To the rescue

Last week we rescued a tiny oak sapling from being strimmed. It was growing right by the waters edge on a well groomed stretch of towpath. Our previous bonsai oak was stolen last summer, so fingers crossed this little chap does well.

The last couple of weeks we’ve been travelling away from Chorley, where we could walk to Winter Hill. Now it is way in the distance.

The first leg of our travels took us down Wigan flight of 21 locks, we made good time and completed the journey in just over 3 hours, thanks to the help of Peter, one of the volunteer lockkeepers there. Some locks are really leaky and at the helm you get your feet wet!! It is a lovely journey with stunning views from the top locks.

You need to keep all the windows closed too as the wall leaks and squirts water quite a distance.

We spent a few days travelling along the Bridgewater Canal, where we’re allowed to stay for up to 10 days, as it’s a privately owned stretch of water. There was some ugly graffiti as well as some fairly arty bits in the urban areas.

It’s always fun to go over Barton Aqueduct, a swing bridge over the Manchester Ship Canal (MSC).

This is the junction where the underground canals to the mines started and an interesting inland lighthouse, at Worsley.

We spent a day in Lymm, where we were served typical northern pints with a large head!!

I loved the yarn bombed letter box.

We spent a few days near Stockton Heath and walked along part of the MSC and over one of the huge locks. There’s very little traffic these days along it. There are many swing bridges along its length, and their control rooms look very much like signal boxes.

 

 

Alongside and crossing the MSC is the now disused Warrington & Stockport Line (LNWR) Railway. Many of its old bridges still stand.

Last year we didn’t get around to making any elderflower wine or cordial, so we’re making up for it this year.

John’s got over 4 gallons of wine fermenting away.

I bottled about 6 litres of cordial yesterday.

It’s a shame I couldn’t capture the aroma of the honeysuckle and send it over the blog.

As we’ve had some super warm weather, I’ve got yarn in jars solar dying on the roof.

We got a military escort off the Bridgewater Canal, a couple of these huge planes flew over.

We are now moored at a gorgeous spot on the Trent & Mersey Canal, with views over the River Weaver valley. However, it wouldn’t have been so wonderful in 2012, this spot is just behind our boat.

The milepost is just beside the boat.

We can hear one of the weirs and see the long viaduct which carries the West Coast Mainline.

We had planned to go down the Anderton Boat Lift and spend some time on the River Weaver, but the lift will be out of action for urgent repairs and one of the locks is also closed due to a problem, maybe another time.

 

Confiscated knitting!!!

So, I had my knitting confiscated at Blackburn Cathedral by the security guard who checked my bag before allowing me into the crypt for my second Covid injection!!! Luckily, I got it back afterwards.

We have had a wonderful time actually seeing family in ‘real life’ and not on the computer screen. However, we did a Zoom for Samantha’s birthday.

My sister Samantha & her husband Paul popped to see Ada’s new house on John’s birthday. We had a wonderful BBQ.

Another of my sisters, Louise, came for a few days and stayed at a motel, which we could moor right opposite, just perfect. She’s not seen our little folk for almost two years and was keen to see both Heather & Ada’s new houses.

It was such a treat to have a meal out together, but we had two tables as there were 10 of us.

Thank goodness I have a reliable galley slave!!

The grandchildren came to stay for a few days. We weren’t right by their house, but a short stroll along the towpath. After ice cream for breakfast, we headed to Duxbury Park, so they could play in the River Yarrow.

 

It was a very hot day, so it was just perfect under the trees along the river valley.

We had a ‘float off’, Nikita made a paper boat with a generous sellotape exterior, which floated pretty well.

Magnus got upset as his just paper one disintegrated. I suggested colouring a whole sheet of paper both sides with wax crayon, tad-ah, a super boat that floated.

One day our hearts were in our mouths as we watched a combine harvester & 3 tractors with trailers go over a rather small bridge over the bi-wear, then along an off side canal path over the aqueduct over the River Yarrow.

There are lots of goslings, and I’ve deleted lots of photos of them.

We have met a couple of swans with much smaller broods than our neighbours last year, who had 9 cygnets.

This shoal, if that’s what you call lots of tadpoles, fascinated us. We guess there are safety in numbers.

There have been some super sunsets, even if we were only able to see their reflections.

The last full moon almost blinded us, it was like daylight.

Monday we spent at Martin Mere Wetland Centre for Magnus’ birthday, lucky for him, there was a teacher training day.