Back home again.

 So Reader, the last days of the trip have fused together a bit as I am remembering.  But here is a pretty nice photo that David took one morning up on Cannock Chase one morning and no I don't know what he was doing up there..

Sadly this last group of photos are completely out of sequence, but bare with me,  the trip was coming down the bottom of the Shroppie, that is the Shropshire Union Canal, turning left at the junction with the Staffs to Worcester canal, along to Gailey, then Penkridge and finally through Tixel Wide and our marina.

We had left Great Haywood Marina back at the beginning of May.  We in general have had lovely weather.  To qualify that last sentence, lovely weather while boating is just not raining.  Nobody much goes boating to get an all over tan,  I know water levels are down a bit and it's a fine line between "Lovely" 

weather and a drought.  

So lovely weather and a fab trip to Chester.  We had been one occasion before several years ago and I would definitely look for to going again.  

The other place I would love to go to again is Lincoln, I just LOVED Lincoln but I'm not sure I will be able to persuade David to take on the river Trent with it's moving sandbanks, high banks with nothing much to see except electricity pylons, but I'll keep trying. 

We could always drive there I suppose.

He thought they were young males as they were growling at each other or possibly at him.

WaL just coming along to Boggs Lock, just down from Gailey

Now this photo below is really for Marilyn in NZ (another blogger) 

HERE 

Marilyn left a comment to say that NZ is now getting chillier and going into winter, well here we both are in windproof jackets zipped up to the neck on a visit to a National Trust property Old Mosely Hall   HERE   this was probably our 3rd or 4th visit, but it's one of my favourite places.

There was a guided tour at 2pm and we arrived at 1pm so went on a talk/exhibition of C17th Surgeons and their weapons, I mean instruments, well it started sort of okay, then I felt my stomach turn over with descriptions of battlefield injuries and finally I had to leave when she picked up a Trepanning drill.....  Google that one if you don't know. 

We had hot coffee and cheese scones to warm up.

So back to Boggs Lock, just down one or three locks from Gailey.  One top ground paddle was out of action and with the leaking bottom gates, David had to moor up Wal and help me open the top gate.  

Look carefully and you can see what some lazy boater has left thrown into the long grass.  Its a plastic container that has had either oil or diesel in it.

We took it down to Penkridge rubbish point.

Some boaters are horrid and lazy.

Everyone takes a shot like this at Gailey.  

I didn't really know there was a village at Gailey, I know there is a petrol station and the locks, but there is one and it was mentioned in the Domesday Book to boot.

HERE  I had imagined that the famous tower was a bit of a folly but no of course it was the lock keepers watchtower silly me of course it must have been.

Pretties.  Wild rose, maybe a Dog rose..?

Shroppie, straight tree, lined a bit dull but most attractive stone bridge.

Many empty works boats moored up together clanking.

Now who's responsibility is it for the metal work on the aqueduct?  I must petition the Shropshire Union Canal Society to find out, then I'll get David to pay for the paint. 

So Reader as I said at the top of the page, we are home now for a few weeks but we'll be back later in July if all goes to plan.

Talk soon.