Always lovely to see good friends.

 I was excited this morning to get going, heading for Macclesfield which David said was a short distance away to meet friends for lunch.

We set off in a somewhat stiff breeze but sunny.  Soon the sun went behind clouds and we were boating with the stiff breeze straight into our faces.  I put a woolly hat on and then soon after my hood up over the hat.

Just past the Gurnett aqueduct immediately south of Macclesfield there is a sizeable straight section of canal due north into what felt a gale direct from the arctic.  

Good grief my eyes were watering.

"Just get out of this wind and moor up"  said I kindly, there were the Macclesfield Town Visitor Moorings.  these are a bit of a joke.  A bit,  there's a sloping edge worthy of the Shroppie Shelf and its positioned between a very high wall and some apartments.  Very limited solar.

The slope made it a daft place to moor so we crept on, I was half remembering floating pontoons and there they were.  One happy and friendly boater was pressure washing the pontoons  of Canadian goose poo (does anyone even like these poxy geese?)

Well despite the strong wind we avoided crash landing, secured the ropes after the customary "No this ring, no go back to that ring, I've changed my mind I'll tie up to that ring after all" 

Ferns waking up and beginning to unfurl.

This was a lift and push variety, I'm not sure if these are getting harder or I'm getting older.

Peaks in the distance but this was the wind tunnel from the north pole.  Looks cold doesn't it?

White Bells presumably. 

Well I had a bit of time before the fine company arrived to tidy up and polish the light switches.

The lovely George and Carol.

We had the most sumptuous lunch   HERE   Its primarily a furniture shop but it has the most brilliant Cafe-Bar just a stones throw down from the canal.  

For those of you who know George and Carol they are very well and very chirpy.  For those of you who don't Carol was a blogger on their narrow boat   HERE   and  their wide beam  HERE.  

We old folks had fun playing on the electric chairs at 

Arighi Bianchi, the ones that go up and down, but really they are fantastic and David wants one.

Back to Wal for teas and coffees after playing on chairs and several hours later they departed.  Sad to see them go but half baked plans to meet them later in the summer, lets hope it comes off.

Lunch was lasagne followed by pecan pie, an enormous slice and it was the last of it!!  Really fabulous.