Tim and Helen Visit and good news abounds!

Battlecat shows Tim and Helen his famous starving cat impersonation

Tim and Helen are in the UK -part business, part pleasure and are wending their way north to Scotland via Manchester (that's the business bit) but stayed at Pam's on Sunday. We had a barbecue and Nat, Caz and Phillip, Ollie, Joseph, Florence all turned out to welcome them. Nat and Ollie haven't seen Tim since they were small and were shipped off to Canada to Tim's mum Daphne. (It's a variation on the Naughty Step I think) Tim and Helen who were married three years ago on Tuesday met up with Caz and Florence-and Pam- in San Francisco a couple of years back so it was very much a happy regathering. The food was great, the libations and conversations flowed, the sun shone and all was well. Tim and Helen now live in Denver, Colarado and flew into London on Friday night. I had not had the pleasure of meeting Helen before and thought she coped admirably with her first meeting with the mob and a mental cat

Tim and I both used the timers on our cameras to take a group photo. The above shows that I am obviously considerably faster than Tim and apparently Natalie at getting in line.

Better this time -no errant heads or backsides in the way and everybody looks like they are enjoying themselves which,indeed, they were

To add to a great day some wonderful news Nicola and David (see blog: A Week in Yorkshire) have a son! Daniel Christopher (6lb 2oz) born this morning. Great news. And here he is Daniel Christopher Wood

Congrats to parents and grandparents.( Have you bought his Leeds season ticket yet Tony?)

So now we're celebrating a reunion, a wedding anniversary and a new baby. Open the Bubbly! And cheers to Daniel, Nicola, David, Tricia and Tony!

Oh wait-open two bottles....Ollie just heard he has a new job. I'll let him tell you about it but this day is going so well I wish I'd backed a horse. And Joseph has a new laptop purchased today for his birthday last week. All good news

At the Castle Gates

After the gang departed we went for a walk around Berkhamsted along the canal to the Castle and back to the Lamb as Helen and Pam insisted on visiting an English pub. Tim and I agreed just to be polite. The Lamb currently has a Beer Festival and Tim tried a couple of real ales before reverting to Lager.Hey ho no hope for the colonies I'm afraid. The evening was still warm enough to sit in the pub garden and talk rubbish for half an hour

Pam tells all about Berkhamsted Castle

Cheers!

Pam had to work on the Tuesday so after breakfast The Anniversary Couple heade off in their very smart hire car to we know not where-but wherever it was we hope they had a great day and many to come.

Tim and Helen's Yummy Motor

One other bit of news-avid followers of this blog-well me really-will recall that as a result of Pam's visit to Uganda we were trying to find a school bell for "Stitches" the sewing school-Apparently without this vital equipment it was difficult to get classes to start on time. Anyway good old ebay came up trumps and for the price of a decent curry I got a very fine brass bell which was flown out and presented to the school. They are well pleased. So we are too.

 

 

Rosalind who runs the school wrote

 

"Dear Pam,

Well...... to say JB was thrilled is an absolute understatement!!!

Thank you so very much. It has really empowered him and he obviously feels that he has more responsibility as he kept telling me when he would ring the bell.

Duncan managed to write, well scratch - but nicely, "Stitches"on the top of the bell so they all know who it belongs to.

Thank you again, your partner too, for all the hard work in sourcing and getting it to me in time.".
Best wishes,
Rosalind

To Middlewich and beyond

 

We waterlood at Wheelock before setting off and Ady, always on the lookout for a bargain, examined the skips outside the closed San Marco reastaurant  on the Wharf. Apparently, according to the bloke who was clearing the place out-and redecorating, the previous owners had jumped ship and it must have been in a hurry. Mind you he was on his second tin of lager at 10 a.m. so not sure how reliable he was.

Anyway Adrian came trundling down the towpath with bowls and glasses and serviettes which were distributed among us. Other boaters were soon seen upside down in the skips as they searched for booty.My only prize was the wine rack above which I thought might be useful in Pam's wine cellar but she hinted that she was more in search of the contents than the holder so I gave it to Ady for his car boot venture. 

From Wheelock we headed for Middlewich where we turn off the Trent and Mersey Canal onto the Shropshire Union

Only three locks on this stretch and morale is high with Annie, Adrian and Gordon the Gazelle working like a well oiled machine. Coming into Middlewich one's first impressions aint too rosy-it don't look pretty partly because of the busy road running alongside and partly because of the disused factory overlooking the cut.

