Brenda, Martin and Socks Visit.

 Saturday 28th annd Sunday 29th June in Audlem.

Our good friends Brenda and Martin, with their dog "Socks", who now live in this area, came to visit us for lunch. We met up in the "Shroppie Fly" a few yards from our mooring. It has to be one of the most photographed pubs along the waterways. Not a brilliant photographic example, as the sun was absent.

This was formerly a busy wharf and is named after the "Fly" boats that used to travel day and night as fast as possible with perishable goods - and also beer (which always needed to arrive quickly). The bar in the pub is famous for its own "Shroppie Fly".

We had a splendid lunch and a chance to catch up with Brenda and Martin. They were so very helpful last year when our toilet broke as we were able to have spare parts delivered to their house and they then kindly drove them over to MM in Audlem..

After lunch, they came to MM for tea and coffee. It is clear that Socks enjoyed being back on a narrowboat (B&M have their own share boat) and made himself quite at home, even being allowed to sit at the dinette with us!!

When the time came for them to leave, we walked to the car park with them and then went on into town to look for a post box.

As we walked into town, we passed many people carrying chairs, picnics and umbrellas. They were all on their way to Audlem's annual "Party on the Park", an evening of music that was celebrating its 25th year. We did think about going but every ticket was sold. Anyway, the "Park" was just 100 yards from our mooring and, although there was a narrow wood restricting our view, we could hear everything as if we were there anyway. So we saved ourselves £50 on tickets!

The sound system was excellent , very clear and the two bands were very good and played many of the same tracks that we have come to know and love through Randy & the Rockets. So, it was a brilliant evening and we listened to the last hour of the concert warmly tucked up in bed. Probably warmer than the crowd as it started to rain at the end but judging from the cheers, nobody minded!

On Sunday morning, we walked back into town for an excellent breakfast at No. 11. Then R backed MM up to the water point and gave her a thorough wash down before we set off through the two remaining Audlem locks. Below the locks we moored up for the night.

Today: 1 mile, 2 locks and 1.1 hours.

Trip: 70 miles, 60 locks and 40 hours.

What lovely round numbers (see above) to mark this pause in our travels!

In the evening, the distant sky was very threatening but the sun brought a special light to the foreground to make another image worthy of a Constable painting.

 

Tomorrow morning we shall put MM into Overwater Marina, which is just a couple of hundred yards down the canal and then go home. We are planning to go back north to Liverpool but are temporarily blocked by the closure of the lock at Hack Green just a couple of miles further on. Because we have to be home the weekend of 6th July and the weekend of 13th, and because we can go no further until Hack Green reopens sometime around 6th (?), we decided to go home for three weeks

So, we expect to be back on MM on 22nd July to continue our travels... Watch this space ...