Narrow Dog to Carcassonne - Terry Darlington

It was that time of year again. Husband's birthday. Over the years, of which there have now been many, we have settled into a pattern of present buying. He buys me something nice to wear because he claims, rightly, that I have no taste when it comes to choosing clothes for myself. I buy him some luxurious chocs and a few books. The books can be about anything, but there has to be a travel book. Not necessarily from the top, literary end of the genre, although he enjoys William Dalrymple and Peter Levi; just a good read and evocative descriptions. So I was browsing the travel section of a well ... more

Review of 'Narrow Dog to Carcasonne' by Terry Darlington. I was loaned this book by one of my marina mooring neighbours. We live part of the year on a narrow boat and love the life, I enjoy boating and all that it entails and when at home occasionally watch 'Water World' on Discovery channel. This book 'Narrow Dog to Carcasonne' has been featured on the programme and serialised for television. In spite of enjoying the television look into the adventures of Terry Darlington, Monica and Jim's adventures, I'd never got round to reading the book, until Jean passed it on. I am reviewing the ... more

My choice this month is a work of non fiction and it represents a complete change of tone; it is an hilarious account of a completely hairbrained attempt by a couple of pensioners to navigate a narrow boat from Stoke in Staffordshire through the canals of France to the Carcassonne region. It would have probably have been safer and less eventful if either the author or his wife had any idea of what they were doing, but it is all too apparent that they had not. Fortunately their whippet Jim, who can be viewed in a disgusting pose on Terry's web site, seems to have some sense of self preservation ... more

This is the tale of Jim, who is a whippet. And his two companions (the humans who mistakenly believe that they own him) Terry and Monica Darlington. And their "brave" decision, on retiring, to take a canal narrowboat the Phyllis May, all the way from Staffordshire to Carcassonne in Southern France. Everyone told them that they were mad, or brave, or stupid or brave in a madly, stupid way. The upshot of this advice was that they were more intent on making the trip. Jim has bad habits. The kind of bad habits that endear dogs to people who are not their owners. His habit of begging in pubs is ... more

Then look no further! After reading this book I just had to drop'these people' an e-mail. These people being Terry, the author, Monica, his long suffering wife and Jim, the opinionated and whimsical whippet. And here's what's great; I got a return e-mail the following day telling me of the next forthcoming book to be set in Florida, again on their narrow boat, The Phylis May. Back to the book in hand though... Narrow dog to Carcassone is to date one of the funniest reads this year. Terry is a retired (but never retiring) reluctant adventure-seeker. After a rash decision to take the Phylis May ... more