Ah Bisto!

Apparently, though you'd never know it, this is the now defunct Bisto factory-it's rumoured they had all their stock taken (geddit?) and the Directors were all on the Gravy Train-but it still seems to deal in salt which was the reason for the existence of many of the towns in this area.

A local salt mountain

Mooring at Middlewich was not an immediate success and our first attempt above Kings Lock (where there is a pub called The Kings Lock) took a long while-there was only one space so we needed to breast up, there was a strong wind and a boat opposite was running his engine in gear and creating a small tsunami if that isn't tautolagous. Roy had the devil's own job getting Panther in whilst I held off waitng to come alongside. Roy was pulling so hard and so long on a rope against the wind that he is now able to tie his laces without bending. At last we got in but the noise from the road and a generally unattractive vista  sent us scouting in look of better moorings.The Shropshire Union looked more comely so we beetled back to the boats and got going tout suite. I led the way making a quite magnificent turn off the Trent and Mersey and through the first lock of the Shroppie. We moored in a very pleasant spot and both boats having been made secure and an inventory of crew having been taken went in search of Tesco for limes and ships' biscuits to ward off the scurvy. Our plan was to dine healthily on a Salmon Stir fry.

Looking back down the first lock to the T and M canal

I went to check out the Kings Lock pub which given it's situation one would have thought would be a decent spot for a noggin and some nosh. Oh Woe. No proper beer-only a keg or lager, crap music and a tv.
I had a half of something uninteresting and wandered outside to watch the activity in the lock. I looked at my fellow customers all of whom were over 40 and all obviously sitting outside to avoid the music. I despair. The pub was empty except for two swarthy 12 year olds who were being entertained by a tattooed barmaid also about 12. I wandered towards the town and was heading to Big Lock (where they have a pub called The Big Lock-imaginative pub naming is not Middlewich's strong point) when I happened upon the Cheshire Cheese. The cricket was on and they sold a beer called The Ashes. (this was because of the cricket-nowt to do with the local crematorium).
It was very good and I was soon joined by Roy, Annie, Adrian and Gordon and a jolly time ensued. Such a jolly time we forgot about the healthy stir fry and had fish and chips and mushy peas from the local chippy which was very good though Roy had trouble feeding himself with his newly extended arms

Two thirds of the well oiled machine getting well oiled

Adrian puts his back into it

It is Joseph's birthday today and we toasted his health frequently. He is a great fan of Dr Who

The following day (Thursday) a lie-in had been planned so we prepared to move off about 10 .30. First a farewell to Gordon who has to return to London and work. Thanks Gordon. He said he hoped to return later in our trip but they all say that and we never hear from  them again till the solicitor's letter arrives claiming mental cruelty.

Our mooring in Middlewich



A swan does his hair

 

Like father like son

Unfortunately Roy had a technical problem in that he was dieseless on account of forgetting to turn his diesel back on. Ooooops. After half hour and some foul language he was up and running and we set off for Barbridge, a glorious morning, a beautiful stretch of canal with queues of lovely people at the the locks.

 

 

Roy looks in need of a rest/drink/trousers/diesel? Delete as necessary

We arrived at Barbridge where we found a suitable mooring as we stop here for a while before commencing Stage 3 to Llangollen and Birminham. Having got ourselve secure Roy decide it was wide enough canal to turn Panther around so that his starboard side (which has portholes) was next to the bank rather than his port side (which has windows). Are you following this?

Annie takes the bow rope while Panther is turned. Adrian offers much needed and apreciated advice

Annie waits patiently whilst Roy stirs up some mud. Adrian is obviously exhausted with all this advice-giving



Job done-Adrian now in need of Cocoa

 

The following day had been planned as Chester day (All my troubles seemed so far away....Oh I believe in Chester day) Sorry short musical interlude there.
I drove all into the City and we all went off and explored. I headed for the Cathedral-which was free! and had a very pleasant hour.

 

I was much taken by the gentleness in this sculpture, The Water of Life, in the Cloister Gardens.

The River Dee at Chester-looks massive after the canal.

