Wednesday 17th August
Yesterday we finally left Middlewich and travelled 6 miles and 4 locks to Wheelock. When we got there it was chocker, even though it wasn’t that early (about 11-45 am) but we squeezed in on the end and moved up to a better position when someone left. We went to the wholesale pet food place again for more doggy supplies and the Cheshire Cheese for more beer supplies! Not the most edifying of pubs but we couldn’t be bothered to walk to Sandbach again.
Today we have come 2 miles and 10 locks to Hassall Green. It has been a lovely day weather wise, for a change with no rain, apart from one tiny sprinkle! Lunchtime we took George to Lock 57 and had a pleasant time gongoozling and talking to a couple who had moored up behind us and come to the cafe for some lunch. They intended to move on this afternoon but when we got back they had decided to stay.
This afternoon I have been doing yet more painting! I have repaired the damage I inflicted on the gas locker lid and it looks a lot better now. I have also touched up the bits on the side which Ken has managed to scrape off already! I don’t know how long I will keep this up for. Ken did some fishing, having purchased a day ticket he was getting his money’s worth. Alan, the chap off the boat behind, is a bit of a novice fisherman and Ken helped him out a bit with his tackle (pardon the expression) and gave him a few maggots. Alan then proceeded to catch a nice roach, bigger than Ken’s, beginners luck!
While I was painting the gas locker lid this afternoon there were several boats about and as one approached the woman on the front asked me if I was waiting to go down the lock. I said no because we were actually pointing the other way! Her husband said she had had a drink!
Another boat turned up later and moored up in front of us. Alan and Diane said it was the chap they had been telling us about earlier who they had seen on the bank in his underpants. This was not as bad as it sounded because apparently he had come back to his boat to find it had been set adrift and had to go into the canal to get it back, hence the underpants! He was telling us he has now fallen off the roof of his boat and broken a rib. He’s not having a lot of luck.
Tomorrow we are heading for Red Bull and if it isn’t raining we will do the remaining blacking and touch up the side, hurrah!
