Friday 7th May.
Stockton Brook, another place I can get mobile internet – well I never! We must have stopped at all the wrong places for it on the way down to Froghall.
Today’s journey was 5 miles and 8 locks. We didn’t see another moving boat until this afternoon and then there was only the one! It really is so quiet here. We are going to stay here for the weekend and venture into Stoke on Trent on Monday when it will be a big shopping day. We need the usual (beer of course!) etc but I also need to address my camera problem at Comet and George needs various replenishments from Pets at Home. Fortunately we can moor right at the Festival Park retail park, where we will easily be able to get sorted. And there is a handy pub there too, perfect!
Talking of pubs (which I so often am) George wouldn’t entertain a walk to the pub today. Ken and I did, of course, fall in there (The Sportsman) on our way to the paper shop! Very nicely timed as the landlord was then putting out the ham cobs, yum! We also got some entertainment as a couple of chaps were playing table skittles. I did bring a certain lazy git a bit of ham back as he had missed out, bless.
REAL TIME INCIDENT ALERT!!! – All Hell has just broken loose here! Ken is fishing and just caught a lovely pike of about 4 lbs. Unfortunately, on his way out of the cratch to the bank, from the water side, across the front of the boat, to unhook said pike he accidentally kicked his bite indicator, which was attatched to a brick for stability, off the side of the boat and into the canal! (Laugh me?)
He is now trying to recover the bite indicator with his landing net. He has brought up a rather nice rock so far! Oh wait, he has just found it and it is still attatched to the brick! Hurrah! Obviously this activity has scared all the fish away now!
This boating lark is such fun!
