Bartimaeus

Yesterday I drove most of the day. We hadn’t set off very early, as I had gone to the supermarket before we left. We stopped just after a junction which was reasonably busy. Quite alot of people seem to be out and we met plenty of boats. 

I got up late today. We cast off and headed for Nantwich for lunchtime. There were no locks or junctions needing my attention but I popped out when Shane shouted “kingfisher!”. We got another good view of it flying ahead.

I have taken so many photos that my tablet is complaining of lack of space and I did a lot of deleting and responded to incoming messages during the morning. We stopped to fill up with water and I went to take another photo ( more deleting to do), as I had seen an impressive life size sculpture of a canal horse. It looks like it is made of old bits of a lock.

Sculpture: ” Cliperty  Clop Cliperty Clop”

There was an advertised sculpture trail on a metal plaque and I thought we’d look out for these as we went along. We moved off the water point and moored up a little way on the last available ring of a set of visitors moorings. It seemed quite busy.

We went into Nantwich for lunch at a place that Shane had researched, that was open in a Sunday. It was sunny and we sat outside, but it too was quite busy, particularly with people with dogs it seemed. The staff were attentive. It’s a cafe and bookshop and was impressive both inside and out. It was one of many Tudor style black and white buildings with the top half overhanging. 

We took advantage of being at a book shop and both bought novels, expecting to have more time to hunker down and read in the winter. Shane had wanted a particular book but not found it. We had a stroll around “Nantwich, a hidden treasure” as it seems to be called. We admired a church with gargoyles and read the plaque describing it’s interior, but couldn’t go in. We saw an interesting looking millennium clock, but it was stopped. 

These steps have obviously been around a very long time. It looks like not many people need to use the top step to get on their horse. Did people need more help to mount after a visit to the inn, I wonder.

I was looking for a wool shop but couldn’t find one.We returned to Bartimaeus. Shane did some research and found there was a wool or craft shop tha would be open tomorrow, so we are just going to stay here. He did more woodwork planning. I tried to make a headband, but hadn’t enough wool so and had to rip it back. I am looking forward to finding that wool  shop tomorrow. We wanted to look along the towpath to see the sculpture trail.

We walked back to see one we had not noticed while looking for a mooring spot and found someone has embellished it with what we assume was lost property.

The other sculptures seemed to have been damaged and were missing their plaques. One had a plaque but it has been screwed on upsides down. So in stead of seeing something new and different, we mainly observed the canal boats! We had crossed an aqueduct over a road and noticed that here the canal was above the level of the town. 

Right enough all the locks we were doing were bringing us uphill and have been quite deep. What hard work it was making the canals and working then in those days.

We seem to have had a slow paced day, with not a lot acheived, but we have moved forward and two people have contacted me today about visiting us in the near future, and I may get material for another knitting project, so our plans for the next fortnight are looking a lot more busy than they looked this morning.