Dogs

I like dogs and there are a lot of them along towpaths and on boats, most friendly and amusing. But we are getting more and more fed up with (some of) their owners' attitude to their poo. Throwing a rope over bollards on locksides and then discovering it has swung through a pile of fresh muck is quite horrific. I have stepped off the boat into it on numerous occasions Too. But the worst habit we have found is those supposedly responsible owners who pick up their pet's mess, carefully tie it inside a plastic bag and then throw it in the hedgerow!? The hedges and trees are adorned with little bags swinging in the breeze. What on earth are these people thinking? We would far rather they dragged their mutts off the path under the hedgerows, where no one need tread, let them poo where it will naturally degrade and not contaminate anyone.

We watched a boater (no licence on his boat, by the way) walk his large dog a short way up the path, let it poo and then kick the pile into the canal........just as disgusting when you think ropes and people can fall in.

There are posters along the canals stating " there is no such thing as the dog poo fairy" - so true.

Macclesfield silk

On Friday we walked along the canal into Macclesfield, stopping on way to book Ani into a boatyard for the week we return home. And guess what? they had an aerial that we could buy. Pete would have left it of course but I insisted, so we now have TV again albeit BBC Wales! Did find the other channels eventually!

We had a wander around this old town, which enchanted me because of the silk industry it built up around. Lots of old mill and factory buildings and hilly terraces of weaver's cottages. After a lunch in an overly priced but pleasant cafe, we visited Paradise Mill museum, Cartwright and Sheldon's intact weaving factory mainly producing woven silk for ties, that was finally closed in 1981. Full of all it's original 1800s equipment; worn wooden Jacquard looms in rows in a beamed loft with a thick undulating floorboard floor. What an atmosphere. The punch cards used to compute the designs and the machine that produced them, bobbins of jewel coloured silks, a designers desk with original painted designs and rich woven fabrics on the looms were wonderful to see. Thank goodness someone saved it all in 1981. They clearly could not have carried on as they could only produce 2yards of fabric per loom per week - hardly competitive. But you wonder if quality has suffered for quantity and speed.

Our guide demonstrated the looms and when Pete asked if the weaver would have been able to work the treadle with either foot, he demonstrated how that wouldn't have worked. This 30 a minute noisy kick down for the equally noisy shuttle to be thrown back and forth would have been hard work and all powered by one leg. Or guide said when you see a resident of Macclesfield walking round in circles you know what he did for a living!

Interesting day. Macclesfield's industrial utilitarian beauty, with green hills back-dropping it's steep streets was a joy.




    

Da boys

Dodd boy helpers.........priceless




That Congleton mooring........fabulous

Frogs and wind

Moored at foot of Bosley Locks in a sheltered spot thinking that we were wise stopping short of the aqueduct where it was very open. Wrong! The wind whistled all night again, not to mention the frogs wedged down the side of the boat who 'rivitted' all night as well. ( thought it was a dog barking in the distance to start with)!

Today was Sara's most unlikeable day. I hate wind with a passion. I want to punch it into submission. The boat decides it can do what it likes, skitting and skimming into banks and locksides as it pleases; 2 fingers up to us! Then I stupidly decide we need to wash some clothes and peg them out on our flimsy hooked-on clothes horse over the side. They were so heavy being wet that I thought nothing of it. 2 hours later; no sign of them. 2 good t shirts of Pete's plus a good thermal vest, 1 t shirt of mine plus vest I particularly liked plus pegs - and the clothes horse contraption which was very useful but obviously not heavy enough for purpose. Learnt my lesson the hard way! Fully expected them to turn up wound round the propeller this morning, but no - - the frogs however.......

And to make matters worse, the TV aerial had decided to work for once which was good having had no signal from that or the satellite for some nights so that we caught up on the news, largely the Thatcher funeral, but then it 'all went up the pictures' ( to use my dad's expression) when the screen went black - our old indoor aerial finally giving up the ghost. I now realise how sad I am needing TV - it makes me furious when I don't have the choice. Pete however, no problem, not important, can sit and watch the fire!! After nearly 20 years together I wonder if we are compatible!

Today, Thursday, against sodding wind, we progressed up the locks.. 12 Telford built. Because we had lovingly repainted the gunwale and all its knocks yesterday and I didn't want to chip it again driving in the wind, and having read the top gates were 2s, not just one f....off one which are impossible for me, I gaily said I will do some......... managed 5. Top paddles were horrendous. Pete should have married a ten ton Tess who wasn't deaf (I can't hear his wise instructions). Good job we are in the middle of nowhere for the expletives I let rip.

Tonight, however, it all comes good again. We moor in the picturesque foothills of the Pennines - just South of Macclesfield in a place called Sutton Lane End where we find a stylish tranquil pub/restaurant to eat and drink. The wind has dropped, there is total silence...... Oh yes, this is what boating's about, I remember now.

A me day

It's about time I had a ME day it's been far too long really . My owners (useless boaters I call them) had left me in the cold over winter shivering my anodes off, then with a quick - here is your arse wiped with a bit of bitumen and some new engine oil, then gaily rush off up the canal system; UP the system mind, not even South for the warm weather! I got quite excited once or twice when they took me into a marina thinking they would emerge with something nice for me , you know, a new fender or two, something brass and shiny, even a rope or a gas bottle would be ok, but no , out they come with one of those fan things that goes on top of the stove. Hello, keep yourselves warm why don't you? well thanks , I'm starting to feel like Marvin the paranoid android !
I admit I shed a tear into my cratch when we passed Red Bull Basin where I was born , when Mr Piper turned some bits of steel and wood into ME, a 50 foot pencil case! Anyway back to my trip, If that wasn't enough they then proceed to crash and bash me off what seems like every lock gate between Stoke and Congleton , did I mention the Harecastle tunnel? Oh dear, you would have thought by now my brain-dead owners might have checked the bulb in the tunnel light? Naw, 5 minutes in and poof, out it goes and I'm blind for the next 40 minutes except for the three candle power led wafting through the bow doors.
So it's about time, I'd say, for a bit of TLC. A trip to a proper boat painters would be too much to ask of my dithering owners, but at least today they had the common decency to repaint my port side gunwales, clean my roof and polish my sides . It's a start I suppose .....
Ani

Ps they still can't get a signal on the sat dish (no sniggering at the back please!)

Location:Bosley locks Macclesfield

Congleton

A panoramic of our mooring taken by Andrew. You can't see the wind!

This is more like it

Carried on along the lockless Macclesfield for all of 2 hours in order to meet with Pete's boys again in Congleton and found the most wonderful mooring just through the town. The canal is high up and at this point overlooks a valley with a viaduct and the ambling river Dane below on one side and a vast property, hills and fields towards 'the Cloud' ( a landmark hill) on the other side. Our galley windows are framed paintings. This is what boating is all about, those little surprises around the next bend!

Walked into Congleton, which has an interesting centre of old buildings once you get through the modern housing. The usual boarded up shops though and only the dreary, commonplace Morrisons, Superdrug etc etc.

The boys join us for dinner and it is actually warm enough to sit on the bank, although there is still a strong wind which buffets us all night. Stu kindly checked our bilge pump, which we thought was faulty and he and Andrew unblocked it's exit pipe, having discovered that was the real problem. They also bought us some much needed coal, which we would have been delayed in getting because the next boatyard is some miles yet. The fire still needs to be going constantly. Thanks, guys!

No TV signal here. What happened on Broadchurch last night??!! Not that I am an addict of course.





This photo doesn't do the view justice, it is a deep valley!