Bartimaeus

At the top of the Audlem locks the lady who sells home baking, pies, pasties and ice cream had given Shane a couple of pasties free, saying they were out of date. So for lunch the day after there was left over curry, quite a bit of rice, past it pasties and Shane's newly baked bread. There were also some excess boiled potatoes from two days earlier but they didn't get a look in. We had too much to use up already and some of the scones and  flapjacks too.

I don't like wasting food and know Heather likes to use up left overs in a meal too so when it came to me making a meal in the evening I decided to try using up the potatoes and rice. I made a Spanish omelette with all the potatoes in it and heated through the rice with fried up some onion, garlic and peppers and added some smoked paprika and tomato puree. I had another dish of seasoned aubergine, garlic and cherry tomatoes fried up. I said it was a Spanish themed meal with Mediterranean vegetables, using up the leftovers. On that front it was a satisfactory accomplishment. I didn't call it tapas. Shane dubbed it a Splatter (Spanish platter) though I hadn't thought the presentaton that bad! 

This morning, after breakfast, Heather was in the bathroom when an alarm started ticking. We broke the news to her, when she came out that the clicking noise was the waste tank announcing it was 80% full. It was getting towards time to find a pump out facility but there were a few possibilities ahead so nothing to worry about and plenty room for us to leave it until after she left. We stopped the clicking noise by telling the display that we had noted the alarm.

We set off with Shane getting the first lock ready and Heather casting off herself while I went to catch up with him. He had it all ready so I had time to pause. I looked over and wondered what the gold thing was across the water, suitably autumnal but not natural. It was a bright morning but this was not a good shiny thing to see. It was a large deflated balloon . These are very bad for livestock and probably wildlife too, but it wasn't where I could reach it to put it in our bin.

Then as we worked the lock I saw a bin bag across the lock from me with a tangle of ropes. It wasn't anything we would be popping in our bin and sometimes a farmer has a collection of handy rope but it did seem rather more old rope than handy and more dumped than stored.  Apart from the black plastic bag it blended in with the background.

At the next lock I saw a fresh green shoot on the lock gate. I have seen a few sets of mushrooms or moss but not normally grass or plants on this part of the gate, which is heavily used. Part of me worried it was damaging the gate and had I been a gardener I might have weeded or replanted it, but it looked so cute I didn't want to uproot it.

The locks were set against us so Shane was going ahead to set the next one, while I opened the top gate. There was a funny mix of sun and mist and while we had all dressed warmly, we weren't feeling so cold in the sun.

The other locks were stretched behind in the mist. It was an atmospheric autumn day without too much chill.

As I was working a lock with Shane, I saw something on his side. There were metal guard gates around a hazard and I thought there were sandbags there to stabilise it. I crossed to his side and he swapped over too, so he was able to pop ahead once we had opened the gates. When I looked I found it wasn't to do with the fence but more discarded items, looked like a shirt and scarf, an odd place for them to be. 

All these were on the non towpath side. Heather had noted the towpath was well looked after. Grass was recently cut and hedges were trimmed and there wasn't much litter. The far side isn't where the litter pickers go.

The birds were out in the sunshine and I particularly enjoyed watching a tree creeper that looked almost like a mouse running round the tree, before I got a better look at it. I was watching the blackbirds enjoying the haws on one side. On the other side were a lot of snow berries. Heather told me these were a non-native species. They are pretty and probably escaped from gardens. I haven't noticed birds feeding on them and that could be an issue, if they replaced other native species that provides food, but apparently some creatures and birds do eat them, though they are poisonous to humans. 

The snow berries are designed to be winter interest in the gardens, but as the sun shone I found a common weed, was looking prettier than usual. I have had nettle tea - and soup too but I have never made it myself. It was being surprisingly decorative as well as possibly nutritious. I don't usually view them so favourably. I usually find their main virtue is that it is easy to fling biodegradable waste, like fruit and veg peelings into patches of nettles and they disappear from view.

At another lock, again on the far side, I saw something else abandoned. It was an honesty box/jar. It possibly only gets seasonal use as it had a handwritten paper advertising currants and courgettes. There was a metal box above with a slot for donations. I assume this will be back in use next year or is it just abandoned?

