Bartimaeus

On Saturday the place became very busy with paddle boarders and canoeists. The canadian canoe has become very popular. A man and a nervous teenagers were being very gently introduced to the sport, sharing a canoe. A woman in a wheelchair had also got in one, but on her own. She was waiting beside the boat as the others were getting ready and we fell into conversation. She hadn't liked paddle boarding but the Canadian canoe was better for her. I said I had tried it nearly 30years ago, in Canada. I told her I was heavily pregnant at the time and not fit for the activity holidays we had done before but the canoeing worked well, We went on lakes and went camping with  others with us - me helping Shane's blind uncle walk at shallow parts while Shane and his cousin did the portage of the canoes. She said we had traded up to a bigger boat. She had also been on a canal boat holiday as a teenager and loved it. She realised much of it would be hard now, being a wheelchiar user, but thought that she would still be able to drive.

We moved on in the hope of better wifi. On the way I noticed unusual circular mounds of grasses in the water. They were like tuffets for little miss Muffet.

Shane had spotted a couple of eating options. He led me to a cafe for lunch. I was surprised to see Ovaltine on the drinks menu which took me  back to childhood days, so I had one. When I returned to the table after ordering there was a small dog that had lain down at our table. We didn't even have any crumbs for him. After a while it got up and waddled off to another table. Everything I had ordered was delicious and unexpected - a cheese and marmite scone was very savoury indeed, and I really enjoyed the sticky marmalade and pecan cake too. 

We walked to the end of the navigable canal and Shane was adventuring ahead while I stopped to look at butterflies.

Further along as we looked into the water we saw hundreds of tadpoles. Shane walked on and I took photos but they went on for about 100 meters. Sometimes less clustered but still a few visible.

Shortly after I saw ducklings ahead. The mother was leading them out and they were all scrambling up.on to the opposite bank. These will fare better than the thirteen on the Llangollen that were on a canal that was hard to get out of with vertical concrete edges. These are gently sloping edges with grass right down by the water.

It was a very enjoyable walk. But we were away again the next day to the furthest part you can currently go. We took advantage of the winding hole and very clear bank with brand new moorings - this last section only opened two years ago - to do some sanding and touch up undercoat painting done. Then after lunch we could let it dry and have a stroll in the sun. By going to the very end we could add another walk over the closed section.

We could see that it was a popular walk and signs entreated passers by to support the funding of the reopening of the last section to join up the two sections of the Montgomery. I was puzzled by the dog gates at stiles. Clearly they wanted to keep livestock in one place but the fence had spaces big enough to let most dogs through anyway, both under the style and round the side, the gate didn't seem to add any more space.

Later we saw more with wider flap style gates. There were sheep but they had no fence between us and them. The irises were growing and blooming very happily in the old canal.

Some of the walk was not in open farmed land, but wooded. I stopped to look at early purple orchids. 

Then I caught up with Shane. We saw a great spotted woodpecker fly into a tree ahead on the path and then heard it drumming. We got a good clear look at it for a little while as we approached the tree, before it disappeared round the other side of the trunk. 

On the way back we found out which animals were being kept in check by the stiles. A cow was making a trip towards the milk shed but was surprised to see us. We would have waited for her to pass but she stood stock still and stared at us for a bit. Shane climbed over asking her permission to pass.

As Shane moved slowly towards her she receded but she kept watching us as we crossed and passed over the next stile. I remarked to Shane that as we were low in milk we could have maybe got some there, straight from the cow. Shane didn't seem keen.

It had been very warm on the walk and more warm weather is ahead. In the cool of the morning we cracked on with painting over the undercoat, but Shane had planned ahead and got the tandem out before we started so we didn't have to carry it out over wet paint.

Bartimaeus was looking much smarter as we set off to see Oswestry and to get milk there. It would be much easier to carry milk in the pannier and you can't get the bike easily over those stiles.