Nantwich today  eight or was it nine charity shops but few bargains to be had , as Hilary said they were posh charity shops but never the less a really pretty town .We visited the museum which although small was interesting ,
Lunch was a pasty from a small bakers amazingly Greggs haven't yet reached here
Tomorrow I will walk across town to Morrisons  to get supplies and later we need to move Sybil as we are on a forty eight hour mooring but quarter of a mile further out there are no limitations , there are still things to see in town yet.
As we are going back to Kirkby on Monday for a few days I have sorted a short term mooring for Sybil and a small hire car and I think that's very small but definitely cheaper and quicker than the train but maybe not as much fun ?? With less people watching options
                                                              A few pictures now

This was a bridge we passed under a few days ago note the stumpy telephone pole mounted in the middle of the bridge which once carried wires but no longer in use 

The millenium clock in Nantwich a working clock in a glass box with all its bits on view

The tow path as it passes under a bridge you can see the raised brick ridges which gave the horse more grip where it may slip these are also used over the bridges  but they do  make walking more difficult for humans

This is a figure constructed from oak beams and iron parts from the canal infrastructure 

it is around seven or eight feet high 

Impressive 

One of the timber framed houses with lovely gardens we passed on the walk into town

Nantwich is our mooring for tonight I have been for a walk round town this afternoon whilst Hilary has been resting her back , Have brought back a few bits of shopping plus  fish and chips for tea after checking out the charity shops ready for tomorrows excursion.
 We are hoping to stay around here for two or three days there a quite a few things to see, more pictures tomorrow maybe.

Monday evening and we have now moved onwards and upwards heading north up the Shropshire Union and nearly reached Nantwich now and have moored for the night in a nice quiet area near the Secret Bunker
The last two nights there has been no tv or internet signal and just intermittent mobile , back to nature !!
trouble was I missed the F1 oh well .
 So I can update things tonight , last night was spent nearly at the bottom of a flight of fifteen locks in a village called  Audlem very pretty rather like Fradley . The previous night was in the countryside near Adderley a village which now has no shop or pub but a very nice church which has apparently been cut in half with only the one half used occasionally for services , the other half and bell tower I don't know what if anything happens in there.

                    The bottom set of the fifteen Audlem locks which drop the canal by ninety three feet

Well deserved rest today  at Hack Green no 1 lock after a few hard days coping with a achy back

Audlem church

Just to go between the Church's one of the fine pubs in Audlem

Adderley church only half in use the right hand side I think

This was our mooring at Adderley this is supposed to be a towpath no bikers or hikers on here wonder why?

This morning Thursday , off to a good,ish start as we had a few locks to do .
 Last night was spent out in the country , no houses near so  a peaceful night but again a repeat of a previous problem in that there was an underwater ledge so that we had to moor on loose ropes and use the plank to reach land but this again meant that when the wind got up during the night we tended to roll and bang on the stone so Hilary told me although I never really noticed it. Any way we have now arrived at Market Drayton quite a nice market town  good charity shops Hilary came back well stocked up including some Calvin Klein jeans at a bargain price .
Our journey for the day amounted to five locks and around two miles as our transition through the locks was quite slow as there was a lack of water with boats waiting to go up as we went down so we had to work it that we passed each other in the intermediate pounds all adds to the fun. one section further on was single width for half a mile with only a couple of places  to pass and of course we had to meet another boat just under a bridge so we backed up to the lay by and used  the bow thrusters to push her into the bushs , something to be said for gadgets ,and allowed the other boat to squeese past .
Our mooring tonight is just on the edge of town so plenty of company with other boats.
As today is our forty third !!wedding anniversary we have been out for a meal tonight  to a nice pub nearby run by two "boys" one originally from Newcastle good to talk to will go back again.

