Retirement with No Problem

Market Drayton to Goldstone, Shropshire Union Canal, 3 miles 5 locks

Ha, that’s better this morning, phew I was so tired last night.  The picture on last night’s blog showed our very last log from the ash stash that we had collected just three months ago at Elton on the River Nene… But that picture would shortly be changing.

Earlier it was time for Meg to visit the vet again.  It has been every other day so far for the last two or three weeks because they had been desperately trying to save her pad on her paw after a dreadful accident at Adderley some five weeks ago..

“That’s it.. stitches out, bandages off, let nature take it’s course, no need for any more vets”….. Oh Joy!!!

It just happened that we had one of the best vets in the county on duty that day at the surgery, an orthopedic surgeon no less was taking his turn at the group’s Market Drayton base.

I couldn’t wait to get back to see Vic’s face as Meg bounced timidly aboard with no heavy bandaging on her foot.. his face didn’t disappoint me, a look of total disbelief mixed with shear delight.. that got me at it, and I spent the next 5 minutes doing what all women tend to do when emotion mixes with release of stress..

Onward!!

A misty day yesterday and quite chilly, but the weather is quiet making for easy boating.  Look on the roof.. before reaching here I spied a bit of branch stuck out in the towpath hedge.. wood!  The last log was burnt the night before.. just in time!

The small branch on investigation turned out to be rather larger as we pulled at it in the undergrowth, all oak just when we needed it.

What a day this turned out to be.  You never know what is going to happen when you wake in the morning sometimes, and yesterday was such a wonderful day..

Meg needs a couple of days just to get that pad sorted, so we will stay put over the weekend on this lovely soft towpath.  The dead black part of the pad is already coming off showing a pink skin underneath that is as smooth as a baby’s bum, she will need to use it to get it hardened off.

We celebrated last night with a pint or two at the Wharf Inn here at Goldstone reflecting on plans A to F for the pre Christmas cruise all of which were thrown out of the window, now we are thinking about plan G..

Life aboard a narrowboat can, at times, test your emotions, frustrations and stress levels, but for sure, there is no where else in the world I would rather be living… especially right now..