Wheelock to Barbridge
Wednesday 12th September
I hope you like the picture I’m trying to paint. When I’m finished; probably in a couple of weeks or so; I’ll post my own interpretation of that photo, in pastels. Of course, I don’t expect, nor do I want it to look anything like the photo. If all I wanted was that image then I would have no need to paint it.
Today, with the weather looking as if it might stay dry and calm, we’ll take the next four miles and four locks to Middlewich, where, we hope, we will be able to have the heating repaired. The only problem we are likely to come up against is being unable to moor the boat below Kings Lock, which is where the boatyard and chandlery are and where the heater is to be repaired. If they have no space we will have to revert to Plan B but, since we don’t yet have a Plan B, we’ll have to wing it.
Meanwhile, I’m sitting here, twiddling my thumbs, waiting for Wifey to surface, so that we can have brekky and get on our way.
Whilst I await Wifey’s appearance, have I told you about my problems with Internet Explorer? Well now, this might interest you and, with luck, somebody will know what to do.
I am in receipt of several Newsletters from different people. In one of those Newsletters I regularly get links to the writers blog but, when I click on the link, I receive an error message telling me that IE is unable to access the blog and the operation is being aborted. This also happens when I carry out a search for that person’s site and click the link.
Of course, I have emailed the person concerned, in fact on a couple of occasions and I did so again this morning, but I have yet to receive an acknowledgement or reply of any sort. Naturally, if, after this attempt at attracting their interest, I don’t receive a reply, I shall unsubscribe to their Newsletter. There’s no point continuing with them if they can’t be bothered to answer a simple question, even if they can’t explain why this is happening.
Any ideas anyone?
Thursday 13th September
I received a reply from the above person, and she has made a few suggestions regarding security settings and such, but, even going through some of these, I am still unable to open her links. However, there have been times when I’ve been searching the Web and clicked on a site, where this has also happened. But, with this one, the links never open at all. Most odd!
Yesterday was a mad day and, with six miles and six locks, the whole trip shouldn’t have taken more than three hours. But, because we had two ahead of us, we were delayed somewhat, especially as one of them was being handled by just one person. Even with Sheila helping him, we were still much slower than usual. The last straw was the delay at the final lock, which is at the start of the Middlewich Arm or, more correctly, The Wardle canal. When we came out of the final lock on the T&M, we not only had to wait for another boat to exit the Wardle lock and turn around to go back in, we also had to wait for another boat to come down that lock.
As a result of all these delays the trip took us 4½ hours. Can’t complain though, at least it didn’t rain whilst we were moving. It soon chucked it down though whilst we were drinking our cuppa, then stopped, then started again, which was why we walked into town in the rain. Good fun this boating!
Today has dawned with a red sky, and you know what they say about those. We have no worries though because, having walked into town yesterday, in the pouring rain, it doesn’t frighten us. In any case, we’re catching the bus to Northwich this morning and will visit our local butcher on our return.
My art guru, Emma, has now suggested she calls this Caravan painting, ‘Painting a Scene’, which does make more sense since it really isn’t a landscape as such. She also suggests painting a ‘Sunset over Water’ scene, which I would really love to have a go at. Meanwhile, I now have my instructions for starting on the caravan itself. And it is also time to wake my ‘sleeping beauty’. Duty calls!
Friday 14th September
The mornings are now getting darker, well, they are when I get up and, even at 6.15, which is about when I take Rusty out, the sun isn’t quite awake either. This probably means that, as the nights also lengthen, the temperature will start to fall and we will definitely need the central heating. Thus far, having cleared some of the gunk out of the chimney stack, we’ve had a fire going, so we have now contacted an engineer who will service the heating when we get to Barbridge in a few days time. Eric, the engineer, was the one who fitted our fan belt and carried out our oil change when we were on the Montgomery. He will either take it away and pass it on to the people he uses, or send them along to carry out a diagnostic and service.
Yesterday was, I found, very tiring. It was another one of those days where, having walked into Middlewich, we then took a 40 minute bus ride into Northwich, which was followed by more walking to the art shop and another, rather speedy walk back to the bus stop, where the bus had already pulled in and was waiting to change drivers. Another 40 minute bus ride was followed by the walk to the butcher’s and on to the boat. It’s only the strain on my legs that’s knackering me, not the exercise itself.
In the art shop I bought a few ‘in between’ coloured pencils, plus a soft pad of mixed colour paper, along with photo album corners and pastel holders, which will save getting my hands too messy.
We arrived back just in time for lunch, which meant we had been away for almost four hours, so our wee pooch was only too happy to welcome us home, especially as she was bursting for a pee. Lunch consisted of left-over sausage, with fried egg in a bap. Yummy! And, since we do seem to have rather a lot of eggs, breakfast will be eggs on toast. Yummee again!
We were hoping to move about half way to Barbridge today but, with that howling, gale force wind out there, this is rather doubtful. This is not the ideal weather for cruising, as I have said many times before. Still, so long as we are there for Sunday, I’m not too bothered. I can always get on with my painting while we wait for it to calm down.
Saturday 15th September
Having said we probably wouldn’t move due to the high wind, when Sheila returned from the shops the wind had dropped, so on we went, only for the wind to get going again. But, since we were now on our way and it wasn’t raining, we decided to press on and finally stopped between bridges 17 and 18, about a mile short of our actual destination.
This is a very quiet stretch of the Middlewich branch of the Shroppie, no road bridges and no railway lines, so the rest of the day and last night were very peaceful.
Sunday 16th September
When I awoke yesterday morning, with the wind whipping up waves on the surface of the water, I had my doubts about getting to Barbridge but, by the time we had breakfast, the wind had dropped and it looked like the sun might make an appearance. We had two locks and about six miles to do, with a stop at the Venitian Marina for cola and diesel.
We arrived at Barbridge and topped up with water and, after finding a mooring spot, I gave our engineer, Eric, a bell and we have arranged to meet him on the way to Chester, probably Tuesday or Wednesday. Hopefully we will have the heating running within the next few day, then I’ll be able to let the fire go out and remove the rest of the gunk from the chimney.
We intend stopping off at Crisselton for this heater service and will also take the bus into Chester. The last time we were there, which was before I’d had my knees replaced, we moored up below the city wall and Sheila took a walk around the town with another boating lady, after which we moved on to Ellesmere Port. This time around I’ll be able to see some of the town.
Alan and Chris Oxley flew off to China on the 12th, although Alan had told us it would be the 13th, so we didn’t have the chance to wish them well on their trip. They will only be away for a month, during which time they are taking a boat trip on the Yellow River. Hopefully we’ll be able to meet up with them when they return to the U.K. and before they go back to Germany.
When we arrived here at Barbridge yesterday, there were afew boats moored up, but nowhere near as many as usual. On a normal weekend it can be difficult finding a place to tie up, but there were so few boats here that we had no problem at all. In fact, even before we walked to the bus stop for our trip into Nantwich, most of the boats that were here had moved off.
As usual, when we are here for a weekend, we’ll call in to the Old Barbridge Inn for a lunchtime drink. Well, it would be rude not to!
I received an email from my old work colleague and friend, Les, this morning. She’s the lady who chaperoned the kids whilst I drove the mini-bus over, six years ago! Doesn’t time fly? Anyway we still keep in touch, sometimes by phone; when I remember to call her; and sometimes by email. Her husband, Dave, is an up market motor engineer and travels to all sorts of exotic locations servicing expensive track cars. He also has his own workshop in Harlow and is a very busy man, I’m pleased to say. Having gone through a slow spot recently, he’s just returned from Cyprus, so I’m hoping thinks are now on the up.
Must stop there, doggie needs servicing!
Monday 17th September
Well, the nights are drawing out and, with the mornings being darker for longer, I have a feeling autumn is almost upon us. This is even more noticeable with the trees beginning to turn colour. But, at least the daytime is still quite mild and we are not finding it necessary to wear warmer coats. The biggest problem for us is the damned daddy long legs that invade us in the evenings when our lights are on. Even with the curtains closed the little blighters still find their way in, and we’re left to catch them and throw them out of the hatch.
Fortunately, with the sun shining and a light breeze, we were able to sit in the pub garden yesterday lunchtime. I can think of no more pleasant way of spending an hour or so, than with a couple of pints and a bag of crisps. How sad is that?
We’ll be turning around and heading off towards Chester this morning. This is so that we can meet up with our engineer and have the heater system serviced.
Meanwhile, with seven pages written already, I’ll wish you all a very pleasant week.
All the best from Dave, Sheila and Rusty.
Sunday, 16 September 2012
Tuesday, 11 September 2012
Shiralee Cruise 2012 # 24
Red Bull Aqueduct to Wheelock
Friday 7th September
I forgot to mention just how fortunate we were yesterday whilst towing Martin and Ann, not once did we meet another boat coming the other way through a bridge. Had we done so we could have had a problem, either stopping to allow the other boat through, or charging ahead, making the other boater stop for us. This is not an unusual occurrence and usually sorts itself out, but, with a boat in tow it’s different gether altomatter!
Well, as I mentioned in Blog 23, Alan and Chris turned up at about 12.30 but, alas, as they were short of time we were unable to celebrate the sixth year of living on ‘Shiralee’. But, no matter, Sheila and I will do the necessary at the pub in Rode Heath on Sunday.
Living on a narrowboat does present certain difficulties, but these are pretty minor when compared to the sheer joy of being able to move around in complete freedom from interference by the usual jobsworths and uppity officials of one stripe or another. Apart from the sensible restrictions as to the amount of time allowed at designated moorings, we don’t see many other signs saying ‘No…’, or ‘Do Not….’, as you do in every town, village and city throughout the U.K, except perhaps ‘No Fishing’, but this is for safety reasons, all to do with overhead power lines. Indeed, the restrictions on mooring times are a necessary evil to prevent some boaters overstaying their welcome and preventing visitors from stopping.
As for difficulties, well, one of those would be storage, which we never seem to have enough of. As a consequence we do have rather a lot of stuff strewn about in different places. For example, from my viewpoint as I sit here pecking at this keyboard, I can see an RAC torch, a container of mixed nuts, a box of eggs, two boxed of sweeties, three mobile phone chargers, a stack of pens and pencils and a pair of binoculars.
There’s also a pair of spanners that I keep handy for work on the Universal Joint down in the bowels of the engine bay, a full length tape measure, my empty teacup and a cafeterre. The list is endless, and I’m only facing forward, there’s plenty more behind me. It’s all stuff that we can’t do without but have no room for elsewhere. Which reminds me, I must get down to designing and constructing a new shelf for the top of our main galley cupboard, the top of which is a total mess.
As for today, well, once we have topped up with water at the BW point at Kidsgrove, we’ll be moving along by another three locks to a nice, open space on the T&M, where we will stay the night. Then, on Saturday morning we’ll head off to Rode Heath, where the aforementioned celebration will take place.
Saturday 8th September
Yesterday was one of those easy cruising days, with just a mile and six locks to do, although, that mile took us a wee bit longer than expected, because, upon arrival at the BW/CRT water point and rubbish disposal unit, we were unable to open the door to the cassette emptying room. It didn’t matter which way I turned the key, the lock would not open. Fortunately there was somebody in the office and she called one of the workmen who, in his turn said, after trying the door himself, “Sorry mate, can’t help you there, we’ll have to put it ‘out of order’”
“What?” said I, “we have two cassettes to empty, we can’t leave it until the next place, can’t you jimmy the door with a crowbar, or something? I’ve got a nice, big screwdriver you can use.”
“Hold your horses”, he said, “jimmy it open! Then, pointing his finger at me and wagging it, with a supercilious grin on his face, “Don’t you worry now, I’ll soon have you sorted”.
Within a couple of minutes he had spoken to another workman and I was told to load the cassettes onto his van, after which he whisked me off to a nearby depot where I did the business. Of course, by the time I got back to the boat a notice had been put on the door saying ‘Out of Order’.
They will have to jimmy the door anyway, in order to change the lock, won’t they?
So, as a result of that delay, that mile took us two hours and we eventually moored below lock 46 or, if you prefer, Church Lawton.
Once we had settled in I decided to experiment with my pastels, on a clean piece of paper, to see if I could get the sky colours right. After dividing the sheet into three and mixing different pastels, I think I now have a reasonable facsimile of a blue sky with clouds. Today I will actually apply my experiment to the real thing. Fingers crossed, I really can’t believe how difficult skies can be. In fact there are several book on that subject alone, so I suppose it’s always been considered tricky.
Derwent, the manufacturers of pastel pencils, have a complete range of 72 colours, of which I have now downloaded a colour chart. Goodness knows how much they cost, but they certainly won’t be cheap. I have a box of just 12, which I bought in Northwich and that is only a basic selection. However, when we get to Middlewich we will catch the bus into Northwich and check out the art shop there. Meanwhile, I’ll see how much they are online.
Monday 10th September
Yep, I forgot Sunday but, since nothing much happened out of the ordinary on Saturday, that’s no great loss. All we did was to cruise down from Church Lawton to our present position at Rode Heath, a distance of one mile, with six locks along the way.
Although, having said it was ‘no great loss’, we did encounter a few morons at one set of locks. Along this stretch of the T&M there are several sets of two locks side by side, a time saving device from long ago. Even so, the rules still apply, one boat goes up and, if a boat is coming down, you wait for it. What you don’t do is empty the lock and come up. All this succeeds in doing is drain the pound above and, when you get there with your boat, clutter up the pound with too many boats, all getting in each other’s way, which is precisely what happened. Like I said, morons, in such a hurry that they can’t be bothered with other boaters.
Not to worry though, it was a fine day and we weren’t in a rush. However, there’s also the question of the ratchets on the paddle gear. These should always be closed over when finished dropping the paddles because, if they are not, and the next user doesn’t notice then, when he comes to opening that paddle, it could drop if his hand slips, with the result of a broken wrist, or worse when the windlass is thrown back at the user. And those morons were at those locks too.
I do hope that makes sense. It’s a bit like using a starter handle on an old car, as anybody of my age will tell you. When one of those things came back at you, you knew all about it and took greater care the next time.
So, Sunday, and not much happened there, either. We took a walk in the morning to find the elusive Royal Oak pub, and we found it after about half a mile along the main road. It looked nice enough and so we paid it a visit at lunchtime. By my calculations, what with walking Rusty later in the day, when she insisted on walking around the heath, I must have covered a good two miles.
The Royal Oak pub is a very pleasant, as we would expect, knowing that Alan and Chris have been there and recommended it to us. The pub has two bars, commonly known as Public and Lounge, with a pool table at one end of the Public and a TV at the other. Whilst the Lounge is laid with eating irons on a Sunday, so they obviously cater for the affluent members of society. We, as is our habit, settled for a couple of drinks, a packet of crisps and a packet of Mini Cheddars, as is our wont. Next time through here, as I am prone to saying at many other places, we’ll try a meal there. But, if we have a meal at all the pubs I’ve suggested, we would be looking at bankruptcy.
