Wednesday, 15 August 2012

Birthday Girl!

Yesterday was Lyn’s birthday and it was set in motion, in a right and proper way, by birthday cake and coffee.  Before we left our mooring we were joined by nb ‘New Dawn’ and ‘Eleventh Heaven’ who did a short hop up the canal from their own overnight moorings to be with us.

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Clockwise: Les, Lyn (the birthday girl), Chris (last week ends birthday boy!), Chris, Bill, Eileen and Doug.  All tucking into chocolate cake at 11 o, clock in the morning.  Doug baked a “decoy” victoria sponge cake the night before to put Lyn of the scent of the real birthday cake!

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Farewell to ‘New Dawn’ and ‘Eleventh Heaven’ for the time being – see you all later in the year.  Safe passage to you all.

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A fine example of a stable block used for the Fly Boat horses when a change of horse was required. (now converted to a very nice house).

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At the end of the Middlewich Branch is the attractive Wardle Lock. Lyn and Doug are sitting on the arm of the lock gate and Chris is on the back of nb ‘Niamh’.

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Between Wardle Lock and Bridge 168 – seen here, is (technically) the shortest canal in the country.  It was built as a ruse to get more tax revenue by the Trent and Mersey Canal Company.

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It’s a tight squeeze getting out of Wardle lock.

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Getting towards the end of, what was a fairly busy, long and very hot, journey – we’re now entering the ‘flash’ area of the Trent and Mersey canal.  This is Croxton Flash (a collapse of the ground due to the mine workings underneath) an area you have to keep well to the edge of as it’s not very deep!

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We found a nice mooring on the edge of another ‘flash’ and were soon continuing Lyn’s birthday celebrations by opening a bottle of Champagne.  This was followed by a three course  dinner on board ‘Chance’.  We all slept well last night!

6 locks and 10 miles

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