrin is reward wiv ard nights nappin.....a posse marches on its naps....dat wot Nap-olyun say...

.....yoo haz igh grownd...but I haz FMD...flatyoolence of mass destrukshun.....

.....dis punee human is konkered for terriers......

Epsom Downs....iz enjoyin da plains....can see da skwizzles for miles.....

...he might be 10, but the Colonel stays in good shape.....

.....haz to show Private Lola ware da burds iz.....

....Miss Lola is enthusiastic but I think not quite as efficient as the Colonel would like....

...lunch owers, BT HQ canteen.....wot haz dere?....

....fawteen undred owers.....gard dootee....

....is tole to pay for lezzure....gib I wun biskit an yoo can begin yore RnR...

.....breffkfust reconnysunce, Wednesday.....single file, low to grownd pleez troops....

.....afternoon, timin not disclose for militaree reezuns.....

.....Fursday....i sensin enemee incurshuns....must dubble gards...LOLA!..

....er, yes I no it be tecknicalee illegal fur me to be down ere but haz to mek shire iz no foxes invading da compost....

....fifteenn undred owers....chekkin sekurity cameras....do yoo haz I? ....

...da Colonel's kit haz to be kept spik an span at all times.....

....haz gib dem walkers da slip....now bee-hind enemee lines....

....haz got dis wun in a tite bind....paw over yore biskits or da ankles get it....

......ateeen undred owers....jektiv acheev.....begin scowerin area for pikniks.....

....stash of crums discover behind da weird fing....

.....wot is dis fing doin in da HQ Transpawt?....stay rite dere... only remoov on I spesiffik orders....

....haz told yoo befaw.....no eatin befaw da Colonel....and over wot be left pleez...dat be an order....

.....iz all a peer ship-shapes an Bristull fashun....be bak nex year of corse....pleez ave Kwarter Master bring stoke for final checks....

...phew, I think BT HQ passed its inspection.....*whipsers*...we love having the Colonel to stay....

Clapton, Sapper Furst Class....

How to invade Europe in 18 easy steps......

Hello my friends.....as many of you know.....the typist and I are setting off this coming week to cycle from our home in Ashtead across Europe to Amsterdam in the Netherlands....we shall pass through England, France, Belgium and approach Amsterdam along the Dutch coast...its about 350 miles in all and we have three days to do it in....we shall be cycling with a team of 54 riders and support staff....we leave on Wednesday and so today we have been doing some checking and prepping of our bike and cycling gear this weekend....

....Peter Tosh and I have got our trusty steed out in the back garden....Peter Tosh is an experienced bike mechanic....the bike is made of carbon fibre and weighs about 10kg with all its bits on it....(for my American readers, this is only 22 pounds)...

....Peter Tosh first has to test that the saddle height has been correctly set....he is hanging on with his very strong baboon feet....I am holding the bike steady so there are no accidents...you know our history with accidents round here...

....we are expecting to have plenty of daylight but we will be in the saddle for hours and its important that we have lights...sometimes you need these when its shady under the trees...we are testing the front light here...we also have a reflector...both are mounted on the handlebars....

....more important is the backlight....we tested that one very thoroughly and we are also taking another one which will attach to the back of the typist's helmet....do you think the red is bright enough?

....Peter Tosh is strong enough to use the track pump to make sure the tyres are correctly inflated....not too hard so the ride is too bumpy and we risk punctures and not too soft so that its too hard to ride....we like a medium tyre...maybe 90 psi or so....we have spare inner tubes and spare tyres to take....punctures are sadly common....

.....needs a bit more Peter....

...

....of course you cannot carry that track pump on the ride so Peter Tosh makes sure that the mini-pump is fitted to the frame...we went out once without it and had to wait 30 minutes for a friendly cyclist to come along so we could borrow one....

.....tightening the screws that hold in the bottle cages....its very important to keep properly hydrated on long rides...we shall carry two bottles of water at all times.....i just fit in the space but I think Peter Tosh is a bit big for his....

....eating is just as important and we shall be carrying a selection of energy bars, carbohydrate gels and some recovery drinks for the end of the rides each day....we like SiS for this....we are also promised that the support team will be serving tea and cakes every 2 hours!....