Anyway, a pretty good weekend was had by all, which is just as well, because it is now raining and we’ve used up our 48 hours, so we must make tracks for Hassel Green. That too is only a short distance away with a few locks, but we do have a big brolly.
Tuesday 11th September
No problems yesterday regarding our trip to Hassel Green, with only two miles and four locks and with a fairly fine day, we were pretty pleased about that. On top of which, there was plenty of room to moor up when we arrived.
When we see a boat approaching, from whichever direction, we always check it as it passes, just in case it’s somebody we know. Yesterday evening along came a boat that neither of us were familiar with but, as I looked up from the name of the boat, to the stern, whose face did I see but Andy’s, our mechanic from Mercia. We’ve been in contact over the time we’ve been cruising, but we hadn’t expected them to come this way. Sandy, that’s Andy’s wife, must have walked right by us without recognising our boat because, had she noticed, I’m sure she would have given us a shout. As it was, she was walking from the Hassel Green lock to the next one along, which is quite a distance. No doubt they’ll give us a bell some time.
This morning I received an email, supposedly from Paypal, telling me I had paid £5.95 to Facebook (Ireland). Now, I’m pretty sure the basic membership to Facebook is free, and I certainly don’t recall giving them permission to raid my Paypal account willy nilly, so I’ve forwarded it to Paypal as a ‘spoof’ email.
As for my pastels, well, this latest landscape project has hit a stumbling block. I was about to start on the tree line yesterday, when I noticed that I had actually laid the picture out the wrong way round. This would not have been too much of a problem, but I had also ‘flipped’ the picture of the caravan, which holds centre stage so to speak and, to make matters worse, I had sketched the outline in charcoal, which is a devil of a job to remove. So, I am now back to square one and having to start all over again. Still, it’s good experience
Wednesday 12th September
We moved along yesterday, only another two miles and 10 locks, to Wheelock. Thankfully the weather stayed dry, well, almost to the end when we were treated to a light shower. Once we had secured our moorings and popped into the village for a paper, chilling out was the order of the day. We did consider taking the bus into Middlewich but, assuming this weather holds, we’ll be there tomorrow anyway and will be able to take the bus to Northwich from there. I still need a few bits and pieces for my pastel painting, and Northwich has an art supplies shop.
This morning I got stuck in to some more of my landscape project, adding in some of the trees and a faint outline of the caravan. This part, I’m pleased to announce, went much better than the sky but, this is only a tutorial about technique. It’s not about getting it right, and so, having also repainted the sky, I’m not too distressed about it not looking very good.
Now, without more ado, and with a good signal, I’ll post this blog.
All the best to you all.
Dave, Sheila and Rusty
Friday 7th September
I forgot to mention just how fortunate we were yesterday whilst towing Martin and Ann, not once did we meet another boat coming the other way through a bridge. Had we done so we could have had a problem, either stopping to allow the other boat through, or charging ahead, making the other boater stop for us. This is not an unusual occurrence and usually sorts itself out, but, with a boat in tow it’s different gether altomatter!
Well, as I mentioned in Blog 23, Alan and Chris turned up at about 12.30 but, alas, as they were short of time we were unable to celebrate the sixth year of living on ‘Shiralee’. But, no matter, Sheila and I will do the necessary at the pub in Rode Heath on Sunday.
Living on a narrowboat does present certain difficulties, but these are pretty minor when compared to the sheer joy of being able to move around in complete freedom from interference by the usual jobsworths and uppity officials of one stripe or another. Apart from the sensible restrictions as to the amount of time allowed at designated moorings, we don’t see many other signs saying ‘No…’, or ‘Do Not….’, as you do in every town, village and city throughout the U.K, except perhaps ‘No Fishing’, but this is for safety reasons, all to do with overhead power lines. Indeed, the restrictions on mooring times are a necessary evil to prevent some boaters overstaying their welcome and preventing visitors from stopping.
As for difficulties, well, one of those would be storage, which we never seem to have enough of. As a consequence we do have rather a lot of stuff strewn about in different places. For example, from my viewpoint as I sit here pecking at this keyboard, I can see an RAC torch, a container of mixed nuts, a box of eggs, two boxed of sweeties, three mobile phone chargers, a stack of pens and pencils and a pair of binoculars.
There’s also a pair of spanners that I keep handy for work on the Universal Joint down in the bowels of the engine bay, a full length tape measure, my empty teacup and a cafeterre. The list is endless, and I’m only facing forward, there’s plenty more behind me. It’s all stuff that we can’t do without but have no room for elsewhere. Which reminds me, I must get down to designing and constructing a new shelf for the top of our main galley cupboard, the top of which is a total mess.
As for today, well, once we have topped up with water at the BW point at Kidsgrove, we’ll be moving along by another three locks to a nice, open space on the T&M, where we will stay the night. Then, on Saturday morning we’ll head off to Rode Heath, where the aforementioned celebration will take place.
Saturday 8th September
Yesterday was one of those easy cruising days, with just a mile and six locks to do, although, that mile took us a wee bit longer than expected, because, upon arrival at the BW/CRT water point and rubbish disposal unit, we were unable to open the door to the cassette emptying room. It didn’t matter which way I turned the key, the lock would not open. Fortunately there was somebody in the office and she called one of the workmen who, in his turn said, after trying the door himself, “Sorry mate, can’t help you there, we’ll have to put it ‘out of order’”
“What?” said I, “we have two cassettes to empty, we can’t leave it until the next place, can’t you jimmy the door with a crowbar, or something? I’ve got a nice, big screwdriver you can use.”
“Hold your horses”, he said, “jimmy it open! Then, pointing his finger at me and wagging it, with a supercilious grin on his face, “Don’t you worry now, I’ll soon have you sorted”.
Within a couple of minutes he had spoken to another workman and I was told to load the cassettes onto his van, after which he whisked me off to a nearby depot where I did the business. Of course, by the time I got back to the boat a notice had been put on the door saying ‘Out of Order’.
They will have to jimmy the door anyway, in order to change the lock, won’t they?
So, as a result of that delay, that mile took us two hours and we eventually moored below lock 46 or, if you prefer, Church Lawton.
Once we had settled in I decided to experiment with my pastels, on a clean piece of paper, to see if I could get the sky colours right. After dividing the sheet into three and mixing different pastels, I think I now have a reasonable facsimile of a blue sky with clouds. Today I will actually apply my experiment to the real thing. Fingers crossed, I really can’t believe how difficult skies can be. In fact there are several book on that subject alone, so I suppose it’s always been considered tricky.
Derwent, the manufacturers of pastel pencils, have a complete range of 72 colours, of which I have now downloaded a colour chart. Goodness knows how much they cost, but they certainly won’t be cheap. I have a box of just 12, which I bought in Northwich and that is only a basic selection. However, when we get to Middlewich we will catch the bus into Northwich and check out the art shop there. Meanwhile, I’ll see how much they are online.
Monday 10th September
Yep, I forgot Sunday but, since nothing much happened out of the ordinary on Saturday, that’s no great loss. All we did was to cruise down from Church Lawton to our present position at Rode Heath, a distance of one mile, with six locks along the way.
Although, having said it was ‘no great loss’, we did encounter a few morons at one set of locks. Along this stretch of the T&M there are several sets of two locks side by side, a time saving device from long ago. Even so, the rules still apply, one boat goes up and, if a boat is coming down, you wait for it. What you don’t do is empty the lock and come up. All this succeeds in doing is drain the pound above and, when you get there with your boat, clutter up the pound with too many boats, all getting in each other’s way, which is precisely what happened. Like I said, morons, in such a hurry that they can’t be bothered with other boaters.
Not to worry though, it was a fine day and we weren’t in a rush. However, there’s also the question of the ratchets on the paddle gear. These should always be closed over when finished dropping the paddles because, if they are not, and the next user doesn’t notice then, when he comes to opening that paddle, it could drop if his hand slips, with the result of a broken wrist, or worse when the windlass is thrown back at the user. And those morons were at those locks too.
I do hope that makes sense. It’s a bit like using a starter handle on an old car, as anybody of my age will tell you. When one of those things came back at you, you knew all about it and took greater care the next time.
So, Sunday, and not much happened there, either. We took a walk in the morning to find the elusive Royal Oak pub, and we found it after about half a mile along the main road. It looked nice enough and so we paid it a visit at lunchtime. By my calculations, what with walking Rusty later in the day, when she insisted on walking around the heath, I must have covered a good two miles.
The Royal Oak pub is a very pleasant, as we would expect, knowing that Alan and Chris have been there and recommended it to us. The pub has two bars, commonly known as Public and Lounge, with a pool table at one end of the Public and a TV at the other. Whilst the Lounge is laid with eating irons on a Sunday, so they obviously cater for the affluent members of society. We, as is our habit, settled for a couple of drinks, a packet of crisps and a packet of Mini Cheddars, as is our wont. Next time through here, as I am prone to saying at many other places, we’ll try a meal there. But, if we have a meal at all the pubs I’ve suggested, we would be looking at bankruptcy.
Anyway, a pretty good weekend was had by all, which is just as well, because it is now raining and we’ve used up our 48 hours, so we must make tracks for Hassel Green. That too is only a short distance away with a few locks, but we do have a big brolly.
Tuesday 11th September
No problems yesterday regarding our trip to Hassel Green, with only two miles and four locks and with a fairly fine day, we were pretty pleased about that. On top of which, there was plenty of room to moor up when we arrived.
When we see a boat approaching, from whichever direction, we always check it as it passes, just in case it’s somebody we know. Yesterday evening along came a boat that neither of us were familiar with but, as I looked up from the name of the boat, to the stern, whose face did I see but Andy’s, our mechanic from Mercia. We’ve been in contact over the time we’ve been cruising, but we hadn’t expected them to come this way. Sandy, that’s Andy’s wife, must have walked right by us without recognising our boat because, had she noticed, I’m sure she would have given us a shout. As it was, she was walking from the Hassel Green lock to the next one along, which is quite a distance. No doubt they’ll give us a bell some time.
This morning I received an email, supposedly from Paypal, telling me I had paid £5.95 to Facebook (Ireland). Now, I’m pretty sure the basic membership to Facebook is free, and I certainly don’t recall giving them permission to raid my Paypal account willy nilly, so I’ve forwarded it to Paypal as a ‘spoof’ email.
As for my pastels, well, this latest landscape project has hit a stumbling block. I was about to start on the tree line yesterday, when I noticed that I had actually laid the picture out the wrong way round. This would not have been too much of a problem, but I had also ‘flipped’ the picture of the caravan, which holds centre stage so to speak and, to make matters worse, I had sketched the outline in charcoal, which is a devil of a job to remove. So, I am now back to square one and having to start all over again. Still, it’s good experience
Wednesday 12th September
We moved along yesterday, only another two miles and 10 locks, to Wheelock. Thankfully the weather stayed dry, well, almost to the end when we were treated to a light shower. Once we had secured our moorings and popped into the village for a paper, chilling out was the order of the day. We did consider taking the bus into Middlewich but, assuming this weather holds, we’ll be there tomorrow anyway and will be able to take the bus to Northwich from there. I still need a few bits and pieces for my pastel painting, and Northwich has an art supplies shop.
This morning I got stuck in to some more of my landscape project, adding in some of the trees and a faint outline of the caravan. This part, I’m pleased to announce, went much better than the sky but, this is only a tutorial about technique. It’s not about getting it right, and so, having also repainted the sky, I’m not too distressed about it not looking very good.
 |
| This is the picture I am working on |
Now, without more ado, and with a good signal, I’ll post this blog.
All the best to you all.
Dave, Sheila and Rusty
Thursday, 6 September 2012
Shiralee Cruise 2012 # 23
Gurnett Aqueduct to Red Bull Aqueduct
Friday 31st August
At last, as I mentioned in my last post, we now have the fire alight and I can enjoy its warmth first thing in the morning. Sadly the chimney still need some work, removing the accumulated gunk caused by inferior coal, but that can now wait until we’re back at Mercia.
I also have a new pastel project, courtesy of Emma in New Zealand. This one is of a caravan in a field, the photo of which is below. Unlike the one I did of Rusty, which I have yet to show you, this will be much more challenging. I’ll be printing this one out later today and will keep you posted on progress.
Saturday 1st September
Well, we were going to get moving today, instead we decided to stay until this morning, when we can walk into the village of Sutton Lane Ends where there is a post office and farm shop. Going on to bridge 50 would have meant no Saturday paper and no TV pages. Not that we watch TV these days, not even for the Olympics.
We had hoped for a dry day, and that’s how it started but, alas, later in the afternoon the rain turned up. But not before we had cleaned up the forward deck, polished the new hooter and cleared the muck out of the shower filter.
Also, whilst taking doggie for her afternoon constitutional, I was fortunate enough to find a length of ½ inch iron bar. Once I have cut it down to size; that will be a wee bit over the inside height of the chimney; and cut one end at an angle, somewhat like a chisel point, I can then finish removing the aforementioned gunk inside said chimney. So, I’m now looking forward to another couple of hours of hammering and, hopefully, won’t have to remove the stack to finish the job.
This morning, so far, is dry and calm and so, after our walk to the village, assuming it stays that way, we will move on, but not to bridge 50, oh no, there’s a much better mooring spot only two miles away, and that one has a pub. Oh yes, Sunday is sacrosanct and I will not be denied my two pints of Guinness. So there!
Sadly, our wee pooch is off colour again and had us up at 3 am, after which she sat by the back stairs with her tummy gurgling, managing to keep me awake in the process. While she was on the pills she was fine, but she now seems to be back to her normal self. Fortunately the problem clears itself within a few hours and she seems to be none the worse for the experience.
Sunday 2nd September
What a very pleasant day we had yesterday. After breakfast we took a walk up to the farm shop at Sutton Lane Ends, about half a mile uphill and away from Macclesfield. Beef burgers are now our staple snack for Sunday afternoons and this shop is no different than most butchers in the area, producing burgers of a goodly size. Fortunately they also sell goodly sized baps in which to enfold them. Yummee!
With only two miles to go to Oakgrove we were in no hurry to leave, expecting to find a couple of boats already moored there. But this wasn’t the case, unlike when we passed through in the opposite direction. In fact, it wasn’t until later in the afternoon that another boat turned up, otherwise we would have been on our own last night.
