What I love about going somewhere new is that we just don’t know what is around the corner. Sometimes, that’s not such a good thing. Today however, as 1330hrs approached and my stomach started protesting, we came across an eclectic cafe and cheese shop, selling all sorts of things from Marmalade gin, to ladies summer hats and handbags, kindling wood and charcoal! (The gin sample was particularly good). As I write this in the comfort of the cafe, l have just polished off some carrot soup and the most delicious homemade cheese scone – all the more welcome now that the days are turning autumnal and slightly colder. Where we moored last night, we had poor signal, which resulted in me leaving the cosy (well, it wasn’t that warm!) boat at 8am to join a prayer zoom call. Fortunately, I have a fleecy oversized hoodie that is like wearing a blanket! A couple of hours later, we moored up at a marina with a highly recommended cafe and the wifi enabled me to join a live stream of a funeral, close to our old home town. It was an incredibly moving service, sensitively conducted by the vicar, who brought alive the chosen bible passage and then, instead of a eulogy, spoke a prayer of thanksgiving, listing all the gifts and interests of the lady who had died, including the things she loved the most and her character traits. It was dignified and simple, with the Christian message of forgiveness and hope at its centre. Rarely, it seems to me, does God get much of a mention, with funerals centered on the personality and good works of the person who has died, without any mention of their creator!
But back to boating! We rejoined the boat in the middle of September, where it had been moored at the Wolverhampton boat club. Our journey from London was slightly hampered by lugging a new radiator for the boat (had I realised how heavy it was I may have discouraged R from buying it from our local Screwfix!) but needs must! When we arrived at Market Drayton our good friend J agreed to help R replace the leaky radiator. In reality, J did the job whilst R watched and handed him the relevant tools (many of which J had to find in his own toolkit!). I’m struck again by the kindness of the boating community.
Market Drayton was followed by a steep descent of many locks which we found a bit tiring, ending up once again at Nantwich for an overnight stay and the welcome use of the local marina laundrette. I still get a thrill from washing and drying absolutely everything that is in need of cleaning! In addition I often meet really interesting people, mainly boaters, with a tale to tell. The previous Saturday at Market Drayton (which had been celebrating the annual Ginger & Spice festival – fun fact: MD is home of the gingerbread man!) had been relatively warm, and I sat outside on the boat stern with my sign encouraging people to stop and chat. A lovely couple, who were walking to the Tyrley locks, chatted extensively, mainly because they too were boaters. However, as I was still on the stern when they returned from their walk, we chatted further and this time a deeper story emerged of the health difficulties they are presently facing. It reminded me of why we feel led to giving people listening time and what a difference a little bit of kindness can make. Even though this lady had an, abnormally, high blood pressure, she could not get past the receptionists, to speak to, or see a doctor!
We were then on the receiving end of kindness! Mooring up on the Middlewich arm, knowing we had to leave the boat yet again, I was not happy just mooring on the towpath side. I spied a couple of boats moored opposite adjacent to a farmer’s field and said to R that that would be an ideal mooring. We went for a walk to see what we thought of the area and passing under the next bridge, came across a row of moored boats opposite us. Two men were chatting, so I asked them how safe this part of the canal is, mentioning that I’d really like to moor up on their side of the canal. It just so happened one of the men was farmer P himself! Not only did he say we could moor up, he led me to the exact spot I had mentioned to R as being an ideal mooring! Intrigued by our Canal Ministry sign, we had a lively discussion, especially as his wife wanted to baptise their baby, but he wasn’t too sure. Then, when he told me how much the weeks mooring fee would be, he suddenly reduced it by £10, saying he wanted me to put it towards our Canal Ministry work! After a week away, we returned to the boat minus any milk. The irony of being moored next to a dairy farm and only having UHT! However P suggested I bring a jug to him the next morning which he filled with delicious unpasteurised milk – a treat I haven’t enjoyed since childhood. Infact, there was something very quaint about crossing a field to collect the freshest of milk. Another boater told us to go easy and only use it in our tea and coffee, as it can cause a tummy upset. I’m not a fan of milk, having had too many sour small bottles at infant school (that ages me) but I did try a little on its own and it was absolutely delicious!
We’ve known we had to change the fuel filter but neither R or I relished the idea – the last time oil kept spraying from the changed filter until we managed to successfully fit it, after many attempts. We’ve also noticed a slight coolant leak. Farmer P told us to get hold of MB who lives on site as he knows lots about engines. Sure enough, MB helped us with the coolant leak (which is so slight at the moment it’s too difficult to pinpoint) and with changing the oil filter. All for two jam donuts! We told him we wanted to turn the boat around and had spied a slightly wider section of canal. He advised against it as his friend with a 40ft boat had had to be pulled off the mud by Farmer P’s tractor. I thought that might be a bit embarrassing! So instead, we went further along the cut, down two locks into Middlewich. Walked 20mins to Lidl, stocked up on supplies (including the donuts), then returned up the two locks, arriving back where we had started after about three hours. Such is the boating life.
Last time we were on the boat, my back was aching but on our return home, the ache disappeared. As I am wondering if it is to do with the mattress (the home bed is firmer) which is topped with a thick soft topper, the first thing we did on returning to the boat was to swop the mattress and topper. Now the topper is under the mattress. No mean feat on a narrowboat but it seems to have done the trick. Slightly bizarre though!
I just want to give a shout out to the lovely AS, aunt to my son in law. Hearing we were in the vicinity, but car-less, and needing to get to a wedding 30 mins taxi ride from the boat, she became our chauffeur for three days, including dropping us off at the railway station so that we could get back to dry land and even taking us to visit some other relatives of mine in the locality. Kindness such as that, makes our lives so much easier, especially when really we have no idea where we are!!
#Cheshire #narrowboating #canalministeries #taylorsaboardanarrowboat #thecut #boaterschristianfellowship #nature #Christiansconnectonthecut #canals #stpancrascruisingclub #waterways #standrewschurchfarnham #kxc #boating #livingaboard #retirement #boaterschristianfellowship
NarrowboatTLC 