Bartimaeus

I got Clare to do most of the driving in the Audlem locks. We weren't in any sort of a hurry and it was another hot sunny day.  Nevertheless, I was taking the short cut across the tail gates with one open, thus saving the time it takes to walk the length of each lock four times.  On a single lock it hardly matters, but on this flight it can add up to waiting for someone to walk more than half a mile.

About half way up the flight I tried for further efficiency by emptying the lock ahead while Clare and Bartimaeus were rising in the lock.  I opened the gates for them to enter before rushing back to release them from the one below. Just as I was dashing away, boaters coming the other way appeared.  When I returned one of them said it was "a bit cheeky" of me to take "their" lock. I had found the lock half full, so it wasn't obvious whose lock it was, and they weren't in sight when I had started emptying it.  They had not even arrived to work the lock until after I had opened the gates. I only explained some of that to them.

 I had a friendly chat with other crew members (it was a hire boat with at least six crew). They were half way round the "Cheshire Ring".  I wished them well when they reached "Heartbreak Hill" - locks on the Trent and Mersey Canal we came through with Bryn last year. The following day I got an alert from Canal and River Trust (CRT) saying that flight was closed due to water shortages. Four of the canals that might have been on our cruising list this year are now closed due to a shortage of water.  Two more are still closed due to breaches caused by excess water earlier in the year. Climate change is not good for the canals (or anything else).

The following day we weren't hurrying on again. In the afternoon I remembered that I had seen some water at the bottom of the bow locker some time ago but not yet investigated.  The radiator that used to be in the saloon is stashed in there; some of the last dribbles from inside it seemed to have escaped and accumulated at the bottom. The dark colour made it look like a lot, but by the time I'd wrung a cloth out four times, everything was dry. Some stashed wood has been slightly damaged, but no other harm done.

We moved on again, through the last of the Audlem Flight and along to the bottom of the locks at Adderley.  We know that mooring on "The Shroppy" can be tricky between the designated mooring spots, so seeing a pretty spot with mooring rings made the decision easy. Outside the hatch dozens of swallows were zooming by - feasting or drinking.  They don't stay still for the camera!

After dark, we were surprised to hear rain on the roof.  I don't remember seeing it in the forecast, in fact I barely remember what rain is.

This morning the day started bright again, though the forecast included a threat of a light shower in the afternoon. I suggested a bike ride and looked for a destination.  Less than ten miles away through small lanes was Wrenbury. We'd been there twice this year and not got to the Berries Cafe either time - today we could fix that.

We arrived at an excellent time for lunch and were able to sit outside at the back in the sunshine. We both enjoyed our meals, which was fortunate as it was the only real excuse for the trip. I tried a different set of lanes on the way back, following a road marked as a no through road except for cyclists.

We went down a track at the road end and soon found ourselves at an ominous looking ford. Tractors clearly drove through here, it was muddy and impossible to see how deep it was.

We wondered if perhaps we should try a different route until I spotted the bridge.  We hadn't noticed the small overgrown path that led us to the bridge and on to the track on the far side.

We found our way back to the boat through a different set of lanes to the ones we'd used on the way out.  Back at the boat I wanted to park the tandem, but there was nothing solid to lean it against.  I have tried leaning it on the boat before, but it doesn't stay still.  I experimented with using the centre strop as a support.  With the back brake on, this worked very well.

The afternoon showers did not materialise, and the batteries were fully topped up in the sunshine. I felt threatened by a dark cloud passing over later on, but it only passed over - I hope it's gone to rain in to a reservoir somewhere. There were more black clouds coming in as the sun went down.