As you would expect, we have moored close to a pub, this time The Fools Nook; originally The Royal Oak, specifically built to serve the navvies working on the construction of the Macclesfield, but later changed to Fools Nook after the last Jester in England, Samuel ‘Maggoty’ Johnson and one that we have not used yet and can now strike off our list.
Monday 3rd September
The Fools Nook was well worth a visit. A very tidy pub with friendly staff and a huge picture on one wall depicting three jesters capering about. I tried taking a photo with the mobile but, with interior lighting making the picture look darker than it is, I have my doubts as to whether it will show up when I download to the laptop.
The day is calm and dry, so we should be able to make our way down the 12 Bosley locks this morning and be in Congleton for Tuesday.
Tuesday 3rd September
With a stop for water and rubbish disposal at the top of the locks yesterday, we made the 2½ mile trip to the bottom in 3½ hours, which is not too bad considering the huge lumps of reed bed we had to break through between Oakgrove and the locks. Still, at least the BW boys were out and hauling those lumps out of the canal. So much for preserving wild life though if it means we boaters have to suffer weeds tangled in props, eh?
With the weather remaining bright and warm the mere thought of pastels under the roof of the boat gave me the sweats, so I decide to leave it until this morning. Wrong! Mixing colours under artificial light is not a good idea, and so I gave it up after struggling to find the right blues and greys for my sky. You would think that, with 12 pencil pastels, 12 full size pastel sticks and 64 half size sticks I could find the right combinations, wouldn’t you? But, so far I seem to be getting absolutely nowhere. Hopefully Emma will be able to help.
Anyway, with the fridge empty we do have to get to Congleton today, but, with the weather calm and dry and only four miles to go, it should be a pleasant trip.
Wednesday 5th September
To Congleton, from Gurnett Aqueduct took us just 1½ hours, which seemed a bit slow, until we moored up and saw yet more rubbish tucked under our bow. This included a really big ‘Y’ shaped log, about three feet of “2” by “2” timber and a bunch of reeds. Thankfully, the further we go away from those locks, the less likely we are to find the reeds.
Anyway, the weather was good enough to take the bus into town without having to wear a coat. Smiths had a book by Harry Sidebottam that I had been searching for and the latest from Lee Childs so, apart from stacking up with victuals and lugging it all home, the trip was actually quite enjoyable.
Later in the day I had another try at getting the colour right for the sky in my landscape project, and gave up after the third attempt. This morning though I received a reply from Emma with some advice, which I will try out later. Once I have licked this problem, if I ever do, landscapes should not present too much of a challenge.
Today we have to go into Congleton again, just to pick up my meds and any items we forgot yesterday, which will leave us free to moor where we like at Kidsgrove tomorrow and shopping at Tesco will not be necessary.
Thursday 6th September
A celebration is in order today, because, on this day in 2006 we collected our unnamed boat from The New Boat Company at Reading. Hip, hip, hooray!!
Into Congleton yesterday, ostensibly just to collect my medication from Boot’s, which we did, except for one item that had not been delivered and that item cost Wifey a walk into town later in the day. You have to ask why the huge conglomerates can’t get a simple order right. In the first place, when we put the prescription in, they didn’t have the item in stock; and I’ve been using these test strips for about a year now; and, having ordered two of them only one was delivered. Still, employ monkeys and pay them peanuts, what can we expect?
The rest of our time was spent picking up stuff we had forgotten on Tuesday and finding even more books at Smith’s and charity shops. But, upon walking along a street that we hadn’t walked along before, we found the Congleton Oatcake Shop. Of course, as everybody knows; especially our friends the Oxley’s; there aint no oatcake but a Staffordshire Oatcake, and we’re in Cheshire. Anything else is simply not up to par. But, we bought some anyway, along with a pack of Pikelets, which are 5 inch round holey pancake type thingies, full of currants, to be toasted and lavished with butter. Oh boy, I’m drooling here!! Congleton Oatcakes are slightly thinner and they cook somewhat drier, but, with the full application of cheese and bacon, they are certainly worth the effort.
About 3 pm Boot’s phoned to say the other box of strips had come in so, after Wifey went off to collect them, I pulled out me plonker and set to. No! Not that plonker. In this case the word is my euphemism for the Ukulele, which I haven’t plonked on for a few weeks now having been tied up with my new art hobby. Not that I’m getting very far with it as I still don’t seem able to get the sky right. The blue never seems to look like a sky blue whatever combination of colours I use. However, in order to surpass that problem I have resorted to watching my Colin Bradley video. I’ll get there eventually.
Whilst Wifey was in town and I was reading about Atilla the Hun; after finishing my uke practice; there came a knock at the window. A couple had pulled in behind us on a cruiser and the man, whose name is Martin, asked if I minded them hauling their boat past us, which meant him walking along the gunwale.
Of course I had no objection to this but asked why he needed to do so. It seems his gearbox had broken down and he and his wife Ann were trying to ‘walk’ the boat to the nearest boatyard, about another four miles away. Anyway, being the kind hearted chappie that I am, I suggested they stay overnight and we could then tow them there. At first he declined but, after talking to Ann, who obviously didn’t see the point in lugging the thing so far, he accepted my offer.
Hmmm! Last time I did that was on the River Calder a few years back, and that was a boat full of Boy Scouts. Indeed, we hauled them along the Huddersfield Broad and onto the river, soon after which they broke down again and we found ourselves hauling them another couple of miles, at which point they phoned ahead for help.
So, just as soon as Wifey has trotted off for the Daily Mail this morning, we’ll be off to Kidsgrove with a cruiser in tow. We hope for an easy run because we’re meeting Alan and Chris at midday. Looks like I’m going to have to suffer another hour or so in the pub. The things I do for friends! Still, we do have cause to celebrate, don’t we?
Friday 7th September
Martin and Ann and their cruiser ‘So So Happy’, were safely delivered to Sherbourne Marina and we were duly thanked with a couple of cans of Stella and a carton of Rose wine. Of course we protested, but they insisted and so we accepted and left them to ‘pole’ the boat into the marina, ready for an engineer to do his stuff.
Afterwards, having arrived at Red Bull aqueduct at about 10.45, we awaited the arrival of Alan and Chris, who turned up at 12.30. Sadly they also had other chores to carry out prior to their trip to China, such as collecting the necessary spending money, I was unable to put myself out with yet another trip to a pub. But, as we discovered after they had left us, the supplier of said cash insisted on photographic identification, which they didn’t have with them, so they will have to make another trip. Hopefully we’ll see them again in October before we return to Mercia.
Later in the afternoon a boat named Big Ben came by and, almost with a screech of breaks, stopped and reversed up and the bloke on the stern deck shouted at me through the nearest window. When I put my head out of the front cratch cover, who did I see but an old acquaintance from Bulbourne named Kevin. As I recall, he it was who came along with Pixie and myself to the hospital to have Pixie’s hand sewn up. A really good lad and a pleasure to meet again. Unfortunately, with a friend following behind, he didn’t have time to stop and chat.
Well, as it’s Friday and we have a good signal, I’ll drop this missive in the post.
Have a good weekend dear readers.
Dave, Sheila and Rusty.
Friday 31st August
At last, as I mentioned in my last post, we now have the fire alight and I can enjoy its warmth first thing in the morning. Sadly the chimney still need some work, removing the accumulated gunk caused by inferior coal, but that can now wait until we’re back at Mercia.
I also have a new pastel project, courtesy of Emma in New Zealand. This one is of a caravan in a field, the photo of which is below. Unlike the one I did of Rusty, which I have yet to show you, this will be much more challenging. I’ll be printing this one out later today and will keep you posted on progress.
Saturday 1st September
Well, we were going to get moving today, instead we decided to stay until this morning, when we can walk into the village of Sutton Lane Ends where there is a post office and farm shop. Going on to bridge 50 would have meant no Saturday paper and no TV pages. Not that we watch TV these days, not even for the Olympics.
We had hoped for a dry day, and that’s how it started but, alas, later in the afternoon the rain turned up. But not before we had cleaned up the forward deck, polished the new hooter and cleared the muck out of the shower filter.
Also, whilst taking doggie for her afternoon constitutional, I was fortunate enough to find a length of ½ inch iron bar. Once I have cut it down to size; that will be a wee bit over the inside height of the chimney; and cut one end at an angle, somewhat like a chisel point, I can then finish removing the aforementioned gunk inside said chimney. So, I’m now looking forward to another couple of hours of hammering and, hopefully, won’t have to remove the stack to finish the job.
This morning, so far, is dry and calm and so, after our walk to the village, assuming it stays that way, we will move on, but not to bridge 50, oh no, there’s a much better mooring spot only two miles away, and that one has a pub. Oh yes, Sunday is sacrosanct and I will not be denied my two pints of Guinness. So there!
Sadly, our wee pooch is off colour again and had us up at 3 am, after which she sat by the back stairs with her tummy gurgling, managing to keep me awake in the process. While she was on the pills she was fine, but she now seems to be back to her normal self. Fortunately the problem clears itself within a few hours and she seems to be none the worse for the experience.
Sunday 2nd September
What a very pleasant day we had yesterday. After breakfast we took a walk up to the farm shop at Sutton Lane Ends, about half a mile uphill and away from Macclesfield. Beef burgers are now our staple snack for Sunday afternoons and this shop is no different than most butchers in the area, producing burgers of a goodly size. Fortunately they also sell goodly sized baps in which to enfold them. Yummee!
With only two miles to go to Oakgrove we were in no hurry to leave, expecting to find a couple of boats already moored there. But this wasn’t the case, unlike when we passed through in the opposite direction. In fact, it wasn’t until later in the afternoon that another boat turned up, otherwise we would have been on our own last night.
As you would expect, we have moored close to a pub, this time The Fools Nook; originally The Royal Oak, specifically built to serve the navvies working on the construction of the Macclesfield, but later changed to Fools Nook after the last Jester in England, Samuel ‘Maggoty’ Johnson and one that we have not used yet and can now strike off our list.
Monday 3rd September
The Fools Nook was well worth a visit. A very tidy pub with friendly staff and a huge picture on one wall depicting three jesters capering about. I tried taking a photo with the mobile but, with interior lighting making the picture look darker than it is, I have my doubts as to whether it will show up when I download to the laptop.
The day is calm and dry, so we should be able to make our way down the 12 Bosley locks this morning and be in Congleton for Tuesday.
Tuesday 3rd September
With a stop for water and rubbish disposal at the top of the locks yesterday, we made the 2½ mile trip to the bottom in 3½ hours, which is not too bad considering the huge lumps of reed bed we had to break through between Oakgrove and the locks. Still, at least the BW boys were out and hauling those lumps out of the canal. So much for preserving wild life though if it means we boaters have to suffer weeds tangled in props, eh?
With the weather remaining bright and warm the mere thought of pastels under the roof of the boat gave me the sweats, so I decide to leave it until this morning. Wrong! Mixing colours under artificial light is not a good idea, and so I gave it up after struggling to find the right blues and greys for my sky. You would think that, with 12 pencil pastels, 12 full size pastel sticks and 64 half size sticks I could find the right combinations, wouldn’t you? But, so far I seem to be getting absolutely nowhere. Hopefully Emma will be able to help.
Anyway, with the fridge empty we do have to get to Congleton today, but, with the weather calm and dry and only four miles to go, it should be a pleasant trip.
Wednesday 5th September
To Congleton, from Gurnett Aqueduct took us just 1½ hours, which seemed a bit slow, until we moored up and saw yet more rubbish tucked under our bow. This included a really big ‘Y’ shaped log, about three feet of “2” by “2” timber and a bunch of reeds. Thankfully, the further we go away from those locks, the less likely we are to find the reeds.
Anyway, the weather was good enough to take the bus into town without having to wear a coat. Smiths had a book by Harry Sidebottam that I had been searching for and the latest from Lee Childs so, apart from stacking up with victuals and lugging it all home, the trip was actually quite enjoyable.
Later in the day I had another try at getting the colour right for the sky in my landscape project, and gave up after the third attempt. This morning though I received a reply from Emma with some advice, which I will try out later. Once I have licked this problem, if I ever do, landscapes should not present too much of a challenge.
Today we have to go into Congleton again, just to pick up my meds and any items we forgot yesterday, which will leave us free to moor where we like at Kidsgrove tomorrow and shopping at Tesco will not be necessary.
Thursday 6th September
A celebration is in order today, because, on this day in 2006 we collected our unnamed boat from The New Boat Company at Reading. Hip, hip, hooray!!
Into Congleton yesterday, ostensibly just to collect my medication from Boot’s, which we did, except for one item that had not been delivered and that item cost Wifey a walk into town later in the day. You have to ask why the huge conglomerates can’t get a simple order right. In the first place, when we put the prescription in, they didn’t have the item in stock; and I’ve been using these test strips for about a year now; and, having ordered two of them only one was delivered. Still, employ monkeys and pay them peanuts, what can we expect?
The rest of our time was spent picking up stuff we had forgotten on Tuesday and finding even more books at Smith’s and charity shops. But, upon walking along a street that we hadn’t walked along before, we found the Congleton Oatcake Shop. Of course, as everybody knows; especially our friends the Oxley’s; there aint no oatcake but a Staffordshire Oatcake, and we’re in Cheshire. Anything else is simply not up to par. But, we bought some anyway, along with a pack of Pikelets, which are 5 inch round holey pancake type thingies, full of currants, to be toasted and lavished with butter. Oh boy, I’m drooling here!! Congleton Oatcakes are slightly thinner and they cook somewhat drier, but, with the full application of cheese and bacon, they are certainly worth the effort.
About 3 pm Boot’s phoned to say the other box of strips had come in so, after Wifey went off to collect them, I pulled out me plonker and set to. No! Not that plonker. In this case the word is my euphemism for the Ukulele, which I haven’t plonked on for a few weeks now having been tied up with my new art hobby. Not that I’m getting very far with it as I still don’t seem able to get the sky right. The blue never seems to look like a sky blue whatever combination of colours I use. However, in order to surpass that problem I have resorted to watching my Colin Bradley video. I’ll get there eventually.
Whilst Wifey was in town and I was reading about Atilla the Hun; after finishing my uke practice; there came a knock at the window. A couple had pulled in behind us on a cruiser and the man, whose name is Martin, asked if I minded them hauling their boat past us, which meant him walking along the gunwale.
Of course I had no objection to this but asked why he needed to do so. It seems his gearbox had broken down and he and his wife Ann were trying to ‘walk’ the boat to the nearest boatyard, about another four miles away. Anyway, being the kind hearted chappie that I am, I suggested they stay overnight and we could then tow them there. At first he declined but, after talking to Ann, who obviously didn’t see the point in lugging the thing so far, he accepted my offer.