Tuesday evening we have travelled around twelve miles on the Shropshire now. Last night was spent at Wheaton Aston A nice little village with some interesting buildings and we now have moved on to Norbury Junction This afternoon has been spent on some cleaning and boat house work. Tea tonight was a gourmet meal of meat balls in a rich sauce,  baby carrots and pan fried new potatoes see below served with a chilled Stella shandy  Total cost for two people approx three pounds including beer  now that`s good living

A nice sunny evening so  we are going for a walk to the rubbish disposal point to get rid of the results of todays tidying up

Saturday morning fuelled up , filled with water , rubbish  out  loo tank emptied and away we went retracing our steps back up the Staffordshire and Worcester to Autherley junction and moored for the night .Sunday morning backed up to the junction  with some difficulty ,Sybil was being difficult and didn't want to go back in a straight line but we succeeded in the end  and turned on to the Shropshire union  canal , we have reached the town of Brewood ( pronounced Brood)   Walked into town only ten minutes stroll  looking for a fathers day , treat the first pub we came to"The Bridge" no food after four so onward into the town centre not very far  and more than worth the walk we looked round the shop windows there were pubs restaurant's and cafes but most were closed !! then we saw "The Lion"  door was closed looked shut but we could see people inside so tried the door what a good choice full house good dining and good service they found us a table Hilary had the pork Sunday lunch more like a pork steak complete with crackling I had the rump steak medium rare but when it came I though at first it was fillet it was spot on , tender even for some one with a deficit of teeth , as good as I have had for some time spending tonight moored just outside town  . the lion hotel .going back into town tomorrow  for some fresh bread and a look round the charity shop then we may move on or maybe not . We still have to adjust to the mindset of not having to be some where at a set time .

 I have been told " I have to look up cos I cant see over "

This was a very tight fit almost half a mile with only three passing places 

They only made the bridges just wide enough for a seven foot boat and a horse

Well tomorrow has arrived and we are still here  as this morning I decided to adjust the position of the bow fender and also the stern gland (on the prop shaft ) needed tightening as it lost  some grease when at the end of each day I topped it up  and then we decided to walk up into town  for a look round and got some lunch at Dickens tea  rooms ,2 Crown Bridge, Penkridge, excellent . then a bit more shopping walked back to the marina passed the time of day with four Aussies who said it was as hot as this back home but they wouldn't be out working a boat would be in the shade instead..
As we needed to start the engine to charge the leisure batteries decided to put a load of washing through at the same time. too hot to do much outside but it will be a good drying day !
This is where we are at the moment and Sybils home for the last ten days.Otherton boat haven

Thursday evening and we are back on Sybil again . After our visit to the dentists I am now minus two teeth , at least they wont ache again and Hilary has seven fillings (beware of mint imperials she says).
 Our journey started just after eight this morning after listening to the news on which there was an item about the rail network that said one in ten trains were late Hilary said we have done well as we always get there on time , a dangerous statement as we were to find out when after the usual two buses to Malton  we were told the train from Scarbrough was twenty minutes late and this delay accumulated and increased  through out the day as we missed successive connections however we eventually  arrived back at Penkridge around three thirty ish went to the Coop for some shopping  and then a taxi for the short journey to the boat  we are staying here for tonight and continue onwards tomorrow .

                                                   safely moored at Otherton Boat Haven

Monday afternoon we are back at  home , getting up to date with a five week collection of post ninety percent junk mail  and a few bills that need attention ie paying.
Nothing much has appears to have changed in Kirkby its like we have just been away for the weekend .
The journey back was a doddle , got on the train with no tickets and when the inspector came round just told him why and he just said no problem get them at New street Birmingham after that all trains were on time although the schedule was a little tight for getting from platform to platform.
What was interesting was the proximity between train and canal as the first thirty minutes were a high speed reverse of our last two weeks travelling seeing many of the same places from a different perspective.
From Malton for our final part of the journey we decided to use a taxi as the buses would have taken nearly as long as the rest of the trip. This week we both have dentists appointments and will have a trip to York hospital as well

This was our mooring on Saturday night a lovely rural setting but halfway through the night there was a big thump on the roof , silence then a flip flop  flip flop along the roof then a very strained quaaaaack  which I guess was duck for"drat I made a mess of that landing", any way silence resumed till the dawn chorus started around  Four ish 

This is the state of some of the locks we passed through we have to keep the boat clear as sometimes  the water will pour onto the deck if you are careless  , not good .