Day Out

Great Day today

Thank you to Chris and Gerry for a wonderful reception, lunch and walk. Chris and Gerry have been stuck in the ice in Great Haywood throughout the cold snap, we were feeling rather sorry for them being stuck in the middle of nowhere.
How wrong could we be what a wonderful place they have the Shrudburry Manor estate on one side and the river Trent on the other. The views are stunning and the walks fantastic, except for the inconvenience of having to walk for the water, diesel, and coal they have fared a lot better than some in the marina's and now the canal has thawed they are mobile again, unlike us who are still iced up. and still having to push a barrow with the coal in.

It was great to get out again (before the price of petrol makes us all house bound ) anyway, being back on the Cut was great it started my itching feet tapping and raring to go, spring can not come quick enough.

Check out the pics and if you are ever passing Great Haywood stop and experience the place very very nice especially the walk over the pack horse bridge and along the river.

Keep smiling we will all be out again soon

Big Al

The Pack Horse Bridge

The Manor House

Long Horns

Noreen and Chris all wrapped up

 

Hi everyone
Well that's it Christmas and New Year over, packed and stowed away until the festive season comes around again.
We had a great Christmas mainly because we decided that we were going to try and take out the commercial element out of Christmas, and to a degree we did especially in the respect of presents, most of our presents for adults were things we made Noreen made a selection of biscuits and I painted the tins to put them in, I also made personalised calenders with photo's of their visits to the boat all these items were accepted with as much enthusiasm a as expensive gifts. Children of course are a little more difficult, though we did decide to make every present a practical one (our grandson has not yet played with half the presents he got last year) We now seem to live in a throw away society at least when you give biscuits you know they are not going to finish up in a bottom draw. I also feel its nice to give something of yourself, and that's not me making an excuse for being a cheap skate or scrooge.
Even with the weather we managed to get out and do a lot of visiting North Wales, Warrington, Stretford Manchester, Blackburn, Leigh and Hyde, The Food was beautiful and plentiful, the drink chilled and flowing, and friends were in abundance. All our church services went well, (though cold) I managed not to break any guitar strings and stay in key playing the right chords in the right order (all down to practice)
So that's it, Now we are a new year and looking forward I tend to be a very optimistic person. I never look back my Army service taught me that, never look behind you there is nothing you can do about the past (only learn from it) it but you can alter the future.
I look forward to the new year and am very anxious for the weather to break I have so many jobs waiting, I need a new burner fitting for the central heating system, my roof needs painting, some blacking is required, I need a new button bow and stern, a new seal on the tiller and numerous other jobs, enough to keep me busy until April when we are off again.

I have only wrote this today because we are still iced up it is raining and I have nothing else to do I am very glad you are there

Big Al