Retirement with No Problem

Moored Little Onn, Shropshire Union Canal

It’s a lovely name, Little Onn, and today the farm here has been busily getting in the huge round bales of straw from the dampened fields, bringing them back over the little canal bridge just in front of us.  It did rain a lot last night, and yesterday’s dusty bridleway that goes alongside the canal on the other side of the hedge was today quite muddy. But the dogs enjoyed!

There is a boat moored behind us, and meeting the chap yesterday, he was telling me that he works in Gnosall, a village not far up the canal from here, doing odd jobs.. “Not finished paying for the boat yet so got to do a bit of work” says he.  Well today he was walking back from the bridge with a huge tray of eggs.. the dogs went bounding down the towpath to greet him.. Oh No!!!!

He balanced the eggs well with one hand while trying to stroke all three as they stopped his progress.  I called them back, and thank goodness they responded, phew!

“I got part paid in eggs today”.  “It was too wet to do the lady’s garden that I had arranged, so I washed the butchers windows and he pays me plus gives me a tray of eggs for that”

Then I was invited to get a box, and he gave me six of them.. I was told that they were free range.  Our friend from the boat behind only eats free range eggs so he tells me!

I have updated the picture albums today, would you believe there were about 108 pics in the July album in the end, and looking through them it is unbelievable just how bad the weather was that month.

This afternoon I managed to get Vic out on a walk with me.. just a mile and half, but we both really enjoyed.. I think we are feeling quite relaxed at the moment with our slow pace of life.. I hear on the Trent and Mersey it is very busy at the locks with queues of eight boats waiting to go through not uncommon, so I am glad we have slowed for a while.. for sure there are a lot of boats going past us.. and a lot in a hurry too. 

People are in a hurry to get around this four counties ring, and there are just so many boats moored they really don’t have time to slow right down to tick over, tending to go past a tad too fast, but I can understand that, and as long as they don’t take my books off the shelf I am OK with it.  I just need to make sure No Problem is secured well to the bank using double ropes front and back to hold her firm.