Cheshire dreaming

A perfect  summer's day , the chill grey of a wintery Spring, 4 layers of clothing, hat, scarf- the complete wrap up- a distant memory.

Our Oz friends came aboard in Macclesfield, happily ensconsed, entertaining us and others as they set up easels on the tow path. One boater moored near us,  drives a truck in Europe, said he was in tears watching W paint. It's always fascinating seeing the artist's perceptions take shape.

A leak from the canal in Macclesfield created a minor delay, as the offending section was firat dammed, then drained, large submersible pumps taking the water to the upside of the dam, while men in waders struggled in the mud, sandbags, shovels, and quickset concrete in action. Meantime boats were banking up, moored abreast,  a group watching the workers in action. By 7pm ithe leak was repaired, and we decided to cruise on.... a failure of the repair was a possibility,  as was a queue for the descent of the 12 Bosley locks.

We tackled these yesterday morning, a fine sunny day, with our crew of 4 we did the 12 in 90 minutes, remarkably fast.  A tight 90° turn from lock 11 to 12 required a little reverse thrust,  and fortunately no crunching.

Now we are dawdling at 3.5 mph towards the junction of the Macclesfield with the mighty Trent and Mersey, which traverses England from the Mersey (Irish Sea) to the Humber (North Sea). Our goal for this afternoon is Stoke on Trent.

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