Hmmm! Last time I did that was on the River Calder a few years back, and that was a boat full of Boy Scouts. Indeed, we hauled them along the Huddersfield Broad and onto the river, soon after which they broke down again and we found ourselves hauling them another couple of miles, at which point they phoned ahead for help.
So, just as soon as Wifey has trotted off for the Daily Mail this morning, we’ll be off to Kidsgrove with a cruiser in tow. We hope for an easy run because we’re meeting Alan and Chris at midday. Looks like I’m going to have to suffer another hour or so in the pub. The things I do for friends! Still, we do have cause to celebrate, don’t we?
Friday 7th September
Martin and Ann and their cruiser ‘So So Happy’, were safely delivered to Sherbourne Marina and we were duly thanked with a couple of cans of Stella and a carton of Rose wine. Of course we protested, but they insisted and so we accepted and left them to ‘pole’ the boat into the marina, ready for an engineer to do his stuff.
Afterwards, having arrived at Red Bull aqueduct at about 10.45, we awaited the arrival of Alan and Chris, who turned up at 12.30. Sadly they also had other chores to carry out prior to their trip to China, such as collecting the necessary spending money, I was unable to put myself out with yet another trip to a pub. But, as we discovered after they had left us, the supplier of said cash insisted on photographic identification, which they didn’t have with them, so they will have to make another trip. Hopefully we’ll see them again in October before we return to Mercia.
Later in the afternoon a boat named Big Ben came by and, almost with a screech of breaks, stopped and reversed up and the bloke on the stern deck shouted at me through the nearest window. When I put my head out of the front cratch cover, who did I see but an old acquaintance from Bulbourne named Kevin. As I recall, he it was who came along with Pixie and myself to the hospital to have Pixie’s hand sewn up. A really good lad and a pleasure to meet again. Unfortunately, with a friend following behind, he didn’t have time to stop and chat.
Well, as it’s Friday and we have a good signal, I’ll drop this missive in the post.
Have a good weekend dear readers.
Dave, Sheila and Rusty.
Thursday, 30 August 2012
Shiralee Cruise 2012 # 22
Marple to Gurnett Aqueduct
Saturday 25th August (cont)
Here at Marple there are two trip boats, one belongs to the local pub, ‘The Ring o’ Bells’ and the other is a charity boat called ‘New Horizons’, which is used for short trips for local handicapped people. This one is moored directly opposite us, whilst the Ring o’ Bells usually moors up outside the pub.
When we returned from the surgery last night the charity boat was already moored up. According to Wifey the Ring o’ Bells didn’t return until about 1.30 am but, instead of mooring up on its own designated moorings, it is now sitting on the one and only water point. This means of course that, until he moves nobody can top up with water this morning, and that includes us. But, we have a cunning plan, because we can top up at Higher Poynton after we top up with diesel.
Sunday 26th August
Ah! It seems the ring o’ Bells was making an early start and had moored on the water point in order to save time. Problem solved.
So, we made it to Poynton and only suffered a short shower on the way. After filling up with diesel and mooring up, the rest of the day was given over to more rain and a thunderstorm, the likes of which I haven’t seen since my early days in Harlow. Except perhaps for monsoons in Africa and the Far East, where they really know how to put on a show. I’m pleased to say that, with the temperature falling in the boat, the heater decided to work for us. It also started up ok this morning. Wonders will never cease.
I tried forwarding a couple of messages on Friday, but they came back as undelivered and, at the top of the list was Glo. The reason given for the failed delivery was that the sender had been rejected. I am assuming this was because your Inbox was full Glo, and not because you had put a block on my messages. Aside from that everything is ticketyboo, as they say.
It’s calm and peaceful this morning, although the towpath is somewhat flooded and we may have to swim to the pub later, or dig out the wellies.
Monday 27th August
Great! Once again the heating has let me down this morning and, to add to my frustration, Rusty needed to go out at 4.30 this morning. And, as if that wasn’t enough, having lit the oven to take the chill off, the gas has run out and it’s a wee bit too early to be clattering about in the front locker, waking up our neighbours. Looks like a pretty good start to the day!
Not that we have much planned for today anyway, because we’re staying here until tomorrow morning and, when the nearby boatyard opens, ask if they can help us clear our chimney of crap which has built up due to the inferior rubbish they call smokeless fuel in this area.
I spoke to our friendly car mechanic yesterday; that’s Andy from Mercia marina; and he suggested a visit to B&Q for a long, iron bar with which to attempt to break off some more of the blockage. As it happens there is a B&Q in Stockport and it’s not too far from the bus station, so, if all else fails we’ll pay them a visit on Tuesday morning.
As for today, well, since Emma has yet to set up her Landscape project, I’ll dig out a photo and have a dabble.
Tuesday 28th August
“What we need,” I said to Wifey yesterday, “is a nice long and slim length of steel rod, with which to break through the crud in our chimney.” She agreed and off I trotted to the nearby boatyard, hoping to find somebody there, which there was, but he disappeared almost as soon as he spotted me. No matter, it’s a bank holiday and I wasn’t expecting anybody to jump for joy at the first sign of trouble.
We popped into the wee, canalside shop later and asked there, but they were unable to help either. However, one customer did suggest, jokingly he admitted, that I might give the chimney a few whacks with a hammer. Hmmm!
We gave that boater’s suggestion some consideration and, since we would be no worse off for doing so – the chimney already leaks smoke around the lower collar – I did just that. Then with more poking and prodding from top and bottom, we eventually succeeded in releasing quite a bit more rubbish.
However, our flu brush would still not go all the way down, but I do think we have enough of a space there for smoke to escape and, once I’ve spoken to the nice man in the boatyard about finding someone to do the rest, like take the stack out and clear it, we’ll decide on our next move. If he doesn’t know anybody who can help, I’ll run some sealant around the collar, light some paper in the grate and hope for the best.
Now, with the weather quite bad again yesterday afternoon, there was nothing for it but to batten down the hatches and retire for the rest of the day. This morning looks set to be no better, and so we may have to stay another day but, with a bit of luck and a tail wind, we’ll be off to Bollington. If not, well, since I haven’t heard from Emma yet about her planned landscape, I’ll start without her. I do have a picture of Derwenwater in mind and have already printed it out for reference purposes.
Wednesday 29th August
Yesterday turned out pretty fine weather-wise and gave us the opportunity to have another go at the chimney. First of all we paid a visit to the local boatyard to see if we could scrounge a suitable length of metal for removing the deposits. This needed to be over 3ft long, but the only thing he had available was a huge length of very wide piping, so we had to revert to the old method using the TV support tube.
I then hit upon the idea of cutting off the wooden end of our boat hook, and giving the deposits a good whack with the metal tube end, and this seemed to do the trick, inasmuch as it removed quite a lot more gunk. Having spent another hour or more on this, I’d had enough and called a halt to the whole process. If that’s not enough to see us through until we get back to Mercia, tough!
After cleaning myself up, I then got to thinking about my painting and realised I needed a couple more bits and pieces, so we trotted off to Stockport again to the art shop. We followed this with a bit of shopping – surprising how early in the day even bakeries run out of bread – then waited half an hour for our bus back.
By the time we got back to the boat it was an hour past Rusty’s dinner time and, when it was put down for her, she merely sniffed at it and proceeded to sulk for the rest of the evening. She even refused her little treat this morning.
We’ve now been here at Higher Poynton for four days, so, even though we have yet another windy morning to contend with, we’re off to Bollington where, with a bit of luck, we’ll find some bread.
Later………..
More rain and wind this morning, so, instead of moving on to Bollington, we took the bus into Stockport again. Upon our return at about 1pm, down came more rain and up sprung the wind. This now means five days in one spot, which is most unusual for us. Hopefully we’ll be on our way tomorrow morning.
Thursday 30th August
Once again we have a strong head wind this morning but, so long as it doesn’t rain too, we’ll be on our way.
We came upon something rather unusual in Stockport yesterday, Crumpet Loaf. In fact we came upon it a couple of days ago, but this time we thought we’d buy some. We usually have crumpets for breakfast on Wednesday and Saturday mornings, so this thing will, I hope, make a pleasant change. We’ll see.
Friday 31st August
We made eight miles yesterday, from Poynton to Gurnett Aqueduct, and not a drop of rain to be seen. In fact, even the wind dropped for us and we were moored up by 11.30.
So, there was I, nicely relaxed in my armchair, when Wifey spotted a couple of boaters walking along the towpath with plants and stuff under their arms, and in carrier bags. Out comes the Nicholson Guide, which is when she had her Eureka moment. “There’s a nursery down the road”, she says.
‘Uh, oh’, I thought, ‘another long walk’.
“Where is it?” I asked
She showed me the map and, there it was, about half a mile towards Macclesfield. Shoes on, take brolly and off we go. But, after a good half mile with no sign of said nursery, I stopped a young lady and asked if she knew where this place was. “Well, there’s nothing further along this road”, she said, “but there is a Garden Centre about 10 minutes walk, back the way you came. There’s a signpost pointing to the right, you can’t miss it”
After profuse thanks at being saved further walking, we turned around and made our way back. “It must be in the other direction then”, I said, “or we’ve simply missed the turning”.
I don’t know quite how to tell you this but, just before the aqueduct, on the opposite side of the road is a lane and, on the corner of that lane is a signpost to? Yep! Macclesfield Garden Centre! It didn’t take long for Wifey to find a few boxes of Chrysanthemums and a nice, new choir mat for the stern deck. In just payment for the strain on my legs, I was awarded an ice cream. Aaaaah!
The rest of the day was spent recuperating.
And, finally, after all my hard work, we now have the fire alight, so I'm warm and toasty in the mornings.
Only seven pages long? Surely too soon to post. Nope, let’s get it done before the weekend gets here.
All abreast for now.
Dave, Sheila and Rusty.
Saturday 25th August (cont)
Here at Marple there are two trip boats, one belongs to the local pub, ‘The Ring o’ Bells’ and the other is a charity boat called ‘New Horizons’, which is used for short trips for local handicapped people. This one is moored directly opposite us, whilst the Ring o’ Bells usually moors up outside the pub.
When we returned from the surgery last night the charity boat was already moored up. According to Wifey the Ring o’ Bells didn’t return until about 1.30 am but, instead of mooring up on its own designated moorings, it is now sitting on the one and only water point. This means of course that, until he moves nobody can top up with water this morning, and that includes us. But, we have a cunning plan, because we can top up at Higher Poynton after we top up with diesel.
Sunday 26th August
Ah! It seems the ring o’ Bells was making an early start and had moored on the water point in order to save time. Problem solved.
So, we made it to Poynton and only suffered a short shower on the way. After filling up with diesel and mooring up, the rest of the day was given over to more rain and a thunderstorm, the likes of which I haven’t seen since my early days in Harlow. Except perhaps for monsoons in Africa and the Far East, where they really know how to put on a show. I’m pleased to say that, with the temperature falling in the boat, the heater decided to work for us. It also started up ok this morning. Wonders will never cease.
I tried forwarding a couple of messages on Friday, but they came back as undelivered and, at the top of the list was Glo. The reason given for the failed delivery was that the sender had been rejected. I am assuming this was because your Inbox was full Glo, and not because you had put a block on my messages. Aside from that everything is ticketyboo, as they say.
It’s calm and peaceful this morning, although the towpath is somewhat flooded and we may have to swim to the pub later, or dig out the wellies.
Monday 27th August
Great! Once again the heating has let me down this morning and, to add to my frustration, Rusty needed to go out at 4.30 this morning. And, as if that wasn’t enough, having lit the oven to take the chill off, the gas has run out and it’s a wee bit too early to be clattering about in the front locker, waking up our neighbours. Looks like a pretty good start to the day!
Not that we have much planned for today anyway, because we’re staying here until tomorrow morning and, when the nearby boatyard opens, ask if they can help us clear our chimney of crap which has built up due to the inferior rubbish they call smokeless fuel in this area.
I spoke to our friendly car mechanic yesterday; that’s Andy from Mercia marina; and he suggested a visit to B&Q for a long, iron bar with which to attempt to break off some more of the blockage. As it happens there is a B&Q in Stockport and it’s not too far from the bus station, so, if all else fails we’ll pay them a visit on Tuesday morning.
As for today, well, since Emma has yet to set up her Landscape project, I’ll dig out a photo and have a dabble.
Tuesday 28th August
“What we need,” I said to Wifey yesterday, “is a nice long and slim length of steel rod, with which to break through the crud in our chimney.” She agreed and off I trotted to the nearby boatyard, hoping to find somebody there, which there was, but he disappeared almost as soon as he spotted me. No matter, it’s a bank holiday and I wasn’t expecting anybody to jump for joy at the first sign of trouble.
We popped into the wee, canalside shop later and asked there, but they were unable to help either. However, one customer did suggest, jokingly he admitted, that I might give the chimney a few whacks with a hammer. Hmmm!
We gave that boater’s suggestion some consideration and, since we would be no worse off for doing so – the chimney already leaks smoke around the lower collar – I did just that. Then with more poking and prodding from top and bottom, we eventually succeeded in releasing quite a bit more rubbish.
However, our flu brush would still not go all the way down, but I do think we have enough of a space there for smoke to escape and, once I’ve spoken to the nice man in the boatyard about finding someone to do the rest, like take the stack out and clear it, we’ll decide on our next move. If he doesn’t know anybody who can help, I’ll run some sealant around the collar, light some paper in the grate and hope for the best.
Now, with the weather quite bad again yesterday afternoon, there was nothing for it but to batten down the hatches and retire for the rest of the day. This morning looks set to be no better, and so we may have to stay another day but, with a bit of luck and a tail wind, we’ll be off to Bollington. If not, well, since I haven’t heard from Emma yet about her planned landscape, I’ll start without her. I do have a picture of Derwenwater in mind and have already printed it out for reference purposes.
 |
| Shiralee moored at Bugsworth Basin in 2008 |
Wednesday 29th August
Yesterday turned out pretty fine weather-wise and gave us the opportunity to have another go at the chimney. First of all we paid a visit to the local boatyard to see if we could scrounge a suitable length of metal for removing the deposits. This needed to be over 3ft long, but the only thing he had available was a huge length of very wide piping, so we had to revert to the old method using the TV support tube.
I then hit upon the idea of cutting off the wooden end of our boat hook, and giving the deposits a good whack with the metal tube end, and this seemed to do the trick, inasmuch as it removed quite a lot more gunk. Having spent another hour or more on this, I’d had enough and called a halt to the whole process. If that’s not enough to see us through until we get back to Mercia, tough!
After cleaning myself up, I then got to thinking about my painting and realised I needed a couple more bits and pieces, so we trotted off to Stockport again to the art shop. We followed this with a bit of shopping – surprising how early in the day even bakeries run out of bread – then waited half an hour for our bus back.
