Our Neighbours from Meadvale Visit for the Weekend.

 Friday 29th and Saturday 30th April 2022 in Middlewich.

Glorious weather today with clear blue skies. Because we had extended our cruise yesterday and moored up in Middlewich, we could take it easy today and stay put. A day off!  Hurrah!!!

 "Larry" (Laryngitis) Blackbird serenaded us all day from his perch at the top of the tree next to us. We named him Larry as his song was definitely on the croaky side. We couldn't decide if it was Covid or Bird Flu but the lady blackbirds didn't seem to be impressed, poor chap!.

Although we have only been out for less than a week, we have done a lot of locks, so MM was in need of a good wash and polish inside and out in preparation for our weekend visitors.

We also took the opportunity to walk to the local Morrisons for a "few bits".

Early on Saturday morning, our lovely Bulgarian neighbours arrived at 9:30. Boris, Ivona, young Boris and little Alex. This is a "first" for them as they had little knowledge of these eccentric English narrowboats or of the canals.

R walked them down to Wardle Lock, 100 yards behind us, to explain the mysteries of a working lock. We set off to the west, in the other direction, shortly after.

There is something magnetic about the gunwales for teens/preteens. Within a few minutes of setting off, young Boris was very confidently walking round MM and continued enjoying the experience all day!

When young Boris wasn't walking round MM, he became very good at steering her.

Their first ever lock was Stanthorne Lock, which is a deep one. Certainly a baptism of fire (water?).

Two happy Boris's, Senior and Junior.

Both Boris's very quickly learnt the ropes (literally) and how the locks work. For the rest of the weekend, they made an excellent and very helpful crew.

Young Alex was fascinated by the wildflowers next to the towpath. As M, Ivona and Alex walked the towpath, M told them all the English names of the flowers, more than twenty differnt species of them.

After cruising along the Middlewich Branch for  few miles, we turned MM around and moored up for lunch.

 Young Boris looked very relaxed sitting in MM's bow as we cruised back toward Stanthorne Lock.

We moored up back in Middlewich in exactly the same place that we had left this morning, just facing in the other direction in preparation for tomorrow. Having had a large (and rather late) lunch, no one felt hungry enough for dinner. So, Ivona, Boris, Boris and Alex walked back to their car, which they had parked nearby, and returned to their hotel in Chester, declaring that they had had a marvellous day today and were looking forward to tomorrow.

Today: 8 miles, 2 locks and 6.0 hours (including power on Friday).

Trip: 37 miles, 49 locks and 25.5 hours.