Thursday 17th June
We are still in Stone, although we have been in several different places in Stone, we are still here!
We arrived last Tuesday week, as you know and moored at the top. Thursday we moved down to the 24 hour moorings in the middle. We would have gone on the 48 hour ones opposite but the boat which leapfrogged us while we were getting water snuck in to the last space ahead of us! However all was not lost because we figured we could have a night on the 24 hours Thursday, then move over on to the 48 hours on Friday. Do Friday and Saturday on the 48 hours and then, as we had to turn round, take Mum and Dave on a little trip up to Sandon, turn round, go to the pub (as you do) and then get in where we could on the way back. This was more or less what happened except we had to move to the 48 hour moorings below Star Lock because a yoghurt pot (plastic cruiser) moored right in the middle of the 48 hour moorings opposite us and took up a whole narrowboat’s worth of space! Selfish gits!
On the way back from Sandon the heavens opened and there was a terrific thunder storm. As soon as we got back to Stone we got in to the first mooring we could find! We had a lovely weekend despite the sometimes inclement weather and the very expensive restaurant on Sunday night!
Tuesday we had to go in to Canal Cruising Co. to have our alternator regulator fitted. We had ordered it off the internet and had it delivered to Mum and Dave’s. They brought it with them when they came at the weekend and Pete at Canal Cruising said he could fit it Tuesday………..And he would have done if Battery Megastore had sent the thing we ordered! What we got was out dated and second hand! A flurry of phonecalls to BatteryMegastore and Sterling Power Products followed and after some argument we eventually got the correct thing sent today (Thursday) and it has now been fitted.
We have had a very pleasant stay here in the boat yard, everyone is really nice and don’t seem to worry about us staying here. We have got on the electric hookup so I have been doing washing and ironing most of the time!
We will head off tomorrow morning in the general direction of the Caldon Canal for our return visit, avec working camera this time! I want to get up to Consall Forge by Sunday for the steam trains!