By the time we got back to the boat it was an hour past Rusty’s dinner time and, when it was put down for her, she merely sniffed at it and proceeded to sulk for the rest of the evening. She even refused her little treat this morning.
We’ve now been here at Higher Poynton for four days, so, even though we have yet another windy morning to contend with, we’re off to Bollington where, with a bit of luck, we’ll find some bread.
Later………..
More rain and wind this morning, so, instead of moving on to Bollington, we took the bus into Stockport again. Upon our return at about 1pm, down came more rain and up sprung the wind. This now means five days in one spot, which is most unusual for us. Hopefully we’ll be on our way tomorrow morning.
 |
| Another photo of us at Bugsworth This is where we would have moored, had the rings still been available |
Thursday 30th August
Once again we have a strong head wind this morning but, so long as it doesn’t rain too, we’ll be on our way.
We came upon something rather unusual in Stockport yesterday, Crumpet Loaf. In fact we came upon it a couple of days ago, but this time we thought we’d buy some. We usually have crumpets for breakfast on Wednesday and Saturday mornings, so this thing will, I hope, make a pleasant change. We’ll see.
Friday 31st August
We made eight miles yesterday, from Poynton to Gurnett Aqueduct, and not a drop of rain to be seen. In fact, even the wind dropped for us and we were moored up by 11.30.
So, there was I, nicely relaxed in my armchair, when Wifey spotted a couple of boaters walking along the towpath with plants and stuff under their arms, and in carrier bags. Out comes the Nicholson Guide, which is when she had her Eureka moment. “There’s a nursery down the road”, she says.
‘Uh, oh’, I thought, ‘another long walk’.
“Where is it?” I asked
She showed me the map and, there it was, about half a mile towards Macclesfield. Shoes on, take brolly and off we go. But, after a good half mile with no sign of said nursery, I stopped a young lady and asked if she knew where this place was. “Well, there’s nothing further along this road”, she said, “but there is a Garden Centre about 10 minutes walk, back the way you came. There’s a signpost pointing to the right, you can’t miss it”
After profuse thanks at being saved further walking, we turned around and made our way back. “It must be in the other direction then”, I said, “or we’ve simply missed the turning”.
I don’t know quite how to tell you this but, just before the aqueduct, on the opposite side of the road is a lane and, on the corner of that lane is a signpost to? Yep! Macclesfield Garden Centre! It didn’t take long for Wifey to find a few boxes of Chrysanthemums and a nice, new choir mat for the stern deck. In just payment for the strain on my legs, I was awarded an ice cream. Aaaaah!
The rest of the day was spent recuperating.
And, finally, after all my hard work, we now have the fire alight, so I'm warm and toasty in the mornings.
Only seven pages long? Surely too soon to post. Nope, let’s get it done before the weekend gets here.
All abreast for now.
Dave, Sheila and Rusty.
Friday, 24 August 2012
Shiralee Cruise 2012 # 21
Bollington to Marple, Bugsworth and Marple
Friday 17th August
This morning has dawned quite calm but cloudy and we’re off to Macclesfield by Number 10 bus. Hopefully Waterstone’s will have a book on painting with pastels, and particularly one dealing with landscapes, which is my preferred subject. Even though I turned out a reasonable painting of Rusty; and I do mean ‘reasonable’; I think that with landscapes any minor errors are more easily corrected.
Saturday 18th August
The evenings are closing in now and the mornings are staying dark for longer. Where we used to leave shutting out the world until we went to bed, now we are closing our curtains at 9 pm or so and, in the morning I usually open the dinette curtains to greet the rain or sun, but not today as the dawn had not yet broken at 5 am. Ah well, according to the newspaper yesterday, today could be the hottest of the year so far, with temperatures above 80F.
Yesterday we took the bus into Macclesfield, hoping to find a book about painting with pastels. Some hope that was, even Waterstone’s had only a couple of art books amongst a very small section on Art. Smith’s were even worse with no books on the subject at all. We passed an arts and crafts shop on the way into town, but it was too long a walk for me to go back to, so I’m still without my tutorial. I suppose I’ll just have to see if Alan can find one at The Range in Harlow and post it on to me.
Today we’re off to Higher Poynton for the weekend.
Sunday 19th August
Higher Poynton is only four miles from Bollington and it took us just 1½ hours to reach at a steady pace. The moorings here are quite extensive and very wide, with a line of posts warning boaters of shallow water beyond.
Just past the next bridge is a small boatyard and water point, with the yard open seven days a week, providing diesel and pump-out facilities, along with a small shop that sells just a few odds and sods. This is useful because, by the time we return this way, we’ll be due to top up with diesel.
About 100 yards down the hill from the bridge is the local pub and a Visitors Centre and, lying almost parallel to the canal is an old railway station that has had the track area turned into seating. Looking both ways this seems to be part of a lengthy railway walk a la Julia Bradbury. As we left the boat to recce the place a whole host of yompers appeared on the towpath, who, we suspect, had just walked up from the railway walk.
We also checked up on the buses into Stockport because we might take a run in to town on Monday morning. Before that though, I will have to check to see if there is an art shop there. Besides which we’ve never been to Stockport, so that’s a good enough reason to pay the town a visit.
Obviously we’ll also pay a visit to the local pub and strike that one off our list.
Oh, I almost forgot, there we were last night, reading and listening to the radio, when we heard a thump. Not a very loud thump, but a thump nonetheless. Initially we ignored it, but then we heard it again and so did Rusty. Sheila got up from her chair just in time to see a cat hightailing it out of the boat with Rusty in hot pursuit. It seems that, unlike dogs, a small, hinged door is no barrier to entering and exiting our boat. We didn’t mind the cat getting away, but I dread to think how far Rusty would have got before she gave up the chase, had she had free egress from the boat.
Monday 20th August
What to tell you about yesterday………!
Well, apart from the rain and despite the weathermen telling us it was going to be the ‘hottest day of the year’, our Sunday was pretty normal. We spent an hour in the Boar’s Head pub and had our usual Sunday snack later in the evening. We don’t bother with a proper Sunday roast any more, simply because we’re never hungry enough to devour a full blown meal. Occasionally, when M&S have their special £10 offer on, we’ll go a bit potty, or we might have a meat and two veg one night in the week, otherwise, never on a Sunday.
Tuesday 21st August
I paid a visit to the local boatyard this morning, hoping to find somebody to service our heating, but the best they could do was the contact details of King’s Lock at Middlewich, and we won’t be there for another three weeks or so. No matter, in the mornings I can put the oven on – just like the old days in Harlow, before central heating – and in the evenings, should it feel a wee bit chilly, we can run the heater while the engine is running. Oh yes, it runs perfectly whilst the engine is on.
Yesterday having we caught the bus into Stockport, spotted the arts and crafts shop on the way in and jumped off at the next stop. They had two pastel books on display and I came away with a copy of Jenny Keal’s book ‘Painting with Pastels’, which contains several projects and more advice regarding equipment. So, I’m set to go, but first I’ll wait for Emma to come up with her own landscape project. I’m quite looking forward to getting to grips with this new hobby.
Wednesday 22nd August
Not much to add for yesterday, except a short shopping trip into Marple, where I bought a few t-shirts and Wifey bought a top. Added to that was a wee bit of shopping and I left her to have her hair cut and walked home with the shopping.
As for the pastel book, having read through it quickly, I now know that I need some more pastels and other equipment, but I will wait until we return to High Poynton and take the bus into Stockport and the arts and crafts shop.
We’ve had a look at the CWT (Canals and Waterways Trust) site and discovered that about 40 yards of moorings at Whaley Bridge are closed off for repairs, which means we’ll have to go down to Bugbrook Basin instead this morning. But, no matter, we were going there anyway and, since we did the shopping yesterday in Marple, there’s no need to go to Whaley Bridge.
Hopefully we’ll be back at Higher Poynton by Friday morning as that place can be pretty busy at weekends and we don’t want to miss out.
Thursday 23rd August
We left Marple yesterday morning at 8.15 and, after 2 swing bridges, 2 lift bridges and 6 miles, we finally moored up at
11. 15 am. This was not very good timing, we should easily have completed this trip within 2½ hours. However, with all the twists and turns along this six mile stretch, we were not surprised at the delay but, had we not spent so much time humming and haaaing over where to moor up in Bugsworth Basin, we could have knocked off at least half an hour of that time.
The problem I think, is that, since our last visit here about three years ago, many of the mooring rings have gone and mooring up against concrete and granite slabs, without the benefit of mooring rings, can be somewhat difficult. We finally got settled at the third attempt by using a ring and wedging a pin between two granite blocks.
Bugsworth Basin (Since renamed Buxworth) was, in the dim and distant past, used as a loading area for various goods to be transported by barge. It is now a Heritage Site with three or four separate areas for visitors to moor up and is maintained by volunteers. It also has a pub called the Navigation Inn, which we called in to on our last visit, but not this time.
We’re off back to Marple.
Friday 25th August
It is absolutely bucketing down here, which adds to the chill inside this boat and, since the heater doesn’t work unless the engine is running and, having tried lighting the fire last night, which now seems to be oozing smoke through the interior chimney stack, the lighting of which having to be abandoned, I have had to resort to the gas oven. Back to the old days again!
Yesterday we knocked half an hour off our journey time from Bugsworth to Marple and, during that three hour run, we only passed one other boat going the other way.
Today, rather than head off for Higher Poynton, we’re taking the bus into Stockport. From Marple they run every 15 minutes, so we won’t have long to wait.
Hopefully, if we’re not drowned in our beds first, we’ll head off to Poynton tomorrow.
I heard from Emma this morning, who’s been to Australia for a few days visiting a friend and going to the Ballet. She tells me that her friend’s friends recently spent a holiday in Europe and, whilst in the UK, they took a holiday boat out and met a coupled called Dave and Sheila. So, since we have only ever seen one other boat called Shiralee in the past six years; and that one didn’t have Dave and Sheila on the side; I am now waiting to see if it is the same couple. If it is, what a small world we live in!
Saturday 25th August
Yesterday we took the ‘circular’ bus into Stockport for more pastels and other bits and pieces. This is the 384 and returns from Stockport by a different route to the one it takes going there. This turned into a rather pleasant ride around quite a large area of Cheshire. This free bus pass is a really good deal and we’re making the most of it.
I’ve been feeling a wee bit out of sorts these past few days, but it’s been nothing I could really put my finger on, if you know what I mean. Anyway, last night, feeling a little worse for wear, I dragged out the blood pressure monitor and took a reading. Well, with a pulse of 104 and feeling rather hot and clammy, I decided it was time to call in the heavy mob and phoned the local surgery.
Of course, since local doctors don’t pay house calls any more, my call was transferred to the Stockport ‘Out of Hours Surgery’, which is located on Lowfield Road, Stockport. After a short discussion it was decided that somebody should see me and check me out. The round trip by taxi cost us over £20 - eating into my pocket-money somewhat - because there was no way we were going to walk all the way down that hill and into Marple, in the pouring rain, in hopes of finding a bus that passed that road. Fortunately we are not hard up pensioners otherwise I dread to think what we would have done.
I came away from the surgery, after being prodded and poked and told to say ahhh, with a bunch of steroids and antibiotics. I have to say though, that the doctor was very thorough and we were not kept waiting for long and, if I’m ever in that situation again, I do hope it’s closer to Stockport.
We’ve had even more rain overnight but, as long as a strong wind doesn’t pick up this morning, we’ll be off to Higher Poynton again for the weekend, from which location I shall post this blog, I hope.
Sad to say my email is playing up again. I receive pictures and jokes from Sandra and try to send them on to my own family and friends. The last lot have come back as undelivered, for reasons various. However, I still seem able to send and receive individual messages and so, in future when Sandra or Alan send such stuff, I will forward them direct from my server at Absolute Email. I have no idea why I have this problem on occasion, but I do seem to be stuck with it and, with Three being the biggest and best where mobile broadband is concerned, I guess I’ll have to tolerate the situation until we get back to Mercia.
And now, with it being Saturday morning and, due to recent bad weather no additional photos having been taken, I will post as is.
Happy weekend to all from:
Dave, Sheila and Rusty – who has a dicky tummy again this morning.
Friday 17th August
This morning has dawned quite calm but cloudy and we’re off to Macclesfield by Number 10 bus. Hopefully Waterstone’s will have a book on painting with pastels, and particularly one dealing with landscapes, which is my preferred subject. Even though I turned out a reasonable painting of Rusty; and I do mean ‘reasonable’; I think that with landscapes any minor errors are more easily corrected.
Saturday 18th August
The evenings are closing in now and the mornings are staying dark for longer. Where we used to leave shutting out the world until we went to bed, now we are closing our curtains at 9 pm or so and, in the morning I usually open the dinette curtains to greet the rain or sun, but not today as the dawn had not yet broken at 5 am. Ah well, according to the newspaper yesterday, today could be the hottest of the year so far, with temperatures above 80F.
Yesterday we took the bus into Macclesfield, hoping to find a book about painting with pastels. Some hope that was, even Waterstone’s had only a couple of art books amongst a very small section on Art. Smith’s were even worse with no books on the subject at all. We passed an arts and crafts shop on the way into town, but it was too long a walk for me to go back to, so I’m still without my tutorial. I suppose I’ll just have to see if Alan can find one at The Range in Harlow and post it on to me.
Today we’re off to Higher Poynton for the weekend.
Sunday 19th August
Higher Poynton is only four miles from Bollington and it took us just 1½ hours to reach at a steady pace. The moorings here are quite extensive and very wide, with a line of posts warning boaters of shallow water beyond.
Just past the next bridge is a small boatyard and water point, with the yard open seven days a week, providing diesel and pump-out facilities, along with a small shop that sells just a few odds and sods. This is useful because, by the time we return this way, we’ll be due to top up with diesel.
About 100 yards down the hill from the bridge is the local pub and a Visitors Centre and, lying almost parallel to the canal is an old railway station that has had the track area turned into seating. Looking both ways this seems to be part of a lengthy railway walk a la Julia Bradbury. As we left the boat to recce the place a whole host of yompers appeared on the towpath, who, we suspect, had just walked up from the railway walk.
We also checked up on the buses into Stockport because we might take a run in to town on Monday morning. Before that though, I will have to check to see if there is an art shop there. Besides which we’ve never been to Stockport, so that’s a good enough reason to pay the town a visit.
Obviously we’ll also pay a visit to the local pub and strike that one off our list.
