Arrived at Calvely yesterday. Good place to do work on the roof. It needs painting. Just through the bridge is a BW facilities i.e. Loos, showers, water, rubbish bins. and Pump Out, and NO, before anyone asks, we don't need to. !!!!

So nice long showers with plenty of room to splash about coming up.

I left Mick doing blokey things like preparing for the next day and Finlay and I went and explored part of the Cheshire Council walk. It took us into a cow field, with extremely curious cows. We were surrounded at one point. Finlay is not too keen, so he was pulling like mad and the next thing " splatsquelch", a nice fresh pat, all over my boot. Into a barley field where a startled partridge made me jump, and Finlay yelping to go after it . Reached the stile into the next cow field, and we came up against a bit of a problem. Finlay will not go over, but he will go through. However, he couldn't get through.! He's not that fat, is he??? Ask Brian Hight in Spain.! so off with the harness and I managed to drag him through. Over next field and one of these stiles again, but this time the rungs were closer together. I looked at him, and he looked at me. No chance, fatso.( me to Finlay)

Then along came a pair of walkers. They stood back and perused the problem and suggested that we execute a slalom manoeuvre with a fence, another field and a nettly hedge. so harness off, thats what we did ! Thanks to the unknown walkers.

Arrived back at the canal a few miles down from Trundle, and Finlay had a draught of canal water, and was promptly sick.!

Heres a pic of a vintage working boat-Gifford. and a pic taken at 10.15pm.

Lonesome Bull

Well he wasn't really lonely. He had a field full of lovely heifers, but he was after one in the adjoining field. Typical.! He gave us hours of amused watching. Sad isn't it ?

By the way, Mick says he is going to proof read my stuff before I post it. As normal my brain is going faster than my fingers, but I hope you have been able to decipher my ramblings.

So we are moored close to the Shady Oak pub, and we went for Fathers day lunch which was very nice. This place has got a very good reputation. However, I wasn't enticed by the price of the wine by the glass. As most of you know I like my wine in large measures. So 250ml wine, which when I measured on the boat is, say a whisky tumbler- full, was ..... wait for it.........................................£11.95 per glass Gasp, double gasp. So I stuck to a pint of black sheep at £2.60.

A lady on a hire boat said she had a lovely big plate of crayfish and plenty of them! Well, we all know where they may have come from, don't we ?

Being moored around livestock can be interesting but the downside is a boat full of blinking flies.!

It drives Finlay and myself crazy. So the old spanish fly swatters have been working overtime, and the fish have been getting a feast.

Not moving far tomorrow, as the forecast looks ok and need to paint Trundles roof.

Step-daughter Rebecca has run in the Bournemouth marathon today in aid of Cancer Awareness, and she had to name someone she was running for, so she ran for my dad, Jack. Thanks Bec.

We moored just sort of the 5 big locks into Chester, for the night. When I looked about I saw that there was an owl nesting box behind us and guess what ? I picked up the bins and was lucky enough to spot a beautiful barn owl going in. ! Mick took Finlay out for a wee walk,and when he came back I was still glued to watching. Lo and behold she popped her head out and had a look out, but I reckon she heard me talking to Mick as there was no more sightings. Oh it was lovely.

Anyway the City of Chester. WOW and WOW again. What a great place.Due to dodgy back I didn't want to do the staircase locks down to the basin. So we winded and moored just a short distance from the Frog and Nightingale Publice House. Yes I know what you are all thinking, but anyhow the moorings looked good and clean and a bit yuppyish.We felt safe that there were not going to be any numpties about. It was fantastic. The closest we have ever got to a Tesco. so stocked up on the heavy stuff. Beer, dog food, beer, tins of tomatoes, beer etc.
Early on friday evening, we went to sample the ale.( Still looking for W.J.Lees of Manchester. great beer. ) Mick moaned about paying £ 2.90 a pint. He mentioned that if Scooby and Rita had been with us, we might have found a wetherspoons !
Later that night there was going to be a finals night of a local bands. So.......later that night we wandered back, to find that they wanted £7 each to get in. I asked the large man on the door " Is it full then?" He grinned and said " no, but there are a few friends of the bands in there".

We had taken Finlay with us, and he always manages to get us "in" with folks. They come up and scratch his ears and generally admire him and then they notice us on the end of his lead. Anyway I am rambling, but the upshott was, we met 3 really nice blokes anda woman,who had come outside to have a fag. One of the blokes said that if we wanted a pint,Mick could go in with him. Anyway he bought us a drink each, and when we tried to return the favour.He would have none of it. Just said that it gave him pleasure to but a stranger a drink. They were all nice characters and have us loads of info on the Llangollen.

I am not getting on too well with this blog, as I have noticed that somehow I have deleted all the archive stuff. Oh well.Have been trying to get a pic on and it won't happen. grrrrrhhhh!

Left Nantwich to go and have a look at Chester before Stepmum and partner come and find us on the Llangollen on 29th june.

Did the Bunbury staircase and did a crossover- we were going down and they were coming up.Had to wait for 2 boats to come out,and the lone person wearing a colourful knitted jacket

on one boat kept us guessing, as to whether it was a pregnant lady with a very deep voice or as it turned out, a long haired bloke with a beer belly .

FinlaysTennisBallCount - 1 ( not a lossage but broken in 2 and placed in bin,ssshhh don't tell him) = 23 ?

Received a phone call from friend Chris. Telling us about the opening of yet another great indian restaurant at Bingley, right by the side of the canal. Is she trying to entice us back up there? No need to entice, we will definitely be back there sometime.

Another clothes airer hits the bottom of the cut. Yes, washing blowing nicely on the front of the b oat ,with the exception that my lovely pillow-cases + the knicker airer blew away completely without us noticing.! I am informed that there is a M&S in Chester ?. Good.

On the way to the lovely Audlem flight, we had a problem!. An escaping NB with no-one aboard. We couldn 't get past it, so Mick had no option but to leap aboard said escaping boat with the rope between his teeth ( he told me to say this), anyway I was holding our boat with centre rope, whilst he re-tethered boat at the back. I hadn't realised until it was too late that my rope had caught on something on the top of the boat, it un-hooked sending my flying backwards into the undergrowth onto my back and derriere. OUCH and OUCH again. So I spent my time up and down the flight rubbing my back and walking like......well I was going to say John Wayne, actually.

So having been in pain and I hasten to add I still am, I awarded myself and Mick a pint at the Shroppie Fly( pub).

The one thing that makes this flight memorable, not just its beauty but the veg and fruit box that the farmers wife places buy the canal. Last year I had a bunch of Sweetpeas and some redcurrants.( you place your money in the box provided). This year all the other greedy buggers got there before me, and all that was left was a bunch of radish and 2 punnetts of gooseberries( £1 each). so with thoughts of goosegog Pie, I encouraged Mick to open his wallett.He did.

Lovely mooring in the evening and Finlay made friends with this big boy called Jet.

Wednesday on to Nantwich and we need a pump-out.!