Retirement with No Problem

Audlem to Nantwich, Shropshire Union Canal, 6.25 miles, 6 locks

I had already met blog reader Mike from Sarah-Kate when he wandered along the towpath last Friday.. he questioned me about our boat bottom blacking that we had done last week, having had that information from Mo (NB Balmaha).. Sarah-Kate is due at Norbury Junction this week for the same job done.. He had a good look at ours.. but I assured him a good job was done.  So it was on Saturday that I met Jo the other half of Sarah-Kate coming back from the local table top sale.. darn it, missed that!  I do like these local fairs.. I must look out for them more often..

Lots of walking at Audlem.   On Saturday away over the hills above Audlem..

And lovely views of the village and the charming church in the distance.. another walk over the weekend took us to the other side of the canal towards Combemere Park.. lots of sheep in this field too..

They are feeding on small turnips which are growing in the ground.. they all certainly look well on it!

Saturday night in the Shroppie Fly was great.  We decided to go out for dinner as well.  A super evening in the pub, with a good band to entertain us until late. 

We have had some bird visitors on our bird nuts over the weekend, but an opportunist also arrived on Sunday..

He just wrapped his feet around the branch and chomped away.  I don’t know how he managed to get the nuts out through the narrow bits of wire, for sure I thought he had broken through it or something, but when I checked it was all OK!

The visitor moorings opposite the Shroppie Fly are closed..

This is always a nice place to moor, and I was disappointed to see the signs.  It wasn’t until we had put the pins in at Nantwich that I would get some news as to what was happening at Audlem.. a passing British Waterways Lengthsman checking licences.. oh and “Yes your boat is licenced to December 2009 on my computer” (hooray).. anyway he said that the moorings were only closed so the BW barges could load and offload while they were doing some work on the locks.. so that is good.. the work looks finished now, so perhaps they will re-open shortly.

Pins pulled this morning and it was goodbye to Audlem for now.. here a pic of the Shroppie Fly (the white building) where we had spend our evening on Saturday..

Four locks to do at Audlem before going off into the coutryside heading for the next pair of locks at Hack Green.. but not before passing THAT sign!…

Shhhhhhhh don’t tell anyone you have seen it.. teehee!

Talking of signs, there are a lot of these along the canal telling us how far we are from one place to another…

Just three miles to go to Nantwich out of the six or so we did today.  But just before we reached our chosen mooring for the night…

I spy!!

And a quick shout of greetings as Bruce and Sheila from Sanity who were just on the way to Morrisons for a bit of a stock up.. I did see them pass at Audlem on Sunday.. no doubt we will be waving at each other over the next few days as we leap frog each other along the canal..

So in went the pins just after the road aqueduct, mooring on the embankment.  Time for me to go to Morrisons this afternoon.  I needed milk and bread, and the co-op in Audlem had neither even at 10am this morning!

The weather might be Ok tomorrow in which case we will continue northwards.. but if the rain and wind comes we might have to rethink!