Oh, I almost forgot, there we were last night, reading and listening to the radio, when we heard a thump. Not a very loud thump, but a thump nonetheless. Initially we ignored it, but then we heard it again and so did Rusty. Sheila got up from her chair just in time to see a cat hightailing it out of the boat with Rusty in hot pursuit. It seems that, unlike dogs, a small, hinged door is no barrier to entering and exiting our boat. We didn’t mind the cat getting away, but I dread to think how far Rusty would have got before she gave up the chase, had she had free egress from the boat.
Monday 20th August
What to tell you about yesterday………!
Well, apart from the rain and despite the weathermen telling us it was going to be the ‘hottest day of the year’, our Sunday was pretty normal. We spent an hour in the Boar’s Head pub and had our usual Sunday snack later in the evening. We don’t bother with a proper Sunday roast any more, simply because we’re never hungry enough to devour a full blown meal. Occasionally, when M&S have their special £10 offer on, we’ll go a bit potty, or we might have a meat and two veg one night in the week, otherwise, never on a Sunday.
Tuesday 21st August
I paid a visit to the local boatyard this morning, hoping to find somebody to service our heating, but the best they could do was the contact details of King’s Lock at Middlewich, and we won’t be there for another three weeks or so. No matter, in the mornings I can put the oven on – just like the old days in Harlow, before central heating – and in the evenings, should it feel a wee bit chilly, we can run the heater while the engine is running. Oh yes, it runs perfectly whilst the engine is on.
Yesterday having we caught the bus into Stockport, spotted the arts and crafts shop on the way in and jumped off at the next stop. They had two pastel books on display and I came away with a copy of Jenny Keal’s book ‘Painting with Pastels’, which contains several projects and more advice regarding equipment. So, I’m set to go, but first I’ll wait for Emma to come up with her own landscape project. I’m quite looking forward to getting to grips with this new hobby.
Wednesday 22nd August
Not much to add for yesterday, except a short shopping trip into Marple, where I bought a few t-shirts and Wifey bought a top. Added to that was a wee bit of shopping and I left her to have her hair cut and walked home with the shopping.
As for the pastel book, having read through it quickly, I now know that I need some more pastels and other equipment, but I will wait until we return to High Poynton and take the bus into Stockport and the arts and crafts shop.
We’ve had a look at the CWT (Canals and Waterways Trust) site and discovered that about 40 yards of moorings at Whaley Bridge are closed off for repairs, which means we’ll have to go down to Bugbrook Basin instead this morning. But, no matter, we were going there anyway and, since we did the shopping yesterday in Marple, there’s no need to go to Whaley Bridge.
Hopefully we’ll be back at Higher Poynton by Friday morning as that place can be pretty busy at weekends and we don’t want to miss out.
Thursday 23rd August
We left Marple yesterday morning at 8.15 and, after 2 swing bridges, 2 lift bridges and 6 miles, we finally moored up at
11. 15 am. This was not very good timing, we should easily have completed this trip within 2½ hours. However, with all the twists and turns along this six mile stretch, we were not surprised at the delay but, had we not spent so much time humming and haaaing over where to moor up in Bugsworth Basin, we could have knocked off at least half an hour of that time.
The problem I think, is that, since our last visit here about three years ago, many of the mooring rings have gone and mooring up against concrete and granite slabs, without the benefit of mooring rings, can be somewhat difficult. We finally got settled at the third attempt by using a ring and wedging a pin between two granite blocks.
Bugsworth Basin (Since renamed Buxworth) was, in the dim and distant past, used as a loading area for various goods to be transported by barge. It is now a Heritage Site with three or four separate areas for visitors to moor up and is maintained by volunteers. It also has a pub called the Navigation Inn, which we called in to on our last visit, but not this time.
We’re off back to Marple.
Friday 25th August
It is absolutely bucketing down here, which adds to the chill inside this boat and, since the heater doesn’t work unless the engine is running and, having tried lighting the fire last night, which now seems to be oozing smoke through the interior chimney stack, the lighting of which having to be abandoned, I have had to resort to the gas oven. Back to the old days again!
Yesterday we knocked half an hour off our journey time from Bugsworth to Marple and, during that three hour run, we only passed one other boat going the other way.
Today, rather than head off for Higher Poynton, we’re taking the bus into Stockport. From Marple they run every 15 minutes, so we won’t have long to wait.
Hopefully, if we’re not drowned in our beds first, we’ll head off to Poynton tomorrow.
I heard from Emma this morning, who’s been to Australia for a few days visiting a friend and going to the Ballet. She tells me that her friend’s friends recently spent a holiday in Europe and, whilst in the UK, they took a holiday boat out and met a coupled called Dave and Sheila. So, since we have only ever seen one other boat called Shiralee in the past six years; and that one didn’t have Dave and Sheila on the side; I am now waiting to see if it is the same couple. If it is, what a small world we live in!
Saturday 25th August
Yesterday we took the ‘circular’ bus into Stockport for more pastels and other bits and pieces. This is the 384 and returns from Stockport by a different route to the one it takes going there. This turned into a rather pleasant ride around quite a large area of Cheshire. This free bus pass is a really good deal and we’re making the most of it.
I’ve been feeling a wee bit out of sorts these past few days, but it’s been nothing I could really put my finger on, if you know what I mean. Anyway, last night, feeling a little worse for wear, I dragged out the blood pressure monitor and took a reading. Well, with a pulse of 104 and feeling rather hot and clammy, I decided it was time to call in the heavy mob and phoned the local surgery.
Of course, since local doctors don’t pay house calls any more, my call was transferred to the Stockport ‘Out of Hours Surgery’, which is located on Lowfield Road, Stockport. After a short discussion it was decided that somebody should see me and check me out. The round trip by taxi cost us over £20 - eating into my pocket-money somewhat - because there was no way we were going to walk all the way down that hill and into Marple, in the pouring rain, in hopes of finding a bus that passed that road. Fortunately we are not hard up pensioners otherwise I dread to think what we would have done.
I came away from the surgery, after being prodded and poked and told to say ahhh, with a bunch of steroids and antibiotics. I have to say though, that the doctor was very thorough and we were not kept waiting for long and, if I’m ever in that situation again, I do hope it’s closer to Stockport.
We’ve had even more rain overnight but, as long as a strong wind doesn’t pick up this morning, we’ll be off to Higher Poynton again for the weekend, from which location I shall post this blog, I hope.
Sad to say my email is playing up again. I receive pictures and jokes from Sandra and try to send them on to my own family and friends. The last lot have come back as undelivered, for reasons various. However, I still seem able to send and receive individual messages and so, in future when Sandra or Alan send such stuff, I will forward them direct from my server at Absolute Email. I have no idea why I have this problem on occasion, but I do seem to be stuck with it and, with Three being the biggest and best where mobile broadband is concerned, I guess I’ll have to tolerate the situation until we get back to Mercia.
And now, with it being Saturday morning and, due to recent bad weather no additional photos having been taken, I will post as is.
Happy weekend to all from:
Dave, Sheila and Rusty – who has a dicky tummy again this morning.
Thursday, 16 August 2012
Shiralee Cruise 2012 # 20
Bridge 86 to Bollington on the Macclesfield
Saturday 11th August
First of all, my apologies for not including any photos in the last blog but, as you would expect there’s a very good reason for this. Rusty!
Our Rusty, as you know, is prone to tummy trouble and if I don’t take her out when she shows signs of wanting to go, she will suffer for the rest of the day.
This morning, just as I had posted the text of blog 19 and was searching for likely snaps to post with it, Rusty headed for the back door. So, I either posted as was, or waited until I got back from her walkies and, since the Internet connection can’t be trusted to behave itself, I decided to post. This blog, I promise, will have photos.
You may remember our ‘friends’ from Pillings Lock, with whom, after I had recuperated from my knee op, we moved to Mercia and fell out with later? Well, there were several rumours floating around when they left Mercia Marina, one of which was that they were selling their boat and moving back home to Swindon. We never did hear the truth of it, but that really didn’t matter as they were no longer friends.
Anyway, they may well have sold the boat because, when Wifey took Rusty for her walk yesterday, there was Brian and Marian’s boat, Brimar, moored up across the other side of the canal.
Sunday 12th August
We left for Congleton at 9am yesterday morning – no sign of people on Brimar - and arrived at 10am. The canal at Congleton boasts two ‘snake’ bridges, numbers 76 and 77, which were designed to allow horse drawn barges to change towpaths without having to unhitch the horses. The driver of the horse simply had to take the horse over the bridge on one side and down the other, whilst still heading in the same direction. We moored up between the two. We also met up with Alan and Chris here last time we came this way.
On our last visit, when Alan and Chris dropped by, we all walked into town but we decided to wait for the bus yesterday. Although Wifey insisted it was only a short walk, I knew different and put my foot down with a very firm hand, bus it would be! This time we also took a good look around the town and, joy of joys, we found a music shop. Sadly they did not stock the ukulele bag that I needed. No problem though, I’ll order one online when we get back to Mercia.
Monday 13th August
Yesterday was another warm day and we took a walk down to The Wharf pub. What a disaster! One bar split in two by a dividing wall and a huge TV screen in both ‘bars’, but at least one had the sound turned down, and for want of somewhere to sit, we sat in front of the silent one.
The programme shown was the run up to the end of the Olympic marathon and, with less than a mile to go, the channel was switched to football. This was at about 1 pm and, as far as I could tell, the match wouldn’t have started for quite some time afterwards.
Anyway, due to the level of noise coming from the other TV, we had just the one drink and then walked up to the other pub, The Moss, and they still had the Olympics on and the sound turned down. After a short while some young fellows came in and walked around to the other bar, where the manager changed channels for the football, whilst we could still see the end of the marathon. There, wasn’t that easy? We were not surprised that these youngsters came to The Moss, rather than The Wharf.
Later……..
Wifey had to walk in to Congleton this morning to exchange a couple of tops that she bought on Saturday, so we left Congleton a little later than planned. However, the trip to the bottom of Bosley Locks, about four miles away, only took an hour and a half and was totally without incident, that’s if you can call almost grounding ‘without incident.
It does say, in the Nicholson blurb, that some parts of the Macclesfield can be a wee bit shallow. So, what’s wrong with somebody coming along to dredge those parts? We were last down her about three years ago and I think BW have had more than enough time to rectify the situation.
Tuesday 14th August
Just look at that, half way through August, supposedly one of our better summer months, and we’ve had only a few warm days. Will we ever get some summer I wonder? Happily, it’s much brighter this morning.
Last time we came through here we were unlucky enough to follow a lone boater through these locks, and yet we made it through all 12 of them in 2½ hours. IF my missus surfaces early enough, we could be the first boat going through, and that certainly makes life easier. You never know, we might beat that 2½ hours! (We actually knocked ½ an hour off)
Wednesday 15th August
What can I say about the Macclesfield canal?
Well, on a points system of 1 to 10, and comparing it to the Worcester and Birmingham last year, I’ll give it 12, simply because it is far worse. Although this canal doesn’t have as much by way of narrow sections, where weeds on the towpath side compete with reed beds on the opposite side, it does have quite a few bunches of reeds floating about that have broken away from the main beds. This caused us quite a headache whilst finding a mooring spot after Bosley locks, having to slow down and reverse whilst Wifey used the boathook to remove a clump of reed stuck in the bow.
Also, even though the Nicholson Guide mentions some shallow parts to this canal; and that was six years ago; why haven’t they been dredged? This situation cannot be blamed on the new charity as that only became up and running a couple of months ago.
The Macclesfield canal is part of a very popular canal ‘ring’ for holiday makers and, as such needs to be kept clear of such obstacles if those people are to return in the future. Nobody minds a ‘challenge’ when cruising, it’s all part of the experience, but it’s no fun having to pull in to dig weeds out of the prop when you should be cruising and enjoying the scenery.
Hopefully The Canals and Rivers Trust will organise the upkeep of our canals in a somewhat superior manner to BW’s efforts, or lack of them, in recent years. All we hear is lack of money or, the other old saw, ‘we must take care of the wildlife’. Well, wildlife doesn’t pay our licence fees and, with over 6,000 new boats being registered over the past six years, where has all that extra licence fee money gone?
Enough said, but I will certainly be taking this up with the Trust in due course. It really is something I should have done last year with BW.
Thursday 16th August
We had intended to stop off at Macclesfield yesterday morning and take the bus into town but, due to the fact that we needed to stop and remove a huge clump of weed from the rudder and prop – again – and also the fact that a really fierce wind had blown up, we decided that once the weed had been removed we would stay where we were, between bridges 45 and 46.
This morning the wind doesn’t seem quite as strong, so we should get away. However, rather than stop at Macclesfield, we’ll go on to Bollington and catch the bus from there.
Although I have produced a reasonable facsimile of Rusty in pastels, I really do need a decent book on the subject, something I can study while I’m painting, and Macclesfield does have a Waterstones. If they don’t have such a thing I’ll ask Alan to forward one, assuming The Range in Harlow has such a thing.
Our heater is still being rather fickle, only working when it wants to. It will run perfectly well when the engine is running, which is not really when we need it. So it seems to depend upon having a high level of power in the batteries. Yesterday, quite inadvertently, Wifey switched it on as she was doing some washing, and it ran perfectly well. Yesterday evening we ran the engine for two hours and, as it was quite chilly in here at 5 am, I decided to give it a try, only this time I waited until it had fired up, before switching on the Inverter/Charger.
I am now of the opinion that, providing I don’t bring anything else into play at the same time, then the heater has a better chance of firing up. It still need servicing, that much is obvious but, if it works until we can find a boat yard that does Webasto heaters, I’ll be more than happy.
Friday 17th August
On the way to Bollington we stopped off in Macclesfield in order to top up with water, and discovered why we didn’t stay overnight last time. Firstly, very limited mooring spaces. Secondly, those spaces are only 24 hour. Thirdly, much of the moorings are overgrown with weeds and the bank of the canal is in sad disrepair. The canal at Macclesfield is, to my mind, one of the ugliest stretches along the route, which would also contribute to our decision not to stay.
So, off we went to Bollington, where another problem awaited; what with weeds and reeds this canal is really getting to me. The first designated moorings were full and partly collapsing into the canal and we decided to try a bit further along. No go there because, after pulling the boat in to the side, we found it was sitting on a shelf. This seemed to be the case all the way along here.
Thinking perhaps that we would now be unable to moor in Bollington after all, I climbed back on and, in very high dudgeon indeed, proceeded on to the end of town and onwards, or so I thought. Coming round the bend at the end of this stretch we were faced with Bollington Aqueduct and, Hallelujah, more moorings and plenty of spaces. So, why couldn’t my wife remember these from last time and save me getting in a stew?
