Bartimaeus

We had a fine start to our morning surrounded by birds, like a noisy wren, in the hedge,  a meadow pipit,  chaffinches flitting about and, crossing over between both sides of the canal, flocks of starlings and fieldfares. 

But we couldn't sit there all day however much we may have wished it. Those locks wouldn't work themselves. Heather's visit is an out and back so we either turn round before all of them or do all of them and then turn round and come back and that's what we planned to do since it was suitable travelling weather and we had time to do it. So off we set, past Overwater Marina where we had walked the night before, and on to the start of the locks. Shane hopped off and got the lock ready. Heather drove in.

Rather than push past Heather while she was steering through the bridge, I didn't take the chance to step off then realised as we approached the lock that there was nowhere to step off there. Shane was left locking alone.

I got off in time to help with the next one. After that we were finding a mooring in order to have lunch before tackling a series of locks. These were much closer together, with no opportunity to moor up. 

We walked in to Audlem, past The Shroppie Fly (a pub named after a boat, and this stretch of waterway). I had been much confused about what people a few years earlier were referring to when they said the pub name or recommended the Fly. I wished to have it explained but didn't like to ask. I may have misunderstood the local accent and the explanation in that case would not help. When we reached there it was a big "aha" moment to discover a Fly was a kind of canal boat.

Audlem, I recalled had many flags in their High Street, and they still do. I didn't remember seeing this contemplative artwork for prayer, meditation or some other kind of reflective practice or wishful thinking. Despite it's name Heather noted it had no mirrors.

We found the cafe round the corner, past the Church, and were directed upstairs, having been told they had baked potatoes on offer and only two portions of mushroom soup - another soup was available but Shane and I preferred mushroom - we quickly made our minds up to have those soups and Heather chose a baked potato. We didn't squabble so I hope Heather really fancied the baked potato and wasn't just keeping the peace by letting us have the soups - that would indeed be very like her. It was very good soup too.

Returning to the boat we moved forward as far as a water point. Heather had lined us up neatly opposite the post so we could use the short hose. It reached but had sufficient spring in it that although it went in quite deep it kept pushing back up, I couldn't let go or it would ping out. I had no wish to stand bent over it. I decided we could try putting the heavy lid of the compartment back over and it would hold it down but not crush it as we have quite a rigid, non collapsible hose. Many people use a collapsible hose, as they take less space and don't pool water inside and possibly it wouldn't have the issue we now had, but also this fix wouldn't have worked. This was the first time we had tried this.

Once we were full, Heather and I went on to get the lock ready, while Shane put away the hose and cast off. Heather and I then worked the several locks. We started at unlucky number 13. It's not that I am superstitious but it just seemed to have three annoying problems. Shane had warned us that nasty knuckle bashing was possible. The gate arm was sculpted with a diagonal cut on the edges which can help you not catch your knuckles on the gate when winding a gate paddle. However this time the lock arm changed to square, sticking out further, just below the winding mechanism, so that I couldn't turn all the way round. In addition it was so stiff I couldn't turn it easily. Heather put her windlass on the other end and we turned together but then she couldn't turn all the way as there was a rail along the top of the gate that blocked it, so we did a slow staggered turn. The rail itself should help people cross the lock gate safely but is not in a place you can reach without risking getting very oily from the gate mechanism.  I wasn't looking forward to a flight like this, but none of the other locks had any of those problems, so all was well. Heather was clearly enjoying herself too.

We had a good rhythm going and all the locks were set our way unless they leaked a bit. Shane rested the nose against the gate and once Bartimaeus gently nudged the gate open. 

Shane may have been showing off the newly straightened bow fender. He had used a boat hook to shift it round, but it was quite a tricky place to be standing to do the job. I wished he would wait and do it when we were moored at the side rather than in a full lock, where a slip could mean complete immersion. The bow isn't very grippy. A boat we saw the other day, had grip strips on the bow locker and that seems an excellent idea. Although he staggered backwards once, he didn't slip or fall over. At the next lock he tried again and this time succeeded. Afterwards he was quite protective of his work.

Heather took over the driving later and once we reached the top the lady who runs the shop was just taking her goods in. I had forgotten about that treat. When I went to choose some baking I bought the last of her stock. What luck to get there just in time, couldn't have wished for better and what's more it was her last day of business and they usually stop in October.

Shane did another job of cleaning the panels while we went along. Some of those lovely birds do sometimes mess up the panels. Heather said Bartimaeus had been "blessed", but wish it wasn't, though Shane does like to get out his favourite bucket.

Then he added lights to the stirrup steps on the side as it was about sunset. On top of her excellent driving, Heather produced a beetroot curry, I must add that to my repertoire.

In the morning Heather and I  started the day offering titbits to a swan. They weren't interested in coriander and beetroot peel but kept wishing for something better, hanging round the window.

We had the Auderley locks to do. They are a much shorter set than Audlem and Shane set off to get it ready. Heather and I cast off. Then she went to help on the lock, while I drove.

While she waited she put her feet up again. It's not a pose either of us adopt but she does regularly.

She then left Shane to the next lock as she wished a coffee. Shane was stepping across the lock gates in that worrying way when he had no assistance. It is quicker so I can rely on the other gate opening as I hurry forwards. The side wash means a bit of speed is needed to steer in. Heather caught me concentrating from in the galley, a novel winter angle, made possible by the new addition of windows in the back doors.

At the top we turned round and came back down again. We had reminisced about us doing this five years ago and how in my less experienced state and with even stronger by-wash and water flows I had ended up stuck against a weir and being dragged through a hedge backwards. I said firmly I wished not to drive that section, but in the end all the situations were different. The hedge had been cut back too.

Heather drove in the return. I wondered why there was a "Thank you for your  visit" sign and had seen it on the previous day while driving in the other direction. Shane said it says Welcome to Audlem in the other side. It seemed an odd spot for all the well wishing in the middle of nowhere. It wasn't even the start of the Audlem flight, but Shane later found it was the county boundary between Shropshire and Cheshire East

We moored up before the closely packed locks, but had enough daylight for a short walk. We had to walk back to the lock and cross over. Shane had found a circular walk and though it wasn't marked as connected on his map he trusted that it would be. His wishful thinking was borne out and he said he would amend the map to match reality. We had a short diversion to follow a path labelled "wishing well". We thought it might be a wild goose chase but there did seem to be some stones marking a very wet spot. We didn't throw any coins in. Our main wish was for the route to work and get back before dark.