After the Cathedral I met up with Adrian and we walked the City Walls round Chester. In brilliant condition and a worthwhile two mile history lesson including past Chester Racecourse which apparently is the oldest in the country. some of the nags I back were probably in the first race a couple of hundred years ago
The canal (still the Shropshire Union) follows the line of the Moat for its rout through Chester and we walked down the canal. I saw Roy and Annie on a distant bridge and waved vigorously but they ignored me. When we got closer it wasn't them and the couple muttered something 
about "nutters" and "Specsavers"
 

The Canal Basin in Chester



Adrian contemplates a mis-spent youth.

A Visit to the Guildhall, a fruitless search for an M and S for much needed trousers, a pint in the Victoria which I remembered from my previous visit with Pam and we all met up for our return to Barbridge where we had an early pint before our barbecue. Only we didn't barbecue cos it started raining so we had salmon fillets, new potatoes, asparagus and a glass of white wine before a planning meeting on Panther to discuss the next stage.
Roy Annie and Adrian return tomorrow (Saturday) and I leave on Sunday. I went to church in Winsford on Saturday night and was bemused by the sermon being replaced by a demo on how to walk in a contemplative manner followed by six minutes of silence. Well it was near silence as it started with the old girl in front of me sneezing once and with a minute to go the lady next to me started sneezing for Britain. I am not very good at this meditation lark as I always want to giggle and silence doesnt exist in my Tinnitussed ear so I was well happy when it was over. Back to Barbridge for a contemplative pint and an excellent Chicken Caesar salad.
On Sunday on the way back to Berkhamsted I stopped to take a photo of the haystack Dalek at Snugburys Ice Cream farm nr Nantwich where they advertise Dalicks. Such fun. One for Joseph.
Back to Berko and a roast lamb dinner with Pam, Ollie and Joseph. Marvellous!
Tomorrow Tim and Helen arrive from Canada and all the gang are turning up. So that can be a separate post.

Stone to Wheelock

The following day we stayed inStone and Peter Ady and I drove to the other side of Stoke to sus out the moorings before Harecastle tunnel. We decided on Westport Lake where there is a nature reserve alongside the canal and vice versa. There is an excellent Visitors Centre and the whole thing is run onn the same lines as our local College Lake near Tring. The moorings are without any facilities including pubs which meant "quiet" which was fine by us.

We returned to Stone and all met up in the excellent Swan near to Star Lock, a Free House, with a choice of 8 real ales, no children, no dogs after 9, no tv and packed with proper people,no nuisances and unusually I would hazard 40% of the clientele were of the female gender. Great pub.
Round the corner, cos we were feeling lazy, was a fish and chip shop so that was dinner sorted Next to the pub was the excellently named Lock Keepers. Is it a pub, a restaurant, a bistro? No it was an hairdressers. Brilliant name.

The local yobs queue for their fish and chips

An early start planned for Sunday so an early night was required. Pity we didn't have it.

Through Star Lock at Stone

Sunday did not start well. In fact Sunday started badly. I fired up the engine at 7.30 as planned and promptly crowned my bonce on the engine room door which has only been there 17 years to my knowledge! Claret everywhere plus a lot of foul language, numerous stars and a rather giddy feeling. Peter and Adrian struggled manfully with the First Aid box and then even more manfully (manfullierly?) with the plasters to patch me up while I sat on the bunk anticipating an early demise.
Order having been restored and I having donned some sensible head wear (see self portrait) to hide the plasters which made me look silly we set off stopping only to fill up with water and empty the loo.
We headed for Stoke but progress was soooooo slow. We seemed to catch up with or meet a splendid selection of people who must all have banged their heads that morning and decided "Lets all meet on the canal between Stone and Stoke and slow Independence down-"

The journey through Stoke was uneventful (we knew Stoke City had played and lost at Anfield on the previous day so there weren't any hoolies around). Plenty of locks with plenty of boats so plenty to do. After 7 hours we reached West Port Lake and prepared to bbq

West Port Lake

Nearly a full moon for our barbecue

A very fine bbq indeed-a fitting farewell to Peter who leaves us on the morrow.
A morrow where the Harecastle Tunnel awaits-a tunnel that takes you underground for 45 minutes, gets seriously low in the middle, is markedly narrower than most and just for good measure is allegedly haunted by a Boggart whatever that is. I suspect it was invented by Stoke Tourist Board to drum up a bit of interest.
Roy's son Gordon joined us at the Lake-so nice to have crew with a pulse.
We arrived at the tunnel entrance, had a briefing from the Tunnelkeeper, and at two minute intervals seven boats, inc Panther, preceded us in with us being followed by the last in the queue.
Harecastle is unique for another reason. Once the last boat is in they close a door behind you taking all light away and start up the air-conditioning. made good speed but t'others in front were slower so I had to dawdle in neutral for fear of tapping Roy on the rear end. Never recommended. I banged the side at the lowest point when I was in fact down the steps to avoid rebanging my bonce and thus unable to see. Not much damage but it sounded meaningful