Sadly, no mention is made of Bollington in the Nicholson Guide, which is a shame because, not only is it beautiful and old world, with twisting, hilly roads full of old stone cottages, it was also once a centre for silk mills and such. One such huge four storey edifice, Clarence Mill, stands directly ahead of us on the opposite bank and now houses small industrial units.
In order to gain access to the shops from the canal; which sits very high above the town at this point; it is necessary to either walk down a steep hill or, as we did, climb down an even steeper staircase. These stairs would have been impossible to climb with a shopping trolley and so, whilst Wifey walked on to the other group of shops, I manfully trundled the trolley up the hill. This is such a beautiful town that we will stop here again on our way back and take a better look at the place. For today though we’ll take the bus into Macclesfield.
Now, before I post, a couple of photos as promised.
Have a great weekend folks.
Dave, Sheila and Rusty
Saturday 11th August
First of all, my apologies for not including any photos in the last blog but, as you would expect there’s a very good reason for this. Rusty!
Our Rusty, as you know, is prone to tummy trouble and if I don’t take her out when she shows signs of wanting to go, she will suffer for the rest of the day.
This morning, just as I had posted the text of blog 19 and was searching for likely snaps to post with it, Rusty headed for the back door. So, I either posted as was, or waited until I got back from her walkies and, since the Internet connection can’t be trusted to behave itself, I decided to post. This blog, I promise, will have photos.
You may remember our ‘friends’ from Pillings Lock, with whom, after I had recuperated from my knee op, we moved to Mercia and fell out with later? Well, there were several rumours floating around when they left Mercia Marina, one of which was that they were selling their boat and moving back home to Swindon. We never did hear the truth of it, but that really didn’t matter as they were no longer friends.
Anyway, they may well have sold the boat because, when Wifey took Rusty for her walk yesterday, there was Brian and Marian’s boat, Brimar, moored up across the other side of the canal.
Sunday 12th August
We left for Congleton at 9am yesterday morning – no sign of people on Brimar - and arrived at 10am. The canal at Congleton boasts two ‘snake’ bridges, numbers 76 and 77, which were designed to allow horse drawn barges to change towpaths without having to unhitch the horses. The driver of the horse simply had to take the horse over the bridge on one side and down the other, whilst still heading in the same direction. We moored up between the two. We also met up with Alan and Chris here last time we came this way.
On our last visit, when Alan and Chris dropped by, we all walked into town but we decided to wait for the bus yesterday. Although Wifey insisted it was only a short walk, I knew different and put my foot down with a very firm hand, bus it would be! This time we also took a good look around the town and, joy of joys, we found a music shop. Sadly they did not stock the ukulele bag that I needed. No problem though, I’ll order one online when we get back to Mercia.
Monday 13th August
Yesterday was another warm day and we took a walk down to The Wharf pub. What a disaster! One bar split in two by a dividing wall and a huge TV screen in both ‘bars’, but at least one had the sound turned down, and for want of somewhere to sit, we sat in front of the silent one.
The programme shown was the run up to the end of the Olympic marathon and, with less than a mile to go, the channel was switched to football. This was at about 1 pm and, as far as I could tell, the match wouldn’t have started for quite some time afterwards.
Anyway, due to the level of noise coming from the other TV, we had just the one drink and then walked up to the other pub, The Moss, and they still had the Olympics on and the sound turned down. After a short while some young fellows came in and walked around to the other bar, where the manager changed channels for the football, whilst we could still see the end of the marathon. There, wasn’t that easy? We were not surprised that these youngsters came to The Moss, rather than The Wharf.
Later……..
Wifey had to walk in to Congleton this morning to exchange a couple of tops that she bought on Saturday, so we left Congleton a little later than planned. However, the trip to the bottom of Bosley Locks, about four miles away, only took an hour and a half and was totally without incident, that’s if you can call almost grounding ‘without incident.
It does say, in the Nicholson blurb, that some parts of the Macclesfield can be a wee bit shallow. So, what’s wrong with somebody coming along to dredge those parts? We were last down her about three years ago and I think BW have had more than enough time to rectify the situation.
Tuesday 14th August
Just look at that, half way through August, supposedly one of our better summer months, and we’ve had only a few warm days. Will we ever get some summer I wonder? Happily, it’s much brighter this morning.
Last time we came through here we were unlucky enough to follow a lone boater through these locks, and yet we made it through all 12 of them in 2½ hours. IF my missus surfaces early enough, we could be the first boat going through, and that certainly makes life easier. You never know, we might beat that 2½ hours! (We actually knocked ½ an hour off)
Wednesday 15th August
What can I say about the Macclesfield canal?
Well, on a points system of 1 to 10, and comparing it to the Worcester and Birmingham last year, I’ll give it 12, simply because it is far worse. Although this canal doesn’t have as much by way of narrow sections, where weeds on the towpath side compete with reed beds on the opposite side, it does have quite a few bunches of reeds floating about that have broken away from the main beds. This caused us quite a headache whilst finding a mooring spot after Bosley locks, having to slow down and reverse whilst Wifey used the boathook to remove a clump of reed stuck in the bow.
Also, even though the Nicholson Guide mentions some shallow parts to this canal; and that was six years ago; why haven’t they been dredged? This situation cannot be blamed on the new charity as that only became up and running a couple of months ago.
The Macclesfield canal is part of a very popular canal ‘ring’ for holiday makers and, as such needs to be kept clear of such obstacles if those people are to return in the future. Nobody minds a ‘challenge’ when cruising, it’s all part of the experience, but it’s no fun having to pull in to dig weeds out of the prop when you should be cruising and enjoying the scenery.
Hopefully The Canals and Rivers Trust will organise the upkeep of our canals in a somewhat superior manner to BW’s efforts, or lack of them, in recent years. All we hear is lack of money or, the other old saw, ‘we must take care of the wildlife’. Well, wildlife doesn’t pay our licence fees and, with over 6,000 new boats being registered over the past six years, where has all that extra licence fee money gone?
Enough said, but I will certainly be taking this up with the Trust in due course. It really is something I should have done last year with BW.
Thursday 16th August
We had intended to stop off at Macclesfield yesterday morning and take the bus into town but, due to the fact that we needed to stop and remove a huge clump of weed from the rudder and prop – again – and also the fact that a really fierce wind had blown up, we decided that once the weed had been removed we would stay where we were, between bridges 45 and 46.
This morning the wind doesn’t seem quite as strong, so we should get away. However, rather than stop at Macclesfield, we’ll go on to Bollington and catch the bus from there.
Although I have produced a reasonable facsimile of Rusty in pastels, I really do need a decent book on the subject, something I can study while I’m painting, and Macclesfield does have a Waterstones. If they don’t have such a thing I’ll ask Alan to forward one, assuming The Range in Harlow has such a thing.
Our heater is still being rather fickle, only working when it wants to. It will run perfectly well when the engine is running, which is not really when we need it. So it seems to depend upon having a high level of power in the batteries. Yesterday, quite inadvertently, Wifey switched it on as she was doing some washing, and it ran perfectly well. Yesterday evening we ran the engine for two hours and, as it was quite chilly in here at 5 am, I decided to give it a try, only this time I waited until it had fired up, before switching on the Inverter/Charger.
I am now of the opinion that, providing I don’t bring anything else into play at the same time, then the heater has a better chance of firing up. It still need servicing, that much is obvious but, if it works until we can find a boat yard that does Webasto heaters, I’ll be more than happy.
Friday 17th August
On the way to Bollington we stopped off in Macclesfield in order to top up with water, and discovered why we didn’t stay overnight last time. Firstly, very limited mooring spaces. Secondly, those spaces are only 24 hour. Thirdly, much of the moorings are overgrown with weeds and the bank of the canal is in sad disrepair. The canal at Macclesfield is, to my mind, one of the ugliest stretches along the route, which would also contribute to our decision not to stay.
So, off we went to Bollington, where another problem awaited; what with weeds and reeds this canal is really getting to me. The first designated moorings were full and partly collapsing into the canal and we decided to try a bit further along. No go there because, after pulling the boat in to the side, we found it was sitting on a shelf. This seemed to be the case all the way along here.
Thinking perhaps that we would now be unable to moor in Bollington after all, I climbed back on and, in very high dudgeon indeed, proceeded on to the end of town and onwards, or so I thought. Coming round the bend at the end of this stretch we were faced with Bollington Aqueduct and, Hallelujah, more moorings and plenty of spaces. So, why couldn’t my wife remember these from last time and save me getting in a stew?
Sadly, no mention is made of Bollington in the Nicholson Guide, which is a shame because, not only is it beautiful and old world, with twisting, hilly roads full of old stone cottages, it was also once a centre for silk mills and such. One such huge four storey edifice, Clarence Mill, stands directly ahead of us on the opposite bank and now houses small industrial units.
In order to gain access to the shops from the canal; which sits very high above the town at this point; it is necessary to either walk down a steep hill or, as we did, climb down an even steeper staircase. These stairs would have been impossible to climb with a shopping trolley and so, whilst Wifey walked on to the other group of shops, I manfully trundled the trolley up the hill. This is such a beautiful town that we will stop here again on our way back and take a better look at the place. For today though we’ll take the bus into Macclesfield.
Now, before I post, a couple of photos as promised.
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| Sheila on Shiralee at Audlem |
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| Anderton Boat Lift on the River Weaver |
Have a great weekend folks.
Dave, Sheila and Rusty
Friday, 10 August 2012
Shiralee Cruise 2012 # 19
Billinge Green Flash to Bridge on the Macclesfield
Wednesday 1st August
I can’t say I’m happy about the weather this morning. Even though it isn’t raining yet, the wind is really too strong to even contemplate moving. Still, I can think of far worse places to spend three days moored up.
Thursday 2nd August
That high wind of yesterday had died down before we turned in and it is still pretty calm this morning although, at 5.30 am we did have a red sky. Oh dear!
We really must be on the move this morning, so I’m hoping it will stay calm. However, we haven’t decided which way to go as yet. We need to empty both cassettes and top up with water, not to mention some much needed shopping. Going on to Middlewich will save a few days in our trip to the Macclesfield, but that will mean calling into the boatyard at Middlewich and then finding somewhere to moor up. Alternatively, if we return to Anderon, we can use the BW facilities and then catch the bus into Northwich. Decisions, decisions!!
We’ll think more on it after breakfast.
A couple of days or so ago my Smart Defrag nag screen came up telling me there was now a new version. So, as I like to keep my programmes up to date, I downloaded and installed Version 2. I made sure to click on the bit that says not to run it on boot up. This morning I had another nag screen telling me the programme wasn’t working and, despite all my efforts finding a solution, I went online to CNet Download and downloaded it again. After uninstalling the earlier install, I then reinstalled Smart Defrag 2 and tried running it again. No go! I am now left with the Windows defrag prog. Any ideas on this would be much appreciated.
Friday 3rd August
Well, how about that? I’ve just been online to CNetDownload and downloaded Smart Defrag 2, saved it to my desktop – I always keep downloaded programmes in my Download Folder, just in case they need re-installing at a later date – and then installed it. Would you believe it, the darn thing works this time? There are times when this laptop is a bit of a pain in the rear end.
Yesterday we decided to go on to Middlewich and, after topping up with water at the bottom of the Big Lock – this one is a double – we passed through the lock and moored up, doing so at about 10 am.
Our next important stop was for victuals and the chemist for my prescription. As usual the chemist had to order my test strips as they had not had any call for them in the past! Wow! A brand new product, which I seem to be the guinea pig, for and I’m wasting days waiting for it to be ordered. I really must have a word with our surgery staff when I get back to Mercia.
Our next stop after shopping was a walk to the chandlery at King’s Lock. This is quite a stretch for my legs, because it takes in the distance between three more locks, but I made it there and back without too much trouble. The purpose of our visit was twofold, one was for some smelly stuff for the cassette, the other was for a new horn which, I’m very pleased to say, they had in stock and, joy of joys, it was £15 cheaper than the one we would have bought at Anderton, had the nice man there bothered to get one for us.
Sadly, the local chemist doesn’t get a delivery of regular medicines until 11 am, so it will be a late start for us, assuming it doesn’t pee down again. The weather this morning is looking promising, it’s sunny and calm, but that could change by the time we get away from here.
Later…………
Having collected our chemical stuff at around midday and also picked up a few more things at Tesco and as it was a reasonable looking day, we decided to set off for Whelock.
Huh! Not a good idea. We had only travelled past the first bridge and were approaching the first lock, when we noticed that there were three boats already waiting to pass through. This, we thought, is going to take us all day and we still have another seven locks to go after this one, each of which will entail waiting for the others to go through. At this rate we’d be lucky to see Whelock by dinner time.
Needless to say we spent the next hour reversing back to the nearest mooring rings and decided to stay the nigh and make an early start Saturday morning, and I mean early. Wifey has volunteered to forego the pleasure of tea in bed so that we can be away by 7.30 am, which means we should be at Whelock well before lunchtime.
Saturday 4th August
Mooring overnight near a large town on a Friday can be cause for concern, especially when there are a few pubs nearby. From reports by other boaters when moored by the kiddies play area, the chances of night time disruption appear to be higher. I suppose we must have been fortunate in mooring at the first place we could when we backed up yesterday afternoon, because all we heard was faint music drifting across from town. Wifey thinks this came from The Narrowboat, but we heard no rowdy behaviour after the pubs shut, so no complaints there.
With the day dawning calm with light cloud, we could be equally lucky this morning and make our way through the eight locks and five miles to Whelock. One thing is for certain, we won’t be setting off in the afternoons again, especially where several locks are concerned. Too much trouble!!
As you all know by now, Sheila and I do quite a bit of reading. We mostly wade through authors such as Patterson, Cussler, Rankin and Crais etcetera, which are thrillers and mysteries in genre. Jeffrey Deaver is another favourite of ours and, with the exception of his Carte Blanche, we had read every one of his novels.
Carte Blanche is Mr Deaver’s attempt at taking over the role of Ian Fleming and writing about James Bond. Now, although Deaver makes a reasonable job of the Bond character, he doesn’t quite match the flair of Fleming with his story line. In fact I do believe some other authors have also tried his hand at bond, but I’m not sure who they are. Suffice it to say, with Ian Fleming no longer with us, I think Bond should be left in peace also. But then I could be wrong.
Later………….
True to her word, Wifey surfaced real early this morning and we were away by 7 am. We had six miles and eight locks to pass through to get to Wheelock and we didn’t want to be stuck behind other boaters like yesterday afternoon.
In the event we needn’t have worried, we met very few other boaters on our trip and, as luck would have it, after filling up at the water point, we managed to squeeze ourselves into the only spot available. The whole trip took us four hours.
