Shelley the Lifeboat Labrador by John Periam Page A

change the three of us plus Shelley walked to the ‘Kings Head’ in Hythe for dinner where I had also arranged to meet some of my old pals. 
     
    The Kings Head was my local when I lived there and the then landlord John Hobbs had the walls covered in hundreds of ties.  This idea started when the army had the Small Arms School and any officers that came in were only too pleased to have the bottom of their regimental tie cut off for history.  This developed over the years and there was hardly any space left on the walls for any more. It was also the pub where I first met Chris and Celia now living in Cumberland.
     
    As the evening went on more of my old friends came in including Chris O’Connor, Tony Catt, Nigel Wimble, Geoff Walker, Tony Hobbs and Roy and Tina Dunlop. It ended up as one would expect a bit of a reunion with stories abounding from one to the other about my past and my life with the lifeboat.   I was new to the Shoreham Station so Jack who was a good story teller added a little bit more bravado to his stories than normal putting me on a slightly higher pedestal than I should have been.  One could call it ‘Poetic Licence’.
     
    It was a nice evening and an opportunity for me to catch up on what had been happening over the last few years.  Time did over run at the ‘Kings Head’ as it often used to so we left later than we had intended.  It was a nice evening so the walk back to the hotel was pleasant. What however did surprise us was that when we got in there was no one around and the reception was closed as was the bar.  I tried going through to the kitchen area and that was locked. There was just no activity at all – I had taken my room key with me (a trick of the trade having stayed at so many hotels), but Jack and Peggy had handed theirs into reception.  Shelley meanwhile had fallen asleep on the carpet exhausted by all the attention she had been given all evening plus a few extra portions of crisps.
     
    There was no option but for all of us to stay in my single room.  Peggy had the bed – Jack the one armchair and I the floor with Shelly.  What with Jacks snoring – Shelley’s dreams – my cramp caused by a hard floor it appeared Peggy had the best nights sleep out of all of us!  At about 6-30 I heard some movement downstairs and we were given the key to the locked room.  Needless to say it was yet another story we dined out on for many years to come. The hotel thought we had all taken our keys with us but accepted full responsibility and we all had the evenings stay free of charge.
     
    Feeling more tired than normal we made our way along the coast. I managed to do some calls which gave both Jack and Peggy the chance to have a look around Canterbury and Whitstable.  We then popped in to see the Ramsgate Lifeboat crew and their Coxswain Ron Cannon (who I knew well) showed us around.  There was an exercise that evening and Jack and myself were given the option of a trip but turned it down as it would have not be fair on Peggy to leave her.
     
    We all stayed at ‘The Faryness Hotel’ at Kingsgate.  We took Shelley for a long walk along the cliff top past the North Foreland lighthouse stopping off at the ‘Captain Digby Pub’ for an intended dinner only to find they did not allow dogs in.  This did happen from time to time and I had come to terms with it as had Shelley. She just growled removing the pubs name off her Christmas card list.
     
    We then met up with some very old friends of mine Paul and Trish McKeown. I had worked with Paul in my early veterinary selling days and both Christine and I had remained good friends. They were great company and full of fun and although Christine and I had parted company they had kept in touch with us both.  Whenever I went to Thanet I always met up with them and we walked Shelley remembering the good times. Paul after a few pints was always good at doing impressions and was a keen wine collector.  Later in life they both ended up