Our Week at
‘Garden Cottage’ Part 2
Tuesday 19th March
Just for a change, we took it easy this morning and took a
short drive to Castleton which, when we arrived, appeared to be home to a
busload of schoolkids. We simply took a stroll around the town, bought a few
odds and ends at a local shop, then came back to the cottage. Some of those
odds and ends included bird food and a container for same, which Sheila hung in
a nearby tree. We have Chaffinches, Robins, Dunnocks, Blue Tits and Great Tits
feeding in the garden now.
This afternoon I tried phoning Justin at the marina
boatyard, to ask about the rudder. However, since he seemed busy I emailed
instead. He returned the message with the info that the rudder simply needed a
tack weld, which they would do when they fitted the anodes. Anodes? I know they
are there and I know what they do, but I wasn’t aware they required changing.
However, having asked Andy about them, he assured me that we’d had a good run
out of them over the past seven years, so it was probably about time they were
changed. Sadly that’s about another £120 added to the bill!! Ah well, more
dipping into pocket, I suppose.
One of Justin’s engineers also suggested that the gearbox
was playing up, especially when he reversed out of our spot then threw it into
forward gear to slow down. I advised Justin that, when I took the boat across
to fill up with diesel, I had no such problem. Not only that, I’d had no
problems with it for seven months of cruising either, despite Lyndon warning me
last year that it needed changing.
This morning, for the second time since we arrived at this
lovely little cottage, our wee pooch has an upset tummy. As you all know by
now, there’s nothing we can do to alleviate the problem for her, but I do wish
she wouldn’t keep scratching at the carpet! Eventually she’ll empty her tummy
on said carpet, after which she’ll be running about like a spring lamb.
Yesterday afternoon, at my good lady’s behest, I opened the
laptop and looked for the website for New Mill. This is, apparently, a popular
site for visitors, with many walks and attractions. Sadly, when I followed
their address, as featured in the blurb in a huge leaflet we found in the
cottage, I discovered that the site didn’t exist. But, after a frustrating few
minutes, I phoned them instead, although the person I spoke to didn’t seem too
put out by the information and, instead, gave me another address to go to.
Assuming poochy is OK later, we’ll be heading for New Mill later today.
6.30 am, Rusty has been out for the third time, I’m on my
second cuppa, Wifey is on her first and it’s snowing. How heavily we’re likely
to get it, goodness only knows, but if we’re confined to barracks, I suppose I
could give the uke a hammering. One thing is for sure, Rusty won’t be wanting
her breakfast this morning.
Thursday 21st March
Yesterday was not a nice day weather-wise, plenty of snow
and pretty cold. So, rather than take that intended trip to New Mills and risk
tramping around in the snow and, since that knife sharpener has proved pretty
useless on the only suitable for cutting bread, we did a bit more shopping at
Morrison’s in Chapel en le Frith and paid the princely sum of £3.50 for a bread
knife, which we will leave here, since we have more than enough knives already
on Shiralee.
Phew! I don’t remember ever writing such a long sentence.
Needless to say, we spent the rest of the day at the cottage, with feet up,
loads of cups of tea and plenty of reading.
Today, provided the weather stays dry, we’ll make that trip
to New Mills.
Meanwhile, the bill has come in for the boat blacking and
anodes. Thankfully the rudder only needed a tack weld to put it right, and that
was done while the anodes were fitted, so no extra cost for that wee job.
Friday 22nd March
Yesterday was about as much fun as walking across burning
coals in your bare feet. Once again we drove around in circles looking for the
so-called, Riverside Walk in New Mills. When we finally found it, it wasn’t worth
the trouble. Just like Bugsworth Basin, there were not enough signposts. The
ones we did see were on the wall right at the turning to the riverside. When we
finally arrived, all we found was a muddy track running alongside the river.
On the way back we decided to go down to Bugsworth Basin; we
had spotted a sign on our way through to New Mills; so we followed the road
down. When we finally arrived, what did we see? We saw a huge car park; it must
have been over 100 yards long; and, right at the entrance was a huge sign
telling us there was no right of way to the general public. Why? Because that
car park belonged to the Navigation Inn.
Opposite that car park was a road leading down to the basin,
but we know from past visits, that there is no public car park at the end of
it. Now, since we planned on wandering around the basin for an hour and didn’t
want a a nasty note or clamps on the car, we came back to the cottage.
Watching the 6 o/clock news yesterday evening, we were made
aware that snow was on the way but, having decided that we didn’t really want
to be cleaning our chimney in the dark, we decided to stay the night and return
to Mercia this morning. Well, having taken a peek out of the window at 5.30
this morning, I can categorically state that we have had snow. How much snow I
have yet to discover but, when Rusty decides to surface, I’m sure I’ll find
out.
Once the sun comes up – if it ever does today – and once the
roads have been well travelled, and providing we don’t have to drive through a
blizzard, we’ll be making our way back to Mercia this morning.
Fortunately this short break in a farm cottage was simply to
get away while the boat was being painted, so although we haven’t had much by
way of good weather, the time has not been wasted. However, what with the lack
of signposts and a blunt bread knife with no sharpener, the best I can say
about this ‘holiday’ is that it’s been filled with frustration.
Now, lest we get lost in a snowdrift later, I’ll post this
now.
Have a good weekend.
Dave, Sheila and Rusty
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