The shops are just a short walk away and we found a small mini-market and a pet food shop, both of which came in handy. Also, for the first time in living memory we decided on local fish and chips for dinner. The lady in the chippie pulled two anaemic looking pieces of fish out of the pan, all flat and without any puffiness to the batter and, when we asked for ‘regular’ chips, she just seemed to shovel them on like they were going out of style. Honestly, the amount of chips she plastered on to our pieces of paper could have fed a family of sic for a fortnight. I have to say I was not impressed and am surprised the shop is actually trading. Nope, next time I want fish and chips, we’ll do it in the time honoured way, home made.
With three pubs to choose from we’ll stay here tomorrow too.
Tuesday 7th August
The Cheshire Cheese pub was empty on Sunday, apart from us and one other person, and he was sitting in the garden. Apparently the boss lady’s hubby celebrated his 60th birthday the night before, so, obviously his regulars had spent all their money.
Later in the afternoon we enjoyed a very rare thunderstorm and plenty of torrential rain, so I still haven’t fitted the new hooter.
Yesterday we made an early start and headed for Hassel Green but, since we know there are very limited moorings above the lock; and they can’t be seen until you are there; we decided to moor up below it at bridge 148. This is where we moored the last time we came through here, only in the opposite direction. On that occasion the towpath was pretty clear of weeds and other overgrowth. This year, as with the Worcester and Birmingham, nothing has been done to keep such growth down. Goodness knows what next year will bring, and BW is now a charity!! On top of all the weeds and set to annoy us even more, was the fact that we had plonked ourselves over a ledge, so that every time a boat went by the bottom of the boat banged against it. Even with a rope fender wrapped around the tyres we still felt the occasional bump. Thank goodness nobody travels during the night.
I joined Townlink buses in Harlow in 1993; since when they have been taken over by Arriva; and I joined a Lottery syndicate, to which I still belong. I had a call from my old colleague Alan, asking for my contribution. I usually send him £10 at a time, which seems to last for far more than 10 weeks, since we usually win a few odds and sods here and there.
As a matter of interest he pointed out that, after 17 years without a decent win, we in the syndicate had contributed over £30,000 to the lottery coffers. And not one decent win to show for it.
Today we’re off to Rode Heath.
Wednesday 5th August
Rode Heath is just a couple of miles and nine locks away from the Macclesfield canal and boasts a Post Office/General Store and a couple of pubs, one of which we used last time we came through here. Fortunately there are also plenty of moorings, but only if you arrive here at a sensible time of day. Some folks like to get plenty of cruising in during the day, especially those that are on holiday, as a consequence of which they sometimes have trouble mooring up at their destination.
We didn’t use the pub this time, settling instead for an ice cream, but we probably will on our return trip in a few weeks time. Meanwhile we’ll set off for Red Bull Basin and the BW facilities, where we’ll meet up with Alan and Chris Oxley. We’ll also meet Chris’s grandchildren whom they are babysitting.
Tomorrow we’ll move the boat along a bit, which will place us nearer the local shops at Kidsgrove, after which we’ll either stay another night or move along the Maccy.
Friday 10th August
Yesterday morning, after topping up with water, we moved the boat up two locks so as to be nearer to Tesco and the Vet’s. Tesco for obvious reasons, the vet’s because our wee pooch has been having problems negotiating the stern steps when coming back onto the boat. Sometimes she will miscalculate and has been known to take a tumble, so much so that we now have to lift her down the steps. It seems she probably has a touch of arthritis and may have to be put on medication. For now though we have some stuff to giver, so we’ll see how she goes.
It’s marvellous, isn’t it, on the day when it’s really warm, we find ourselves in a spot where it’s too hot to even consider painting the roof? We’ll get to it eventually, I suppose.
Well, I finally finished my pastel of Rusty and, even if I say so myself, it’s not too bad for a first time. My next project will be the Trip Boat in Llangollen. The Trip Boat uses a horse-drawn passenger boat to take people down to Horseshow Fall, which are not accessible by narrowboat.
Today, after Wifey pops out for the paper and some more milk, we’ll be off up one lock and then turning off onto the Macclesfield canal.
Saturday 11th August
Once again we started out on a really beautiful day and took just two hours to negotiate the two locks and three miles to bridge 86 on the Macclesfield canal. To be honest, the day was far too hot for my liking, simple because I sweat very easily. Thankfully, I don’t suffer from the smelly side of sweating. Yeuk!
Last night was a different story though. Having used our boat hook to remove weeds from the rear fender, I must have replaced it in its cradle incorrectly because, during the night, when the wind whipped up, it rattled around and disturbed our sleep. You wouldn’t have wanted to see me in briefs and waterproof, standing on the stern deck in a howling gale. Not a pretty sight.
Now, for what it’s worth and since we have a nice, strong signal here, let’s post.
All the best for the weekend and following week.
Dave, Sheila and Rusty.
Wednesday 1st August
I can’t say I’m happy about the weather this morning. Even though it isn’t raining yet, the wind is really too strong to even contemplate moving. Still, I can think of far worse places to spend three days moored up.
Thursday 2nd August
That high wind of yesterday had died down before we turned in and it is still pretty calm this morning although, at 5.30 am we did have a red sky. Oh dear!
We really must be on the move this morning, so I’m hoping it will stay calm. However, we haven’t decided which way to go as yet. We need to empty both cassettes and top up with water, not to mention some much needed shopping. Going on to Middlewich will save a few days in our trip to the Macclesfield, but that will mean calling into the boatyard at Middlewich and then finding somewhere to moor up. Alternatively, if we return to Anderon, we can use the BW facilities and then catch the bus into Northwich. Decisions, decisions!!
We’ll think more on it after breakfast.
A couple of days or so ago my Smart Defrag nag screen came up telling me there was now a new version. So, as I like to keep my programmes up to date, I downloaded and installed Version 2. I made sure to click on the bit that says not to run it on boot up. This morning I had another nag screen telling me the programme wasn’t working and, despite all my efforts finding a solution, I went online to CNet Download and downloaded it again. After uninstalling the earlier install, I then reinstalled Smart Defrag 2 and tried running it again. No go! I am now left with the Windows defrag prog. Any ideas on this would be much appreciated.
Friday 3rd August
Well, how about that? I’ve just been online to CNetDownload and downloaded Smart Defrag 2, saved it to my desktop – I always keep downloaded programmes in my Download Folder, just in case they need re-installing at a later date – and then installed it. Would you believe it, the darn thing works this time? There are times when this laptop is a bit of a pain in the rear end.
Yesterday we decided to go on to Middlewich and, after topping up with water at the bottom of the Big Lock – this one is a double – we passed through the lock and moored up, doing so at about 10 am.
Our next important stop was for victuals and the chemist for my prescription. As usual the chemist had to order my test strips as they had not had any call for them in the past! Wow! A brand new product, which I seem to be the guinea pig, for and I’m wasting days waiting for it to be ordered. I really must have a word with our surgery staff when I get back to Mercia.
Our next stop after shopping was a walk to the chandlery at King’s Lock. This is quite a stretch for my legs, because it takes in the distance between three more locks, but I made it there and back without too much trouble. The purpose of our visit was twofold, one was for some smelly stuff for the cassette, the other was for a new horn which, I’m very pleased to say, they had in stock and, joy of joys, it was £15 cheaper than the one we would have bought at Anderton, had the nice man there bothered to get one for us.
Sadly, the local chemist doesn’t get a delivery of regular medicines until 11 am, so it will be a late start for us, assuming it doesn’t pee down again. The weather this morning is looking promising, it’s sunny and calm, but that could change by the time we get away from here.
Later…………
Having collected our chemical stuff at around midday and also picked up a few more things at Tesco and as it was a reasonable looking day, we decided to set off for Whelock.
Huh! Not a good idea. We had only travelled past the first bridge and were approaching the first lock, when we noticed that there were three boats already waiting to pass through. This, we thought, is going to take us all day and we still have another seven locks to go after this one, each of which will entail waiting for the others to go through. At this rate we’d be lucky to see Whelock by dinner time.
Needless to say we spent the next hour reversing back to the nearest mooring rings and decided to stay the nigh and make an early start Saturday morning, and I mean early. Wifey has volunteered to forego the pleasure of tea in bed so that we can be away by 7.30 am, which means we should be at Whelock well before lunchtime.
Saturday 4th August
Mooring overnight near a large town on a Friday can be cause for concern, especially when there are a few pubs nearby. From reports by other boaters when moored by the kiddies play area, the chances of night time disruption appear to be higher. I suppose we must have been fortunate in mooring at the first place we could when we backed up yesterday afternoon, because all we heard was faint music drifting across from town. Wifey thinks this came from The Narrowboat, but we heard no rowdy behaviour after the pubs shut, so no complaints there.
With the day dawning calm with light cloud, we could be equally lucky this morning and make our way through the eight locks and five miles to Whelock. One thing is for certain, we won’t be setting off in the afternoons again, especially where several locks are concerned. Too much trouble!!
As you all know by now, Sheila and I do quite a bit of reading. We mostly wade through authors such as Patterson, Cussler, Rankin and Crais etcetera, which are thrillers and mysteries in genre. Jeffrey Deaver is another favourite of ours and, with the exception of his Carte Blanche, we had read every one of his novels.
Carte Blanche is Mr Deaver’s attempt at taking over the role of Ian Fleming and writing about James Bond. Now, although Deaver makes a reasonable job of the Bond character, he doesn’t quite match the flair of Fleming with his story line. In fact I do believe some other authors have also tried his hand at bond, but I’m not sure who they are. Suffice it to say, with Ian Fleming no longer with us, I think Bond should be left in peace also. But then I could be wrong.
Later………….
True to her word, Wifey surfaced real early this morning and we were away by 7 am. We had six miles and eight locks to pass through to get to Wheelock and we didn’t want to be stuck behind other boaters like yesterday afternoon.
In the event we needn’t have worried, we met very few other boaters on our trip and, as luck would have it, after filling up at the water point, we managed to squeeze ourselves into the only spot available. The whole trip took us four hours.
The shops are just a short walk away and we found a small mini-market and a pet food shop, both of which came in handy. Also, for the first time in living memory we decided on local fish and chips for dinner. The lady in the chippie pulled two anaemic looking pieces of fish out of the pan, all flat and without any puffiness to the batter and, when we asked for ‘regular’ chips, she just seemed to shovel them on like they were going out of style. Honestly, the amount of chips she plastered on to our pieces of paper could have fed a family of sic for a fortnight. I have to say I was not impressed and am surprised the shop is actually trading. Nope, next time I want fish and chips, we’ll do it in the time honoured way, home made.
With three pubs to choose from we’ll stay here tomorrow too.
Tuesday 7th August
The Cheshire Cheese pub was empty on Sunday, apart from us and one other person, and he was sitting in the garden. Apparently the boss lady’s hubby celebrated his 60th birthday the night before, so, obviously his regulars had spent all their money.
Later in the afternoon we enjoyed a very rare thunderstorm and plenty of torrential rain, so I still haven’t fitted the new hooter.
Yesterday we made an early start and headed for Hassel Green but, since we know there are very limited moorings above the lock; and they can’t be seen until you are there; we decided to moor up below it at bridge 148. This is where we moored the last time we came through here, only in the opposite direction. On that occasion the towpath was pretty clear of weeds and other overgrowth. This year, as with the Worcester and Birmingham, nothing has been done to keep such growth down. Goodness knows what next year will bring, and BW is now a charity!! On top of all the weeds and set to annoy us even more, was the fact that we had plonked ourselves over a ledge, so that every time a boat went by the bottom of the boat banged against it. Even with a rope fender wrapped around the tyres we still felt the occasional bump. Thank goodness nobody travels during the night.
I joined Townlink buses in Harlow in 1993; since when they have been taken over by Arriva; and I joined a Lottery syndicate, to which I still belong. I had a call from my old colleague Alan, asking for my contribution. I usually send him £10 at a time, which seems to last for far more than 10 weeks, since we usually win a few odds and sods here and there.
As a matter of interest he pointed out that, after 17 years without a decent win, we in the syndicate had contributed over £30,000 to the lottery coffers. And not one decent win to show for it.
Today we’re off to Rode Heath.
Wednesday 5th August
Rode Heath is just a couple of miles and nine locks away from the Macclesfield canal and boasts a Post Office/General Store and a couple of pubs, one of which we used last time we came through here. Fortunately there are also plenty of moorings, but only if you arrive here at a sensible time of day. Some folks like to get plenty of cruising in during the day, especially those that are on holiday, as a consequence of which they sometimes have trouble mooring up at their destination.
We didn’t use the pub this time, settling instead for an ice cream, but we probably will on our return trip in a few weeks time. Meanwhile we’ll set off for Red Bull Basin and the BW facilities, where we’ll meet up with Alan and Chris Oxley. We’ll also meet Chris’s grandchildren whom they are babysitting.
Tomorrow we’ll move the boat along a bit, which will place us nearer the local shops at Kidsgrove, after which we’ll either stay another night or move along the Maccy.
Friday 10th August
Yesterday morning, after topping up with water, we moved the boat up two locks so as to be nearer to Tesco and the Vet’s. Tesco for obvious reasons, the vet’s because our wee pooch has been having problems negotiating the stern steps when coming back onto the boat. Sometimes she will miscalculate and has been known to take a tumble, so much so that we now have to lift her down the steps. It seems she probably has a touch of arthritis and may have to be put on medication. For now though we have some stuff to giver, so we’ll see how she goes.
It’s marvellous, isn’t it, on the day when it’s really warm, we find ourselves in a spot where it’s too hot to even consider painting the roof? We’ll get to it eventually, I suppose.
Well, I finally finished my pastel of Rusty and, even if I say so myself, it’s not too bad for a first time. My next project will be the Trip Boat in Llangollen. The Trip Boat uses a horse-drawn passenger boat to take people down to Horseshow Fall, which are not accessible by narrowboat.
Today, after Wifey pops out for the paper and some more milk, we’ll be off up one lock and then turning off onto the Macclesfield canal.
Saturday 11th August
Once again we started out on a really beautiful day and took just two hours to negotiate the two locks and three miles to bridge 86 on the Macclesfield canal. To be honest, the day was far too hot for my liking, simple because I sweat very easily. Thankfully, I don’t suffer from the smelly side of sweating. Yeuk!
Last night was a different story though. Having used our boat hook to remove weeds from the rear fender, I must have replaced it in its cradle incorrectly because, during the night, when the wind whipped up, it rattled around and disturbed our sleep. You wouldn’t have wanted to see me in briefs and waterproof, standing on the stern deck in a howling gale. Not a pretty sight.
Now, for what it’s worth and since we have a nice, strong signal here, let’s post.
All the best for the weekend and following week.
Dave, Sheila and Rusty.
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