....the weather forecast is good but we will need a selection of shirts, shorts and socks for the journey....we have selected these two jerseys.....

.....but pride of place for the first day and the arrival in Amsterdam will be our Rianna's Fund jersey...we are riding to raise money for them...we hope to raise enough to build a school for 400 children in Uganda....we have tested the shirt already and it fits nicely and is comfy....

...well...it fits the typist rather better than it fits Peter Tosh....

....that goes for the shorts too....padded bib shorts for comfort.....are they dry Peter?

....and Peter Tosh insists that we thoroughly inspect the helmet...this is the most important part of our equipment..typist is a little prone to falling off his bikes....this one is made partly from Kevlar....

...sunglasses...check....

...mini-lock, padded gloves, waterproof cap and multi-tool for repairs.....

....carbon fibre shoes which are light and comfy...and some spare cleats..these are the bits which clip into the peddles....this keeps us secure and allows for firm pedalling....the cleats get worn out walking on hard surfaces if we have to get off the bike and so need to be replaced occasionally .....

...we are extremely proud to be riding for Riannas Fund...and we would like to say A MASSIVE THANKS..to all our friends who have kindly supported our efforts....the fundraising has gone beyond our wildest expectations...you can see the total HERE....we think we will easily be able to build that school.....

...we are setting off on Thursday morning before most of you will be awake....I hope to be able to tweet some reports along the way........and when we return Colonel Rocky will be at Border Terrier HQ for his annual inspection...hurrah!

He's back….

Hello my friends…it is I, Clapton reporting from Border Terrier HQ….as you know, we took a long break over the summer and I won't bore you with the details other than to say that we had the best holiday ever in Chicago and Nashville….but I allowed the family time away from the cameras…..

…although we must say hello to Daisy, the world's friendliest shop-keeper dog from Chicago...

….the rest of the holiday was mostly taken up with music...

…and food

…but being away from home meant that a certain someone had to be left behind…..

….on our return to the UK we received this picture from Cidermill Farm…oh dear…..it seems Miss Lola staged a protest about being bathed to get her ready to see us again …..will she ever be allowed back?…what would Marley say…?!

….she was not best pleased about being left for 2 weeks…..

….she committed "nappus interruptus" on the typist to let it be known that she was expecting a very significant increase in attention paid to her….

….we managed to buy her off for a few minutes with a chew….

….and a walk on the heath…..

…but I'm not going to pretend that her mood didn't continue through the weekend….

….she had her "walk whine" primed and ready to go…...

…but..oh dear…we walked her in the rain….

…her displeasure was palpable….

….so I rushed an emergency plan into operation…we went for a walk on Ashtead Common….but..oh crikey…the train gates were shut on the way there…HURRY UP!

…phew…she's walking…and its dry….

….best not get in her way…..terrier moving at high speed….

…a banquet of blackberries for you Miss Lola?...

no?...oh..oh…OK then….drinks instead?….

…er….that's not quite what we had in mind….

….maybe I will just keep out of the way and enjoy the sunshine….

…wait for us Miss Lola…what can you smell?…..

…I was quite surprised to find that we had been upgraded to a National Nature Reserve….there are 224 of these in the Uk and "A National Nature Reserve (NNR) is one of the finest sites in England for wildlife and/or geology. Almost all NNRs are accessible and provide great opportunities for people to experience nature"....

…I wonder if I can see my house from here….

…goodness me…I hope she isn't intending to swim in THAT!….

….one satisfied customer…I think anyway….

…in between tending to Miss Lola's many requirements typist and I have been out cycling as we prepare to ride across Europe to Amsterdam in aid of Rianna's Fund….but this is the only photographic evidence of this week's ride…vital replenishment of nutrients at the halfway point...

 ...you can read a bit more about our ride HERE…and we would like to say a massive thank you to all of the kind friends who have sponsored us…we found out last night that the team (there are 54 riders in total) will raise enough money to build a school for 400 children in Uganda….

…the children sent us a very nice message!...

….and this is our team kit…look out for us from 11 to 14 September if you live in Kent, France, Belgium or the Netherlands….Amsterdam here we come...

…Miss Lola is now more settled back at home and has reinstated the nightly Fox Watch….

…it's good to be home….

*jet lag ears*…Clapton, Border Terrier HQ….