Bartimaeus

Our sunny spot opposite Chirk Marina has served us well. On Thursday morning, I noticed that the small tree on the bank was shading the panels for some of the morning.  We were using the rings provided on the towpath, but the bow rope was already on the last one.  I moved the strop at the stern forward one ring, and then deployed one of our handy mooring chains in the metal pilings, allowing us to move forward the required distance.  Our charging rate promptly doubled!

We spent the day exploring canal features ahead of us and returned to find the batteries were fully charged.

We live so much by the weather and the daylight that we can get confused about such prosaic things as dates.  I was convinced this was the Easter weekend.  I've long thought of bank holidays as things for other people. Most of the places I might want to go are either mobbed or shut, and as a long time part-timer, I didn't get that excited about a week with one less working day in it.

Good Friday seemed a poor choice of a day to drive a boat through a World Heritage Site too.  I decided that a much better use of the day would be polishing up the editing program which was thrust in to service by the poor network service we have found in these parts.  There were a few details I wanted to get right, and I wanted to add a search function too.

After lunch, the sun had moved to the canal side of the boat, so the towpath side was now slightly shaded.  The bottle of T-cut that I had bought in Chester advised not to use it in direct sunlight.  I had bought some protective gloves in Ellesmere, so I was now out of excuses not to try this highly recommended product on the paintwork.  It smells of wax and is easy to use, but it is a little tiring.  What a difference it makes!  I wiped it on with a cloth in one hand and rubbed it off with the other - and suddenly could see my face in the paintwork.

Despite the lack of direct sunlight on the boat, it was hot work and I was in the sun.  After I'd done enough, I would go in for a drink, a cool down, and a change of activity - some more programming.  It was a very satisfying way to spend the afternoon.

On Saturday, I decided that repeating the process on the other side of the boat would be a good plan.  We knew it was change-over day at the marina, but we wanted to use their entrance to wind.  We correctly deduced that between about 10am and 2pm things would be quiet, so mid-morning we took our chance.  Clare gave the side of the boat a good rinse so that it could dry in the sun, and we set off back to Chirk to do shopping.  We bought a rucksack full of items but still stopped for lunch at a cafe before returning.

By the end of the afternoon, I'd completed my search function and other improvements, and got the paintwork looking shiny again on the second side.

Today I decided I would try applying the carnauba wax that is meant to keep shiny boats shiny.  I had optimistically applied some of this last year, but it had been a disappointment.  It doesn't act as a cleaner - and doesn't claim to!

It was a lot quicker to do, and it was a little cloudy today, so I felt able to apply it in the morning.  It did add a little shine, but nothing as dramatic as the previous days.  I've polished one or two features on the website too - nothing spectacular. We turned round again and I started on the second side.  I commented to Clare that it was a three-handed job - spray, wipe-on and wipe-off.  She took the hint and the wipe-off cloth and we finished the job together.

After lunch we went for a walk in the general direction Chirk Castle.  We followed a path in the right general direction for a bit, but missed a turning and found an interesting path along the other side of the canal.  It gradually got harder to follow, so we eventually turned back and went the way I'd originally planned.

As we gained height on the way up to the castle we could see the land across the canal.  The village of Chirk is home to a huge factory owned by a multi-national chocolate manufacturer (other chocolate manufacturers are available).  Clare commented that it was strange to see (and hear) that they were still working on Easter day.  Surely they should have produced all the eggs and rabbits they needed to by now!

The castle had a large welsh flag flying.  It was towards the end of their opening times, so there was a steady trickle of visitors leaving.  For most of the way we were on paths separated from their vehicles, so the walk remained pleasant and peaceful.