Queuing for Harecastle Tunnel

The exit from the tunnel. No the water isn't dirty-that's the colour of the clay bottom

North of the tunnel and a couple of locks down and we were out in the country again. We moored up and walked back to the Red Bull pub which we new from past experience is very good. There we met Kay, Peter's wife who had come to collect him and take him back to the Home. Kay, bless her, had brought scones and jam and clotted cream for both boat crews so she can come again. Farewell to Peter-a good man in a crisis.
That evening the five of us dined at the Red Bull. As previously it was superb. Roy and I both had skate and here it is.

The following day we travelled the 21 locks to Wheelock where we struggled in the last pound for want of water. Independence was scraping her bottom and making very slow progress. Apparently some berk had left paddles up. That apart it was a glorious day's boating through Church Lawton, Rode Heath and Hassall Green where I saw a sign saying

For Sale

Mountain Bike

Jam

I can't imagine what it tastes like but presumably must contain nuts.

At Wheelock there are two pubs, a small provisions shop,a Chinese takeaway and THE SHAMPAAN INDIAN Restaurant. After slaking our thirst we headed off for a hot and nasty and very good it was too.

If Peter has a failing it is a dislike of spicy food so we hadn't had our usual quantity of Curry out of consideration for him. It was excellent.

Tomorrow we move on to Middlewich. I think we'll all be up early!

Stage Two

We left Atherstone on Sunday morming.

This one obviously enjoys my Waitrose Fruit and Fibre

But first watched mum visiting the offspring. Apparently they're  inside for doing Coots Bank

A Pair of Thrushes feasting on Hopwas Blackberries

Peter (or Vodka Pete as he is known nowadays) has joined us till the 19th We. continued on the Coventry Canal, overnighting at Hopwas to join the Trent and Mersey Canal at Fradly Junction where we had a pleasant evening in the Swan. Mooring was a challenge as everybody likes Fradley  but we managed to get the last spot after bouncing off a few rocks.

Peter takes the local waters

Hopwas is unusual in that it has two busy pubs one each side of the canal. Both were ok but we dined on board. I did a chicken in red wine which was well received but to be honest after a days boating most people will eat a scabby horse. After dinner Roy and Peter tried some Vodka which Roy hadbeen given by his Polish Lodger. The results are apparent

before the vodka

 

after the vodka

Leaving Fradley we turned onto the Trent and Mersey canal where there was a bit of a jam at the first lock.And we met Weston Lady heading home sfter their trip to Llangollen. Paul, Carole and Steve all in fine form. Unfortunately I was on the bank trying to hold onto Independence and forgot to take any worthwhile photos but it was good to see them.

A couple of lock volunteers-or so a passing boater thought, much to the chagrin of Annie and Peter.

After Fradley we headed through Armitage and Rugely where we intended to stop and shop. I got a little confused and stopped in Armitage (home of Armitage Shanks) thinking there was  a shop there. We discovered an overgrown path there which allegedly led to "the facilities" There werent any so Roy set about doing CART's job clearing the mooring and I gazed at the glazed pile of thunderboxes.

Up to Great Heywood where we turned left onto the Staffs and Worcs canal. Our Plan was to Barbecue on Tixall Wide, travel as far as Penkridge and overnight ther returning to Tixall Wide for another barbecue before rejoining the Trent and Mersey.The weather chopped and changed a bit but the run to and from Penkridge was good and we water/looed and took on freah meat and victuals and had two very good barbecues at Tixall Wide

Here comes Panther

Independence enters Tixall Wide

Tixall Barbecue

and a scrambled egg and smoked salmon breakfast!( Yes we have moved since the previous night!)

As part of the barbecue entertainment Annie practised her "Launching Technique" by diving out of Panther's engine room doors. Fortunately it was land-side but very entertaining.

On Friday we set off for Stone travelling north on the Tent and Mersey canal-a pleasant journey of five hours. I took six because I managed to twist my center rope round my prop (prat!) but Roy came to the rescue with hacksaw and foul language.

Adrian joined us at Stone where we had a v good meal at the Star, lockside,.