Cuzzy Bro...

Rained during night and had stopped by daybreak although cloud and a bitter cold wind made steering the NB Freak'n unpleasant. Still Chester beckons so it was onwards. Made arrangements to catch up with my cousin, (cuzzy bro), Glenn and his son James. Glenns from Christchurch NZ but now lives in the wifes homeland, Wales. They drove to Beeston Brook Bridge and cycled down the tow path to join us and do a few locks.

Here they come, I reckonised Glenn cos, he said he'd be in his Summer gear.....

Soon had James doing the hard work, Glenn offers fatherley advice..

Only been on the bloody  boat 15mins, and already taken charge....

James carries the windlass and "Walks The Plank"....

Glenns done Camping so I said,  just to give him something to do, " Here hold this rope while I bang in a tent peg", ...

Apparently brought the wheel at auction, off the Titanic..

Leonie and James wait for water to drain from double lock..

This lock, Beeston Iron Lock, has cast Iron steel plated sides because of  running sand below it.... good to catch parts of the boat on while going up or down....

Our mooring tonight opposite Beeston Castle ruins, 14th century job, would have been impossible to attack.. nearly...

Another view...

Tomorrow should make Chester with an E-A-R-L-Y start... NA,  we'd have No Sanity if  we  did that....

One Nice Canal...

Headed off this morning from Middlewich  along the Shropshire Union Canal,(Middlewich Branch),and what a great trip.Very rural and scenic. After mooring last night by Elaine & Paul today we've gone on different canals with them heading for Stone. It was awesome having a catch up for a few days  after Liverpool, thanks for the good times. The Weather was mild all day and the sun broke the cloud cover regulary too.



Addios Amigo's.. OH Sam and BomBo too.

 

Early on and Leonie and a fellow boater with their Bum-acks into moving a lock gate..

Houston...Houston we still on Trak....

We must be in dairy country, and they're out of the winter quarters with a tonne of grass about..

This is about as conjested as it gets on this canal..

 

Nice old canal side stables with stable doors all along side but now a house...

This canal has a lot of narrow passes with "blind" approaches, Leonie handled them Good on her watch at the helm..

A leaky lock, not good for washing drying on rack on front deck, lock fills to dry line around top, 11foot 1 inch rise..

Moored up by Barbridge Junction, on toward Chester tomorrow.....

Reverse... Full Reverse ..BAAANNGG...

Had a head on crash today with another NB. I know, hard to believe someone with my history, driven a MK111 Zephry at 110mph, raced a Singer Gazelle after school down the river, even driven a forklift through a yard stacked with pallets and yet steering a NB at 3mph on a canal when you only pass another boat say on average every 35minutes we had a head on crash. Came around very sharp, narrow RH bend that passed under a bridge and there he was approaching the bend. The rules say pass port to port, I was a little wide so I give it a bit of "Titty" to bring the back round and head for my canal side when he decides to head to his left same as me.I chuck it into reverse give it "Heaps on the Gas, prop spinning chucking water every where To Late BAAANNGG... dead head on the bow. Must say I regained Control better than him, be my EX Speedway experience I reckon. I says "you were more in the centre than me", well you know  what, he started calling me Names, I won't go on but then included extra's like, " I expect an apology" and "I'll be looking out for you". Whatever.....
Sun shone today, moved on to Middlewich to turn up the Shropshire Union Canal for Chester. Ended the day by doing 5 locks, last 3 into Middlewich have a total rise of 32 foot 7 inches.

Leonie's optical illusion photo, the boat from Space was not on the roof of the NB....

Tidy little "Schooner" type, had the mast lying down...

Nice canal side residence with a neat garden and a bridge.....

Leonie and Elaine help  doing a lock as I wait in line  3 NB's back...

Very tidy NB, dog on roof in basket, dog on stern..

And flower and veggy garden on roof as well.....

Another NB painted in the old working boat style. He sat on old "Tricked Up" milk or cream churn to steer.