We stopped for water at Audlem and I went to look at the mill building. It looked like it had a cafe and arts centre. It seemed shut and although there were artworks on the wall, it looked empty and there was a To Let sign on the gable wall. The windows were covered with ideas from locals of what they would like to see in the space. Was this to inspire would be renters that there was a customer base for their business? It definitely looks like they don't want the building and craft opportunity wasted as crafts and coffee shop was the most common suggestion.

Heather volunteered to watch the water while Shane and I did some jobs in town. We described the various signs that the tank is full. Over flowing would be obvious but she didn't need to stand over it. You can hear it and there is a gauge on the display. When we showed her the control panel she was distracted by the flashing warning of the nearly full waste tank. No not that tank, the one with a tap symbol, not the toilet symbol. Then it was obvious you could see the numbers steadily rising. The waste tank was fortunately not filling at that pace!

Shane went to take books he had read to a book swap we had seen 2 days before. He had picked up a book there and was dropping off four. I was going grocery shopping, but also that shop took squishy plastic for recycling so Shane handed me a large carrier bag to dispose of there. It looked quite full but the squishy plastic is easy to press down.

On our return we found we had missed meeting fellow Ortomariners Mel and Phil. Heather had remembered the names and the name of their boat though. They had been on foot and not aboard when they passed by.

 We carried on through the last of the Audlem locks with some local walkers giving encouragement "Nearly there", "Only one more to go!" Fortunately we find locks quite satisfying and with extra hands we weren't too puggled. We had just gone up and back down again for the fun of it!

We found garden produce, by the last lock of the Audlem flight. There was a courge there and some tempting runner beans but signs saying 'no scrumping'. The gardeners obviously want to grow their own or perhaps sell. I hoped someone was going to come to harvest these fine specimens and that they would not go to waste. Courgettes are renowned for having a glut in the summer. These both seemed like summer vegetables.

Heather observed that she had not seen an inner tent used as a greenhouse before. I wondered if it was just to keep birds away and the mesh might reduce the impact of wind on the produce but there was certainly plenty evidence of repurposing of other items, old hose pipe, inner tents and canes constructing protection for plants. Some look more robust than others

Shortly after, we moored up for lunch and then Heather and I decided to go for a walk while Shane drove on. Some birds thought we might have a snack so I got some wholemeal crumbs from Shane's bread off the bread board and they were snapped up.

We kept ahead on our walk, while pausing at fields and plants from time to time.

Then we came across Hunky Dory, Mel and Phil's boat. Heather duly admired the boat but there was no sign of the owners. Shane was not far behind so we waited so as not to waste the opportunity to capture the boats meeting and share on the group community chat.

We had been surprised to come across Hunky Dory as last time we met Mel and Phil it was at OverWater Marina where they were moored and they are so close but not in there. Heather and I paused at the Marina itself and waited to remind Shane that this was a possible pump out point he had mentioned and did he want to do it now and if so could one of us help. He decided he would take the opportunity to empty  the waste tank and was going to manage it himself. I would prefer a spotter to execute the turn, but Shane doesn't, especially when it isn't a windy day.

We waited for him at the nearby bridge that is the walkers way into the marina. While Shane was approaching we had a fine view of a swan flying over the bridge. What a great sound their beating wings make!

We waved to Shane but this wasn't an easy place to pick us up. We kept walking, enjoying seeing a rose still looking good when mostly there are only hips now.

We passed a sign telling us about local wildlife. Heather had told me about it before and mentioned hares as something to see locally. I hadn't expected this was the time of year for them, but this November day had presented a rose, and a courgette already. More to be expected was a heron. It flew off as boats passed and we kept catching it up We watched a heron fly forward several times and only saw it leave when Shane arrived and it decided to fly the other way.

We helped with mooring the boat. Then, while we were having an afternoon cup of tea a hare did indeed run past in the field opposite. Never one to waste a chance for a contemplative walk in nature, Heather proposed another walk, even though it was getting dark very soon. I decided against it but she was happy to go on her own. Shane pointed out that I had that day walked the entire length of the distance Bartimaeus had moved that day and worked all the locks so I was justified in enjoying a seat at last after a productive day.