Bartimaeus

We knew the temperature was dropping this week. I also expected that Shane would want to operate the unusual guillotine lock in Slaithwaite so I got dressed up in gloves and hat and waterproofing incase it was drippy. Setting off was wide enough but it soon narrowed into the skinny locks and a long straight through the town. From inside the first lock I saw the name of one of the mill buildings and guessed it must have been wool mill. I had a host of hand knitted woollen items on to keep me warm – in addition to the hat and gloves there was a top and an extra pair of socks.

The guillotine lock was the third lock in Slaithwaite to go through. There is a very narrow route through the town and the final approach to the guillotine lock is none too pretty being below a road. There were some drips and I slid the hatch across on approach so it didn’t get drippy inside.

Once in the lock it felt odd to see the door come down behind you and I had a panicked moment when forward didn’t seem to be working well as we drifted back a little. In shallow water the movement and control can be slow to react. All was well and we didn’t get trimmed by the gate, so I could relax.

 Shane enjoy the different mechanisms, but he does not enjoy very slow movement and I was finding that there was a combination of shallow water and leaves in propellor were making the going sluggish, so just as well I  was driving as I less frustrated with the gentle pace though not keen on the difficulty steering on the lock approach. Still, going very slowly gave Shane plenty time to get ahead and have the lock ready for me to drive into and the autumn leaves are pretty.

I met one other boat. Shallow water always risks a grounding if you are forced to deviate to the side  but we passed serenely, and the other boater shouted “you’d think we were professionals!” I guess he was pleased it was a smooth pass too and as I reached the lock I saw a moored boat strangely close to the entrance to the lock, making the lining up a bit awkward. I realised the other boat had just come through this and was probably very glad we hadn’t met there.

After a while Shane swapped to driving, so he could get a coffee. I seem to have landed up working a most awkward lock that was set against us and had a broken ratchet but the rest were more straightforward. I chatted to a woman on the way who asked if we were heading for Marsden for the jazz festival. We had no idea there was going to be a jazz festival. An enforced two night stop in the small town was looking more interesting. It didn’t  look like there were a rush of boats heading there but perhaps they had got there early. I wondered if finding mooring might be hard. It looked quiet enough where we were moored for the evening. 

We were one lock away from the Marsden flight that we had booked to do the next day. We had a stroll ahead to Marsden in the evening to see if the mooring looked easy and what the flight looked like for equipment required. It was clear there was room to moor and we were chilled about working the locks the next day.

The lock keepers wanted us to start about nine and get through them as fast as we could to let the boats coming the other way come as fast as possible. Since a speedy ascent was expected, I thought Shane locking would be quickest. He would be keener to rush ahead to set locks if needed and be faster at winding and opening. We expected no help but on approach to the first lock of the flight, I was surprised to see a CRT volunteer at the gate. She had brought her husband with her and he had all the gates opened before I got there. The flight went very smoothly, with the odd tricky by-wash, and overgrown brambles obscuring the stonework on entry adding to the leaf clog and shallow water to keep steering interesting. We were through the dozen locks very quickly.

We had plenty of time to see what Marsden had to offer for brunch and entertainment. Unsurprisingly there were pop-up outside food stalls and fully booked cafes but we found space indoors at the Sass cafe. It might have been the first menu I had seen that included items for dogs and cats too. I chose one of the jazz weekend specials, Sass cheesy nachos. I felt we were already in jazzy mode even before we had heard any music.

Someone had passed us earlier and handed us a leaflet of venues and performances with a town map and told us of a soul choir that would be on later that was a late addition so not on the list. Shane wanted to go to the banstand in the park where we saw a youth band, then we made our way to the church for the soul choir and a bit of warmth and a dry out and it seemed catering. The singing, electric guitar and catering all went down well.

Afterwards, Shane was drawn to an outdoor performance at a gazebo. The music was good but the weather was getting wetter as the set went on. The lead singer and saxophonist thought he’d show solidarity with the audience by coming out of the shelter and performing in the rain. He got more than he bargained for as the squall came through and brought hail with it. Despite an initial offer of an umbrella he got a bit a drenching since he wasn’t dressed in waterproofs. He was much to cool for that, and getting cooler by the second! 

As his set ended, we went in search of a drier venue and by chance came across the Arts Centre near the canal. It had a stream of  different performances inside and out – perfect!

With beers in we sat down to the amazing harmonies of the Hanson sisters. Shane was getting too cool with his feet wet but my woolly socks were keeping mine warm and so I stayed while he went to change his footwear. On his return we moved forward to a table and enjoyed the varied programme and some chilli with our beer. Other people joined at our table  who had come for the day from Manchester. Apparently Andy and the Funk Dudes, who were next on the agenda were all the way from Scotland!

Dr Pete’s Salsa Band rounded off the evening getting some dancers up off their seats and the funk dudes and Hanson sisters joining them to dance and limbo. It was a joy, not just to hear the music but to watch generations and strangers mix to have a good time.