Going up first of 3 lock rise, old church in Middlewich out the back..

Out the side hatch a few swan looking for some "Tucker"....

We Gotta Get Outer This Place..

Awoke this morning the rain pelting down, hadn't let up all night. A phone call to Paul, NB Caxton, AKA The Manly Ferry, they were moored 30 metre's away, and a quick decision was made to get off the Weaver. Being a river the flow from the tributries can soon change the conditions. Headed for the boat lift, passed through two locks and made good time. The C&RT workers already had the sluices open to dump excess water  and the side on flow leaving locks was already noticeable. Made Anderton, still raining and only had a short wait to get on the lift. Talking to the operater's they agreed we'd made a good decision.

Caxton in, FireflyNZ follows..

It'll take more than a drop of Bloody rain to stop me thinking about the next  Pub down the Cut...

Wringing the water out of my gloves. Cheap gloves, Frozen Fingers...

 

 
 
 
 

The trip boat was operating, 3 passengers, it's going down while were on our way up...

" Listen Mate, I seen wetter days in Wooollongongmooboobbaa, the Koala's moved  into the back room of the local Pub Mate".....

Got back on the Trent & Mersey Canal and the rain stopped,

 More Blue bell foliage in the Woods.....

This is in the Marston area, a  salt mining region and a lot of buidings have been demolished because of subsidence from underground tunneling.

They do have Sheep in the UK, doubt whether there is one for every male But...

PanCakes for lunch, Yuuummmyyy Again Leonie....

Moored up by the Lion Salt Works buiding which they are doing a resto  on,  and wouldn't you know it, the Salt Barge Pub, Meal  and  a cupla pints tonight with Elaine and Paul, tomorrow they go East,we go West...
Were going to find that English summer    If It's The Last Thing We Ever Do..

Then Along Came Paul........

Yesterday up early, 8.47am, on a mission to buy  a satellite dish for TV reception. Aldi were selling Kits for 59.00quid and because we've moved to more remote canals our 9 quid plastic sit and point ariel has forgotten where BBC 1 live. Dish bought back to boat, tidy little kit it is, construction started with the manuel saying allow 2 hr's. 7hrs and a fair slice of frustration, No Work / Signal. Up early today, 8am, headed off upstream on the River Weaver, by 9am. Fairley large ships used the Weaver in years gone by so the locks are large. Sunny and mild to start but a cool wind soon blew up.

This is the ships side of  Hunt's Lock, we went to the left side.

Smaller but huge for a NB..only open 1 gate..

 

These were mussels growing on lock sides, not up to Tongoio standards....

 

Rail bridge before lock indicates clearance needed for ships.Lock keeper said they have trouble with people swimming under and jumping off bridge..

 

I worked hard all my life now nobody wants to" Share The Love"

2nd lock, Vale Royal Locks, enter with a bit of "Throttle" cos there's a weir on the right hand side...

Stopped and had a "Gidday" to Paul and Elaine, Happy wedding Anniversary, they had "parked Up" in the wilds last night. The navigation terminates at Winsford so moored to a pub landing but walked to a Macca's for a Caramel McFlurry with crunchies.

Done a U'ee  here on the Bottom Flash, then headed down stream..


This area has alot of salt mining going on..

You could use it on your "greasy's or in Tequilla, but the councils use it for ice on roads..

Out of the underground and loaded into trucks in "Teepee" to be stockpiled...

Mine Head....

 

Chimney taken down, not much clearance under swing bridge...

 Raining steady by 3pm so moored up with "Caxton" and Leonie turned out a bach of Short bread, Freak'n Nice....

My Feminine side showing through....

Moored up we tried the satellite again no luck, keeping Cool, What The - - - - - going on, added a couple of new connectors,nothing, then Along Came Paul with his circuit  tester and vast knowledge of outboard motors,Presto, one ,just one bloody  crook connector, fixed TV going,zillion channels, Happy Wife, Happy Life..     Still Raining...