Sunday 30th May
With better weather in prospect today we continued our journey, travelling 8 miles and 12 locks to Congleton, where we moored on the embankment again. Actually it was still very windy but at least it was not raining! Ken was moaning to the passers by about how cold he was standing on the back of the boat. I was lovely and warm doing the locks! There were a lot of gongoozlers on the flight and we were photographed and videoed from all angles! I apologised to a woman for walking in front of her shot when I was moving between locks. She replied in an American accent, ‘It’s ok honey, you have your job to do.’
We managed to get down the 12 Bosley locks in an hour and three quarters which was an improvement on going up, which took about two and a half hours. It is easier going down these locks as Ken can shut one of the top gates so I don’t have to go round and do it and I finish up at the end of the lock with the bridge so I don’t have to go round the lock to shut the other gate there either. This in addition to a lot of boats coming up, meaning after the first 3 the locks were already set and mostly left open and I could leave my lock open as well, made it a quick trip down.
Although there was plenty of room to moor on the Dane aquaduct at Bosley (only 1 boat there) we decided to carry on to Congleton because we wanted to get to a shop and there isn’t one at Bosley. We were hoping there would be room to moor at Congleton and although it was busy we were pleasantly surprised to find there was a space.
We went into town for a paper and after getting one in Morrison’s we accidentally fell into the Wetherspoon’s for a pint of Abbott, there’s a surprise! George eyed us with suspicion when we returned. He always knows if we sneak off to the pub without him!
So it had been a really good day until ……………… disaster! I buggered over getting into the shower and hit my elbow on the pump switch, ouch! Actually I had already had my shower, which was just as well because I was incapacitated now. I was getting back in the shower to wipe the glass doors and tiles down and wipe the shower tray out, as you do. We have a non-slip mat in the bottom of the shower when we’re using it, which I remove before I wipe the tray (obviously) so as I got back in I slipped over. My elbow very soon swelled up and I couldn’t bend my arm! I had to eat my dinner ‘American style’ (with just a fork in my right hand) as I couldn’t bend my left arm to get the fork up to my mouth! It would be tragic if I couldn’t eat!
Hopefully my elbow and the weather will have improved by tomorrow.
