A catch up.

This is a catch, but you may need a cuppa before you start!

Now Reader I bet you thought I'd given up blogging but no, I'm still here.  Home of course now (It's been a good three weeks).  I truly meant to have continued writing but.... Well you know..... Stuff happens and in this case we've been to France on an Art Club trip and yes one baby has arrived consequently  no blogging happened.

So under the circumstances I feel an update is required.

So briefly then, we continued along the Middlewich Arm, WaL was attacked by a cob...  This went on for some hundred metres or so... 

Then we saw why

The Hen on eggs no doubt.  I love ducks but my love does not extend to swans sadly.

  

We moored up here, rather nice to be away from it all.  I seem to remember the weather being grey and cold, I certainly remember the heating being on most days.  

From here we walked along a mile or so to the village of Church Minshull and visited The Badger pub for an extremely good late lunch.  We did go here last year and moored directly up from the village on the worst mooring ever, bumping and clumping every time a boat passed by.  We weren't making that mistake again.

Nice mooring just about a mile from The Badger.

Finally, a dairy herd, a big one too, we thought far too many cows in this field from what we could see.

A passing boat told us there was a boat across the canal....  They must have pushed past it from their side, we couldn't from our side so stopped and retrieved it.  Rotten ropes, a pin that had come out of soft ground and the help of another neighbouring boater who was stronger than me and it was retied.  

Pretties as WaL passed me.

Heading south for Nantwich the sky blackened, David insisted that we'd miss it and amazingly we did, but I was ready in full wet weather kit.

This was our mooring in Nantwich and the shower had gone slightly to the south of us, then it was a warm afternoon.

Having dodged another hefty shower on our was south from Nantwich we arrived at Audlem.   We had supper in this oh so famous pub with George and Carol, long time boating friends of ours, they live in this area and although had offered to help lock us up the Audlem Flight on the day they had commitments and appointments.

So David and I did our usual trick of getting up early and doing the locks that had partly drained overnight, as we passed by another moored boat they were getting ready to leave...

"You snooze, you lose" the advantage of doing half the work.  They would have to empty all the locks.  No other boats coming down to meet us until we reached the last lock and would you believe it, it was the hireboat of four Australians, the guys had been in the Australian navy previously and we had met them at the top of Heartbreak Hill.  They had very much enjoyed their holiday despite the weather.  But there again they are Aussies and don't need sunshine.

David this am had been out cycling already and met a walker who was a boater in Overwater Marina, he'd walked down from there and as he walked back to his boat he emptied all the locks for us!!  

How kind was that?  

Oh I meant to say, he carries a windlass with him.

Great chums and ex Boaters George and Carol who with us enjoyed and very good supper in the newly taken over Shroppie Fly pub.  Our third supper out in only a few days but we were on holiday.

David talking with walking Boater who carries a windlass and likes to help and likes long walks.

Halfway up the flight

Oh so sadly the farmers wife stall at the top lock of the Audlem flight wasn't open, either we were too early of she was away.  But there's an honesty box so I brought two ice-creams.

Slightly disturbing to see as we went over a high embankment between the Adderley locks and the top of the Audlem locks after several breaches  in these last few years.....

So that was that and we proceeded along the oh so deadly dull section of the Shropshire Union canal.  David pointed out that time was against us and that as the varnish was peeling off in chunks from the front cratch windows I should really make a start on the dreaded rubbing down and re-varnishing.   

Now this task does fall to me on account of my hips.  

Yes hips.

I can still move mine, David cannot move his nearly enough owing in part to his accident some twenty years ago and a fractured pelvis and now its full of metalwork.  I on the other hand  can climb onto the nose and sit somewhat comfortably on the dolly (thing we tie the ropes to, its red and just insight).

I should have done a before as well as an after.  I am now fairly judgemental about other boats  varnish.

David tackling the inner doors.  That is a work in progress!

Any of you remember this boat?  It formally belonged to "Sue on NB No Problem" as she was known amongst Boaters.  

Here   

Sue is now retired from blogging but I started reading here blog daily from about 2011 just before we started boating.  We were lucky enough to have met her very early on and she shared her in depth knowledge of the Thames and its (Then) free mooring places.  A lovely lady. 

David taking the opportunity to wash the back decks.

Much further along the Staffs to Worcester canal we came to this lock past Gailey.  The lock beam is rotted and has a supporting metal frame on it but yes you can see my arm through it.

Much after at Tixel Lock, our last lock before Great Haywood Marina, we met a CART Surveyor looking at Tixel lock gates, which are being replaced next year but looking in so much better conditition than these gates.  I told him to come and look.

I treated these gate with kid gloves I can tell you.

We were a bit early for the yellow flag Irises but here are a few.

Out of sequence but this is the bridge repairs to Penkridge road bridge which earlier in the year collasped.  Nice job and looks to have used the original bricks.

Dawn at Acton Trussell as we departed.

Sunrise at Deptford Lock, all was delightful and calm until exiting this lock something went around the prop and David couldn't get the weed hatch off! 

 


So that is us done for summer boating but all being well we will have an autumn trip out in September.

There are two babies due this summer just six weeks apart that I can't wait for.