A very light drizzle to start and we headed off for Grindley Brook.
Farewell to Grindley Brook staircase locks.
Willeymoor lock and the Willeymoor Lock Tavern.
Although the weather forecast is not good for the weekend, we will be moored here for quite a few days and hopefully we will get a couple of good days to be able to paint things on the starboard side.
Keith.
A misty morning across Blakemere when we awoke.
Even a bit of mist on the canal.
The flag Irises have started to bloom.
Prees branch junction.
Some little “tiddlies” as we call them.
Keith.
We got up early this morning to go shopping at Tescos, it was empty and cool, best of both worlds. With the food shop done and stowed in the cupboards and freezers, we set of for the town to visit the market.
A short trip through Ellesmere tunnel brought us to Blakemere, where we moored, got our chairs out and sat by the mere.
Keith.
Having spent the last week moored in the shade, which was very welcome, and having done as much painting that we could being moored in the port side, we headed off for Ellesmere this morning.
We moored up almost where we moored on our journey up. We set off into Ellesmere. The town has been putting up bunting ready for the Jubilee celebrations.
Some shops have dressed their windows for the Jubilee celebrations.
We had lunch in the much recommended The Red Lion.
I had the steak and ale pie, accompanied with a very smooth pint of Thwaites Best Bitter.
And very nice it was too. Then we went for a walk around the Mere.
The woodland walk is a very quiet place.
Unfortunately Hadar is not in any shade here so when we got back it was a tad warm inside, but fortunately because we eat out at lunch time, Jo won’t have to cook dinner tonight, phewww!
Whilst I was walking Paddy this evening this Jet Provost was flying around over Ellesmere, and Jo managed to get this photo of it.
Keith.
With the warm weather forecasted for this week we are taking advantage of the warm dry weather to get some of the painting jobs on Hadar done. Our chimneys and mops have had a revamp.
The hedgerow makes a good hanging place for the chimneys for painting and drying. Jo started to rub down the cratch to discover part of it has rotted, so I had to dig most of it out and cut a piece of timber to fit as a temporary fix, Jo used filler to fill in the rest.
Jo also prepared and undercoated the white band on the stern, whilst I painted the inside of our 2 water cans, which will need a few coats, as the previous layers were not enough. We also removed all the strings holding down the sheeting and scrubbed them, and put them back on, almost white again. We also put the summer front strings on, which are white, as opposed to the buff one we out on for the winter months. Jo also rubbed down and got 2 undercoats on the front hatch cover. We also rubbed down our other poles and teak oiled them. We are pleased to have got so much done today, less to do tomorrow.
Keith.
We stayed moored at the Weston branch awaiting 12:00 midday, which is when the lock keeper was due to arrive at Frankton locks to let us through. As we sat there, boat after boat headed past us for the locks, 5 in all, but we were in no hurry, especially as we knew we wouldn’t be able to pull in anywhere. Once the boats started to move up through the locks we set off, and arrived just as the one before us was pulling forward towards the lock.
I managed to get the bow in, and Jo had to walk the gunwale to get off at the bow. The pounds were low so I had to creep down through the centre of them to the next lock.
Some black tulips below the lock chamber.
We cleared the locks, turned right at the junction and moored up at the 1st 48 hour mooring we came to, just before Val Hill No.3 bridge, where we will spend a few days this week painting, as the weather forecast is ideal for doing some sprucing up at last.
Keith.
