Ships Cat

RIP

Somethings look like a good idea on paper ...

After my marathon day yesterday of 4 hours boating, 8 miles cycling, don't know how manymiles in the car (okay I admit I got a bit lost in the car!) I thought I would stay put and get some work done.

This I duly did along with some cleaning (I do a lot of displacement activity when I am working!) (Which is sometimes a good thing as I get a lot done)

I then thought rather than vegging in front of the tv and wasting all that good effort in the last few days cycling, carrying water for miles etc etc I would go for a lovely walk in the woods on the other side of the canal.  The map showed a truly splendid bridleway going through it (as well as a footpath).

So at 6pm I shut up the boat and walked back along the towpath to the bridge, a smidgen of road work then a farm track followed by this bridleway across the field and into the woods.  All going well so far.  I found the bridleway marker but no obvious way across the field.  This has always annoyed me when farmers plough across paths.  I double checked the map, worked out roughly where in the woods looked like the entrance and straight across the crop I went.  At the brow of the hill I could see a slight indentation in the crop showing that I was heading in the right direction and that at least one other person had been that way.

Rickety bridge across stream that I wouldn't have liked to get my horse across especially with a gate on the otherside (no fence just a gate).

Nevermind didn't look like anyone actually brought their horses in the woods anyway.  I reached the turnoff in the middle of the woods and took it, now to be fair I may have turned too early but it looked like a nice wide path albeit totally overgrown with brambles and fallen branches.

Tramp scramble ouch later and the path completely disappeared.

I kept going following animal tracks.

I really don't think any horses or humans have been in there for a very long time...

I found lots of these.

I caught a glimpse of what I thought was a rooftop in the distance and scrabbled my way towards it, excuses at the ready and it turned out to be this ...

I was very pleased indeed to see it.  I climbed up the wall at the side hoping that there would be a passing boater that would point their bows onto the weir and then deposit me safely onto the otherside of the canal.  There wasn't so I had to come back down again with only nettles to hold on to.  Ooh er missus.

This is what I had to delve back into.  Luckily I had my explorers hat on however I didn't have my machete which I very much regretted.  Still I had remembered to bring a bottle of water so it wasn't all bad.

Keeping the canal on my right I finally popped out into the field and spotted the good ship in the distance.  So near and yet so far.  If you look carefully you can see the bridge I needed to cross.

Having reached the bridge and looking back across the field I can see that perhaps I would have been better off doing the route this way round!

Must remember I no longer have a horse and that I can use footpaths.

Still I have had an adventure and you can't beat that sort of walk.

I would like to advise others coming through Audlem not to buy from the little shed as according to Alison at Adderley Wharf Farm Shop (see Windsong blog) they are the bane of her life.  Apparently the conditions the food is prepared in leaves a little to be desired and he gets his eggs (large and double yolkers) from some market on a Wednesday.  They are from battery hens that can't be supplied to supermarkets.  Alison has had environment health type people round to check on her so food from there should be perfectly safe.  So hang on until the Adderley Flight.  You can phone your order ahead and it will be ready for you when you arrive at the top lock.  Alison 07947 389098 and Simon 07710 312747.

Sven der fender

is no longer a defender extraordinaire.  However he is doing sterling work as a Shroppie shelf supporter

His previous position has been taken over by

Black Betty

Bam ba lam.

Blogger spotting

Windsong - tick

2011 annual school reunion

This year held at Helen's Welsh Pad.

Despite the grey clouds in the background we missed any showers on the Saturday and as none of us had been sensible and brought sun tan cream we got a tad burnt.

Sunday being travelling day it didn't matter that it flung it down in spades all day.

Try stacking this lot in the supermarket.

Delish.

I look forward to the homemade ginger and spring onion sausages she had made only last night!

On the Audlem flight around lock 15 I think there is a tiny little building on the lockside.  About the size of a small garden shed.

This is a little shop for a butcher.

Love it.

Reminds me of the little shop on the mine where I grew up that was in the bottom of the electricity sub station.

Health and Safety?

Nah.

Shshshsh I have also been to the

No it wasn't there.

But it was where it was supposed to be.

As I approached I did wonder if I was actually going to get out again.

I found it very disturbing.  I went in full of the joys of spring and came out severely depressed.

However life goes on.

It was so hot I had to break out the shorts.

I was messing around at the stern of the boat when a boat going the other way to the locks which were set for them appeared to be having a domestic.

After a while I was aware the man was on the phone telling someone where they were.  Initially I thought maybe they had broken down.  but when I heard him say to his wife that no he wouldn't leave her I realised that something more serious was happening.   I padded down the towpath in my bare feet to offer some help - perhaps to wait at the bridge for the ambulance.

In the end I had to keep an eye on his wife in the boat as she had lost the end of her thumb in the ropes.

I offered to look after the dogs while they were at the hospital.

I rigged up a long line for them while I did some work.

cute huh

Reminds me of 

compare the meerkats dot com.

I took them for a long walk and dropped them off in their boat at 9pm so they should be knackered and go to sleep until their owners return later on.

Still at least I am no longer thinking of nuclear war.